Employers rely on job boards to link them up with the best candidates for the jobs they post. Otherwise, why else pay for a slot? To do this, you have to attract the right job seekers, and that takes some investigation. It doesn’t happen on its own.

Knowing your candidate base gives you insight on how to attract the right people. This means you need to know everything you can about the right candidates, but it also means learning what you can about candidates who aren’t the best fit. Only then can you tailor your efforts in the right direction.

Fundamental, Yet Valuable, Information

Of the things you might want to know about candidates who use your job board, location, profession, and education top the list, according to Job Board Doctor. These points might seem so simple as to take care of themselves. They’re not.

An online job board can reach people around the world. If employers are posting telecommuting jobs, then location doesn’t matter as much. But profession and education still rank high.

It won’t help employers if a large number of applicants are immediately disqualified because of where they live, or their education and work experience.

SEE ALSO: 3 Ways the Biggest and Best Job Boards Stay Relevant

Know the Habits of Job Seekers

Job Board Doctor comes through again with an infographic that helps clarify how job seekers look for work, and where. The information is based on results from a survey conducted in 2013, where both active job seekers and random survey takers gave a peek into their habits:

This information is valuable not for the personal details it provides, but for preference patterns. When you know how a large section of job seekers look for work, you can train your marketing strategy in the right direction to find them.

Mining for More Data — It’s Not That Difficult

Once the fundamentals are out of the way, the old ”more is better” adage helps you take the next steps. The applicant’s location is right, and so is his degree. But what about special certifications or licenses? What job does he currently hold, or did he hold last? Is he employed at all?

The more information you can mine, the better, and it’s easier than it sounds. It’s not actually mining at all, truth be told. You don’t need to hire a specialist to extract and translate usable data, not when a simple registration form lets the user provide that information up front.

Job Board Doctor also suggests using pop-up surveys of your own to get more information about people who aren’t actively applying or using your job board. You can even set up surveys using social media, stepping completely outside your website.

What you do with all this information is for you and your marketing department to sort. But two things are clear. When you know who you want to reach and where they spend their time, you’re better equipped for marketing effectively. And when employers ask you for evidence that your job board is worth the investment, you’ll have data right from the candidates themselves.