MappingTheWeb //

No, there is no such thing as Google Job Board, although there is a free job section in Google Base (I think this is a relatively weak offering). So why am I bringing up the topic? I think this would be a great idea for Google to drive additional revenues.

A paid job board is great for both parties. For Google, obviously it generates revenues it wouldn’t otherwise receive. For potential employers, it offers vast exposure, better quality postings, and a diverse array of job candidates. In addition, Google could charge a low nominal fee, which would make it very competitive with the big guns (Monster, HotJobs, CareerBuilder) and affordable for even small businesses. I’m picturing an interface similar to Craiglist, but branded Google. The idea itself takes very little resources to launch and very little bandwidth to run - so why not?

Famous bloggers Mike Arrington (TechCrunch) and Om Malik (GigaOm) have each launched their own job boards with considerable success (CrunchBoard and GigaOm Jobs). 37 Signals was probably the first to undertake such an initiative. ProBlogger has also recently launched a ‘blogging’ job board. The simplicity and scalability of the idea makes it possible for anyone with a large, engaged audience to implement.

Moreover, Google itself could leverage the board to recruit potential job candidates internally, allowing the Internet giant the ability to hand pick top-quality candidates without ever having to advertise. I’m not saying the company doesn’t already get top-quality applicants signing up, but a job board may help in this process - especially in the case of niche positions.

Weird - a revenue channel for Google that doesn’t rely on AdWords. Who would have thought?