Starting a recruitment agency is mental…
You’ve got to build your candidate database, hunt for clients, manage your pipeline, and somehow find time to actually place people.
And then there’s the job boards.
Oh, the job boards…
Most of them want you to sign up for 12-month contracts, commit to minimum spends, and hand over your credit card details before you’ve even tested whether they work for your market.
It’s like being asked to buy a car without test driving it first.
For a solo recruiter or small agency founder, it’s a nightmare.
You’re already watching every penny, trying to get your business off the ground, and now you’re expected to gamble hundreds (or thousands) of pounds on job boards that might not even work for your niche.
Well, I’ve got some news for you…
We’ve just partnered with a company that’s about to solve this problem.
And I’m pretty excited about it.
We’re excited to announce that we’ve partnered with Candidate Source on a new product that’s going to make the big job boards accessible for Solo Recruitment Founders and Small Recruitment Agencies.
Now, before I dive into the details, let me be honest with you…
As Giig is starting to grow, we’re getting an increase in the number of companies that are looking to partner with us.
Most of the time, it fizzles out, probably because their offerings don’t align with our mission of helping small agencies get started without breaking the bank.
But this Pay As You Go model that Candidate Source approached us with felt like a no-brainer.
Why?
Because it solves one of the biggest problems that our users face when they’re starting out.
The problem of needing access to quality job boards without having to commit to expensive contracts that could cripple a small business if they don’t work out.
At Giig, we’ve always believed that you shouldn’t have to pay crazy fees just to get your recruitment business off the ground.
That’s why we offer a free forever ATS/CRM platform.
And that’s exactly why this partnership makes so much sense.
Candidate Source’s Pay As You Go service gives you access to multiple job boards without the financial commitment that traditionally comes with it.
It’s like having your cake and eating it too.
You get the benefits of premium job board access, but you only pay for what you actually use.
No upfront fees, no minimum spends, no lengthy contracts that you’ll regret signing six months down the line.
For someone who’s just starting their recruitment journey, or a small agency looking to test new markets, it’s the perfect model.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the Pay As You Go service, let’s first cover off who Candidate Source actually are.
Candidate Source are recruitment advertising specialists who support recruitment agencies to yield better results from their job adverts.
Put simply, they’re the experts when it comes to all things job boards.
They’ve built their business on understanding exactly how to make job adverts work.
Their primary focus is helping recruitment agencies attract better quality candidates through more effective job advertising.
They work with 6 leading job boards, 2 social media job boards, and 124 general job boards.
That’s mental when you think about it…
Most solo recruiters struggle to manage relationships with 2 or 3 job boards, let alone 132!
But that’s the beauty of working with Candidate Source.
They’ve already done the hard work of building relationships with all these platforms, negotiating better rates, and understanding which boards work best for different sectors.
What I particularly like about Candidate Source is their approach to client relationships.
Everyone I know of who has dealt with them has said they’re honest, upfront and a pleasure to work with.
They also offer management services where they help you manage the flow of candidate applications.
It’s not just selling you a service and then leaving you to get on with it.
They genuinely want to help you succeed in the long term.
They also offer different types of advertising, including employer-branded adverts and dual-branded adverts.
This means you can showcase your client’s brand in the job advert, which typically attracts better quality candidates because people want to know who they’ll actually be working for.
According to LinkedIn, 75% of job seekers consider an employer’s brand before applying for a job.
So being able to include that branding in your adverts isn’t just nice to have…
It can often be the difference when it comes to attracting top talent
The fact that Candidate Source have built their entire business around helping recruitment agencies succeed tells me they understand our world.
They get the pressures we face, the budgets we’re working with, and the results we need to deliver.
Right, let’s get to the juicy stuff…
The Pay As You Go job boards service.
This is where things get interesting for solo recruiters and small agencies.
Traditional job board pricing is designed for big recruitment agencies with deep pockets and predictable volumes.
You sign up for a 12-month contract, commit to spending a certain amount each month, and hope for the best.
For a solo recruiter or small agency, this model is mental.
You might have months where you need to advertise 10 jobs, and other months where you don’t need to advertise any.
But you’re still stuck paying that monthly fee regardless.
It’s like being forced to buy a gym membership when you only want to use the treadmill on a Tuesday.
Candidate Source’s Pay As You Go service flips this model on its head.
Instead of committing to lengthy contracts and minimum spends, you simply pay for the job board access you actually use.
Need to advertise one job this month?
No problem, you pay for one job.
Need to test three different job boards to see which works best for your client?
Again, no problem. You pay for those three tests, and that’s it.
The beauty of this approach is that it gives you complete control over your spending.
If you’re having a quiet month, you’re not throwing money down the drain on unused job board credits.
On the flip side, if you land a big client with multiple vacancies, you can scale up your advertising without having to renegotiate contracts.
But the flexibility isn’t just about cost…
It’s about testing and reducing the risk,
As a small agency, you need to be smart about where you spend your marketing budget.
With traditional job board contracts, testing different platforms is expensive and risky.
You might sign up to Indeed, LinkedIn, and Totaljobs, only to discover that 90% of your quality candidates come from just one of those platforms.
But you’re still stuck paying for all three for the next 11 months.
With Pay As You Go, you can test different job boards for different types of roles without any long-term commitment.
Maybe Indeed works brilliantly for your admin roles, but LinkedIn is better for senior management positions.
Maybe certain niche job boards deliver amazing results for specific sectors.
With the traditional model, this kind of testing is crazy expensive.
With Pay As You Go, it’s almost risk-free.
Another plus to Pay As You Go, is that it helps you with your cash flow!
When you’re starting a recruitment agency, cash flow is everything.
You might land a big placement that gives you a cash injection, but then have a dry spell for a few weeks or months.
Traditional job board contracts don’t care about your cash flow…
The monthly payment still comes out regardless.
Pay As You Go means you only spend money when you need to advertise.
No more watching your bank balance drain because of fixed monthly commitments you can’t use.
The service is also perfect for recruiters who are expanding into new areas.
Maybe you’ve been successfully placing accountancy professionals, but a client has asked if you can help with their IT recruitment.
Rather than committing to expensive IT-focused job board contracts, you can test the waters with Pay As You Go.
If IT recruitment works out, great…
You can invest more.
If it doesn’t, you haven’t committed to 12 months of payments for something that doesn’t work.
What’s smart about Candidate Source’s approach is that they’ve maintained all the benefits of traditional job board partnerships.
You still get access to premium job boards…
You still get the volume discounts that come with their buying power…
You still get expert advice on which platforms work best for different sectors…
But you don’t have to commit to the traditional downsides.
It’s genuinely the best of both worlds.
For solo recruiters who are just starting out, this removes one of the biggest barriers to getting started.
You don’t need to find thousands of pounds for job board commitments before you’ve even placed your first candidate.
You can start small, test what works, and scale up as your business grows.
For established small agencies, it provides the flexibility to expand into new markets without the financial risk.
And for everyone, it provides peace of mind that you’re not locked into contracts that might not deliver the results you need.
If you’re sitting there thinking this sounds too good to be true, I get it…
We’ve all been burned by recruitment suppliers who promise the world and deliver nothing (hopefully we’re not one of those).
But here’s the thing…
Candidate Source have been at it for years.
They’ve built their reputation on delivering results for recruitment agencies, not just taking their money.
In my mind, the fact that they’re confident enough to offer a Pay As You Go service tells you everything you need to know about the quality of their service.
So, how do you get started with Pay As You Go?
It’s simple…
Head over to the Candidate Source website: candidatesource.uk.com
From there, you can learn more about all their services, including the Pay As You Go option.
From my conversations with Michelle and the team, they’re genuine, friendly people who understand the recruitment industry and want to get the best results for the people they partner with.
They’re not going to pressure you into signing up for something you don’t need.
In fact, the whole point of the Pay As You Go service is that there’s no pressure…
You can test it out, see if it works for your business, and scale up or down as needed.
If you’re someone who prefers to research before committing, here’s a link to their testimonial and video case studies
It might be worth having a quick scan through those,
They’ve got feedback from recruitment agencies of all sizes who’ve used their services to improve their candidate attraction.
One thing I’d recommend is being honest about your current situation when you speak to them.
If you’re a solo recruiter just starting out, tell them that.
If you’re a small agency looking to expand into new markets, share that too.
The more context they have about your business, the better they can tailor their advice to your specific needs.
And remember, with the Pay As You Go model, you’re not committing to anything long-term.
You can literally test it with one job advert and see how it performs.
If it works, great…
If it doesn’t, you haven’t lost much.
That’s the beauty of this partnership from our perspective at Giig.
We’re not asking our users to take massive financial risks or commit to expensive contracts.
We’re simply providing access to a service that could help you grow your recruitment business more effectively.
At the end of the day, that’s what we’re all about…
Giving solo recruiters and small agencies the tools they need to succeed without breaking the bank.
And I genuinely believe that Candidate Source’s Pay As You Go job boards service does exactly that.
So if you’re struggling with expensive job board contracts or you’ve been putting off advertising because of the costs involved, this could be exactly what you’ve been looking for.
Check them out, have a conversation, and see if it makes sense for your business.
The worst that can happen is you learn something new about job board advertising.
The best that can happen is that you discover a service that transforms how you attract candidates and grow your business.
Either way, it’s worth a conversation.
Here’s the link to the Vlog —
If you’re not already using Giig’s free recruitment ATS/CRM to manage your candidates and pipeline, you can sign up at giighire.com. It’s genuinely free forever, no catch, no credit card required. Perfect for solo recruiters and small agencies who want professional tools without the professional price tag.
