Are You Wasting Budget on Job Boards? It’s Time to Rethink How You're Advertising Jobs In 2025

Featuring insights from Frank Nijmeijer, Chief Growth Officer at Wonderkind, and Matt Comber, CEO of SourceFlow

In a recent episode of From The Source: Expert Insights, two leaders in the recruitment tech space—Frank Nijmeijer from Wonderkind and Matt Comber from SourceFlow—sat down to discuss a growing concern within the staffing industry: the continued over-reliance on job boards to advertise jobs.

It’s a timely and relevant conversation for recruitment businesses trying to get more out of their marketing spend—and it starts by questioning long-standing habits.

Why Job Boards Might Be Costing More Than They’re Worth

Recruitment firms have historically leaned on job boards to advertise a job. It’s familiar, it’s scalable, and it appears to deliver quick results. But Frank and Matt argue that this model has become unsustainable in today’s landscape.

“There’s a lot of bleeding money going on,” Matt says. “Recruiters are throwing large sums at job boards without truly measuring what value they’re getting in return.”

The issue isn’t just the cost—it’s that the reach and results aren’t what they used to be. When every competitor is advertising jobs in the same places, you’re not gaining competitive advantage—you’re just part of the noise.

Meet the Experts: Wonderkind & SourceFlow

To understand where they’re coming from, it’s worth knowing what Wonderkind and SourceFlow do:

• Wonderkind is a social job advertising platform that helps companies attract top talent by targeting candidates where they actually spend time—social media, Google, and other online channels. By using AI and programmatic technology, Wonderkind empowers recruiters to advertise jobs more effectively and reach both active and passive candidates with precision.

• SourceFlow build high-performing recruitment websites and marketing tools for staffing firms. They help agencies streamline their marketing efforts—from branded career pages to automated content distribution—without needing a full in-house team.

Both companies are aligned in their mission: helping recruiters adopt a smarter, more data-driven approach to advertising jobs and attracting talent.

The Problem with "Post and Pray"

Frank nails the core issue: traditional job boards support a “post and pray” mentality. You write a job ad, post it, and hope the right candidates see it. There’s little targeting, almost no retargeting, and limited ways to engage talent who don’t apply right away.

“Would you market a product that way?” Frank asks. “Of course not. Yet so many recruiters are still advertising jobs like it’s 2015.”

Instead, Frank advocates for treating each job ad as a campaign. That means using recruitment marketing techniques like:

• Dynamic ad targeting on social media

• Branded career content

• Email nurturing and remarketing

• Conversion-focused landing pages

And it’s not just theory—Frank’s team at Wonderkind sees real-world results when firms shift budget from job boards to smarter campaign-based advertising.

Owned Media: A Smarter Way to Advertise a Job

Matt builds on this by talking about the shift toward owned media—content and platforms you control, like your website, email list, and employer brand channels. “It’s about investing in assets you own, rather than renting space on someone else’s platform,” he explains.

SourceFlow help recruitment firms move in this direction by giving them tools to:

• Create branded job pages that convert

• Automate the distribution of content across channels

• Track real engagement and application rates

When you own the experience, you can optimise it over time. You’re not just advertising jobs—you’re creating a continuous pipeline of engaged talent.

The Future of Recruitment Marketing is Strategic

One of the most powerful moments in the conversation comes when Matt says, “Recruiters need to start thinking like marketers.” And it’s true—recruitment marketing is no longer optional. It’s a necessity.

In this new model, job ads aren’t just a box-ticking exercise. They’re a strategic lever for growth. With the right tools, firms can:

• Identify which channels deliver the highest quality applications

• Reduce reliance on costly job boards

• Reach passive candidates with tailored messaging

• Improve candidate experience and employer brand

This isn’t just about cost-cutting—it’s about improving performance.

Is It Time to Audit Your Job Advertising Strategy?

If you’re still spending most of your budget on job boards, it might be time to step back and ask: What’s really working?

Recruitment has evolved, and the way you advertise a job should evolve with it. Whether it’s embracing automation, targeting passive talent, or building your own marketing assets, there are smarter ways to do more with less.

🎥 Watch the Full Interview

Frank Nijmeijer and Matt Comber bring a wealth of insight—and practical advice—in this episode of From The Source: Expert Insights. Whether you’re a recruiter, agency owner, or marketer in the industry, this conversation will challenge your thinking and inspire your next move.

👉 Watch the full episode now on YouTube and discover how the most forward-thinking firms are transforming how they advertise jobs:

SourceFlow do WAY more than industry-leading recruitment website design. We build recruitment websites and marketing tools that amplify ROI and provide transparency with state-of-the-art data insights.