Top Programmatic Job Advertising Software, Expert Tested & Compared

Programmatic advertising leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate the real-time sale of ad space. This process optimizes ad targeting by analyzing data on user behavior and preferences to target ads to the most relevant audiences.

Here’s a closer look at how programmatic job advertising software works:

• Set up your job listing and budget from your ATS, recruiting CRM, or directly through the recruitment advertising software.
• Determine your total campaign budget and cost per click/application.
• Define ad rules based on your ideal candidate profile.
• Initiate the campaign, and the platform takes control.
• The software identifies potential candidates online based on your rules and displays your ad on relevant websites.
• Once your ad reaches its target engagement level, the platform stops running it to avoid unnecessary spending.

Time for some real talk. Programmatic job advertising isn’t for every company. At the end of the day, you need to think about the scale at which you’re hiring and consider who on your team is capable of running point on your job campaigns. So before you invest in programmatic, keep these considerations and common mistakes in mind:

• Not for smaller companies: Programmatic job ad platforms will save you money in the long run, but you should still budget at least six figures annually for job boards/advertising. So if you’re a smaller company with only a few hires a year, you’re better off using traditional job advertising methods.
• Analytical Rigor: In order to get the most out of your campaigns and ensure you’re NOT wasting spend, you need to look at the data to see what’s working and what’s not. Be sure to look at data for the full funnel, too — that means down to actual hires, not just click-throughs or CPMs. Of course most of these platforms will help with that.
• Need someone on staff who understands paid media: These days, there is a huge marketing component to recruiting and hiring. Needless to say, having someone on staff who understands the marketing piece of this (i.e. paid media) will benefit your efforts in the long run. The caveat is that some of these vendors have agency type services where they can manage your spend if you don't have the expertise in house.

There are a lot of benefits to using programmatic job advertising. As we’ve mentioned, it’s more cost-effective, less labor-intensive, and more efficient overall — you’re getting more for each advertising dollar you spend. Let’s break it down:

• Smarter Ad Spend: You’ll be smarter with your ad spend and ultimately save your company money. This is because you only pay what you want to spend for the right candidates, and can reallocate leftover budget from one job to another as needed.
• Precision Targeting: You can more accurately target your ideal candidate, which means you’re only getting quality applicants. In addition, your search will be continuously optimized so you only get the right number of applications per role (in other words: you’re reducing the number of jobs with too many applications AND too few applications). 
• Recruiters’ time used more efficiently: Your people power will be used more efficiently. Since programmatic automates the majority of the job ad process, your recruiters can focus their time on what really matters: vetting and hiring candidates.
  

To calculate ROI, you’ll want to compare your cost per hire from before you started using programmatic to after. When you do this, you should see a decrease in your hiring costs (from both a financial and time perspective). This is because you’re relying less on outside agencies that charge a lot of money, you’re controlling your spend for each role (i.e. when you have enough applicants, ads stop running), and the time-to-fill decreases because you control how many applicants make it into your pipeline.

Check out some of our ROI calculators here to build your own business case.

Programmatic recruitment software offers a more efficient, data-driven, and cost-effective approach to hiring. This type of HR software also empowers TAs to focus on building relationships with top talent rather than getting bogged down in administrative tasks.

• More cost-effective: More automation means less labor costs required. Additionally, when you have enough applicants, ads stop running. In other words, you only pay what you want to spend for the right talent and can reallocate the leftover budget from one job to another as needed.
• Better talent acquisition with data-driven recruiting: These platforms leverage data and algorithms to optimize ad performance continuously. Ad performances are also tracked in real-time, so you’re equipped with substantial data and analytics to decide what’s next instead of relying heavily on your gut.
• Better ads targeting: You can set specific rules for the type of candidates you're seeking, and the software's algorithms will work to match those criteria. This precision targeting better the odds of attracting the right fit for your roles.
• More time efficiency for recruiters: With automation handling many tasks, recruiters can focus more on assessing and relationship-building with candidates rather than administrative duties like posting the same job manually on Indeed, LinkedIn, Facebook, and two dozen, if not hundred more pages.
  

Job ad platforms offer many features to improve your overall recruitment marketing efficiency. Here are some of those features:

• Landing page builder: Most platforms we picked in this guide let you build your own career site that includes landing pages to showcase your employer branding and direct interested job seekers to a unique email address or your existing ATS so the process remains seamless for both recruiters and applicants.
• Performance-based model: You only pay when someone interacts with your job ad. Some platforms charge by clicks, while others charge by applicants. 
• Spend tracking: Only pay for what you need. You can set your budget to a specific amount, typically a pay-per-click or pay-per-application. You can also specify how much it’s allowed for particular jobs to ensure your budget is spent where needed.
• Campaign analytics: Keep track of how your campaign is performing with real-time data on the number of views, clicks, applications, and spending for each job ad across the web. You’ll see what’s performing well and what isn’t in real-time to make necessary changes to improve performance.‍
• ATS integration: Connect to your ATS or other human resource software so applicants are automatically delivered to your TAs in their everyday workflow.‍‍
• Social recruiting: Extend the reach of your job ads to the social media platforms your potential hires are using to attract passive candidates. This feature is particularly helpful when a job ad isn’t performing well on job boards.

Programmatic recruitment solutions typically charge a percentage of your ad spend, usually between 10-20%. Additionally, there's often an annual SaaS fee.

Calculate the total cost of using programmatic technology by factoring in both the percentage fee and any additional fees. Compare this cost to the potential savings in your overall cost per hire. If your hiring volume is medium to high, the upfront costs of adding a programmatic job ad platform to your recruitment process may be significant. Still, the efficiency gains and potential savings over time often justify the investment.

Never come to a vendor demo empty-handed, instead, have your own list of questions covering what you want to know about their programmatic recruitment software (i.e., features, integration capabilities, pricing). Here are some examples to help you get started:

Job Distribution and Reach:

• How many job boards and online channels does your platform have access to for distributing job ads?
• Can you target specific demographics or industries with the job ads?
• Do you support both national and local job advertising?

Ad Campaign Management:

• How easy is it to create and manage multiple ad campaigns simultaneously?
• Can we customize the ad creative and branding to match our company's identity?
• What tools do you offer to optimize ad performance and budgets?

Data and Analytics:

• What data and insights do you provide about ad performance, candidate interactions, and application rates?
• How can we track the effectiveness of different job ads and channels?
• Is there real-time analytics available to monitor campaign progress?

Candidate Targeting:

• Can we define specific criteria for targeting candidates, such as location, skills, experience, and education?
• Is there an option for retargeting candidates who have previously engaged with our job ads?
• How do you ensure that our job ads reach the most relevant candidates?

Integration and Compatibility:

• Can your platform integrate with our existing ATS or other HR software?
• What is the specific process to integrate and how long does that take?
• Do you offer APIs or data feeds for seamless data transfer between systems?
• How does your platform handle data privacy and security?

Budget and Cost Management:

• What is your pricing structure? Is it based on impressions, clicks, or other metrics?
• Are there additional costs, such as setup fees or fees for using certain job boards?
• Can you provide an estimate of the total cost of running specific campaigns?

Optimization Strategies:

• How does your platform optimize ad delivery and placement to achieve better results?
• Do you offer A/B testing capabilities to determine the most effective ad variations?
• Can you provide examples of successful campaign optimization strategies?

Customer Support and Training:

• What level of customer support do you offer during and after implementation?
• Do you provide training resources to help our team effectively use the platform?
• Is there a dedicated account manager to assist with our campaigns?

Success Stories and References:

• Can you share case studies or success stories from companies that have used your platform for programmatic job advertising?
• Are you able to provide references from current clients who can share their experiences?
  

What is programmatic advertising?‍

Programmatic advertising refers to using software to buy digital advertising space. Machines automatically place your advertisements in front of the right consumers. ‍

What is programmatic job advertising? ‍

Programmatic job advertising takes the framework of programmatic advertising and applies it to recruiting. Your open roles will automatically be placed in front of the right candidates at the right time. ‍

How do I use programmatic job advertising platforms?‍

First, you set up a job listing from your ATS, recruiting CRM, or directly on your programmatic job advertising platform. Then, you decide upon your budget for the campaign. This can be paid for per click or per application. Next, you’ll set “rules” that correspond to the ideal candidate for your open role. Finally, you’ll let the software take over to buy ad space in the right places. Then, once you hit your budget, the platform will automatically stop running. ‍

What are some features of programmatic job advertising platforms?‍

Some useful features of programmatic job advertising platforms include:

• Landing page builder
• Spend tracking
• Campaign analytics
• ATS integration
• Social recruiting‍

‍What are the benefits of using programmatic job advertising software?‍

Major benefits of programmatic job advertising tools include:

• Smarter ad spend: You’ll save your company money by only paying what you want to spend to advertise to the right candidates. 
• Precision targeting: You will more accurately target the right candidates and cut down on low quality applicants. You search will also be continuously optimized so you get the right amount of applicants per open role. ‍
• Recruiter’s time: By reducing the time spent advertising to the wrong candidates, recruiters won’t have to wade through piles of resumes. Just the ones that matter.

So there you have it—the top programmatic job advertising platforms, along with needed insights to help you find the right solution for your talent acquisition team/agency.

Do you need further help in shortlisting vendors? Our HR Tech advisors are happy to lend a hand. Book a call with them to get personalized advice (it’s free, by the way).

If you’re just looking around for now, feel free to bookmark this page and return when your team decides to make a purchase. We update our content regularly so you can rest assured what you are and will be reading is the most up-to-date information.

For post-software buyers looking to calculate ROI, you’ll want to compare your cost per hire before and after you start using the programmatic job platform. We have put together some key HRTech ROI calculators you can use to build your own business case.