As the online job board industry changes, we can expect to see new entries into the job board industry on a fairly regular basis. Some are websites that have changed their name and approach, while others are brand new to the game and have something unique to offer. According to US News and World Report, many job hunters are utilizing online listings to find out what skills employers are looking for, but gathering a dedicated online audience is difficult. The need for an online job board to grab an audience that wants to use its services has caused some new boards to think outside the box and come up with some very interesting ideas.

SEE ALSO: The Importance of Branding With Job Boards

Planted

According to JobBoardDoctor.com, Planted used to be the more whimsical online job board called Lynxsy. The site has changed its focus and now deals primarily in helping startups to find the staffing they need. But the new rub Planted offers is that every job hunter who gets hired through the site gets a financial reward. No one knows how long Planted can sustain itself with this model, but paying job hunters for finding work on a job board is definitely new.

SpareHire

It is interesting to note that even the part-time and project work job boards are becoming specialized. The SpareHire site focuses exclusively on companies that want to hire financial experts on a contract or part-time basis. The companies list the jobs, and then the financial experts submit bids to do the work. This is a model that has worked in areas such as freelance writing in the past, but it remains to be seen if it will work with something as demanding as financial expertise.

Drafted

Referral services are just one of the innovations job boards are making these days.The long-term future of the Drafted online job board is uncertain, but its business model is definitely interesting. Instead of directly recruiting professionals, this site is set up to pay professionals for referring their friends to jobs listed by employers. This is just a play on the referral programs that many companies offer with their employees, and it is an interesting twist on the job board idea.

Klujo

Klujo is an app that helps employers use Facebook to turn recruiting into a game. It is still in its infant stages, but it shows a lot of promise. With the popularity of the gamification of training classes, the gamification of recruiting seems to be a natural evolution. It will be interesting to see if this innovative idea catches on.

Now that job hunters and employers have pretty much seen it all from online job boards, it is time for the job boards to get creative. There is plenty of room to be creative with a job board and employers seem to be reacting to that creativity, so long as it gets results. If you are looking to revamp your job board, then you would benefit from thinking outside the box and coming up with something innovative and different.

What are some other opportunities in the online job board industry that current job boards can still capitalize on?

George N Root III is a professional freelance writer who has expertise in topics such as Internet marketing, business, advertising, and personal finance.