Since their launch in 2005, Premium job ads have offered employers the opportunity to see their job ad given priority position at the top of the search results page. At the time, behaviour suggested that candidates were primarily searching for roles by selecting a location and a classification/sub-classification. As a result, we offered the solution to display a Premium ad where candidates were most frequently searching.
This solution was successful, and employers could be confident that most candidates would see their Premium ad – even in competitive industries. However, recent evolutions in candidate behaviour has led to important updates to the SEEK Premium ad.
Changing candidate behaviour
- More than a third of candidates are using keywords to find the most relevant roles. We now see more than a third of job searches that don’t include a classification/sub-classification selection
- More candidates than ever are turning to their mobile device to search for new roles. In fact, almost half of all candidates search on SEEK via their mobile, moving away from traditional desktop search
- The best candidates are not always actively searching on site, but can still be open to the right opportunity if it comes to them. Instead, these candidates rely more heavily on regular prompts, such as our Weekly Roundup and Job Alert emails.
Premium ads, as they were originally designed, weren’t served to candidates in these scenarios.
Increased demand from employers
Additionally, Premium ad inventory was limited. Only two Premium ads were available for purchase in each location/sub-classification combination every week. This meant that if those Premium ads had already been sold, other employers were unable to benefit and had to wait until the next booking window to purchase.
In response to changing candidate behaviour and rising demand from employers, SEEK has implemented a series of changes that aim to solve their problems.
Greater reach and improved inventory
Promotion in more places, to more candidates
Premium ads now attract more candidates by displaying in keyword-only searches, Job Alert emails and Weekly Roundup emails. These changes mean that employers can now expect their Premium ad to be seen by more relevant candidates whether they are searching for a role or not via Job Alert and Weekly Roundup emails.
Flexibility in how and when you post
Important changes have also been made to the lifetime of Premium ads. Rather than displaying exclusively at the top of the search results for seven days, Premium ads now rotate through these positions for up to 30 days. This means there is no longer a need to pre-book Premium ads and employers can now choose to upgrade their ad when they create it on SEEK.
As part of this update, we use candidate profile data and historical behaviour on site to make sure we’re serving ads to the right people.
New release Premium ads are now available to employers. For more information, click here.
