When you’re looking to start an online business, a job directory site can be a viable source of income. People are always on the lookout for a new job, whether they want to change careers, find a better paying position, or simply break into a new field, a site that lists jobs in the area is a great way to help them find work—while creating a passive income stream for you.
In this article, I will show you how to create a job board in WordPress using WP Job Manager, a free plugin, which requires no previous coding skills.
1. Installing and Setting Up WP Job Manager
First thing you need to do is to install and activate the WP Job Manager plugin. WP Job Manager is designed to work with any WordPress theme.
Once the plugin is activate we can begin to configure the job board for your specific needs. This section is broken down into two sections: Job Listings and Job Submissions.
Job Listings displays the basic information of the jobs on your site:
Job Submissions controls how jobs are submitted and if they require an account to do so:
2. Create Job Categories
Depending on your needs, job listings can be separated into categories. Each category contains a name, URL slug, and description. Job listing categories is the same process as creating categories for the blog post categories. You can create as many or as few as you want or need.
3. Create Job Types
Job types are defined as full time, part time, freelance, or any option available to you. As with categories, you can create as many or as few as you want or need.
4. Create a New Job Listing in the Dashboard
With the basic job board configuration in place, it’s time to create a new job listings. Again, the process is very similar to creating a page, post, or category. Enter a title, job content, category, and select the type of job listing.
There are a few additional features over the standard blog post admin area within the Job Listing post: an additional panel for Job Listing Data.
These data fields give you the option to add Job Location, Company Information, Job Expiration, and closed the position as filled.
5. Create a New Job Listing With the Submission Form
To create a submission form you need to create a new page with the following shortcode:
[submit_job_form]
Adding the shortcode will convert the page into a submission form that allows users to add all the relevant job information. The submission form does not allow you to set job posting expiration date. Once you have all the information entered, you can publish the job listing.
6. Displaying the Job Listings
To display the job postings, you need to add the shortcode to the page. The shortcode to display all of the open positions:
[jobs]
The Job Dashboard
To create a job dashboard, add the following shortcode:
[job_dashboard]
This will allow logged in users to view, edit, and manage the all the jobs they have posted.
How to Get More Out of Your Job Board
Now that you have your job created and published, there are several add-ons to provide more functionality and add a passive income stream.
1. Job Alerts
Allow your users to save their job search with key terms and create alerts for the jobs that match their search criteria.
2. Apply with Facebook
Allow visitors to apply via email using their Facebook login. With this method, users don’t have to remember multiple login credentials.
3. Resume Manager
Allow job applicants to upload their resume and attach it directly to the desired position. This allows hiring managers the ease of viewing the resume online through private link.
4. Applications
Allows users to use a form on the site to apply for a job. Employers and business owners have the ease of managing the applications from the dashboard on your site.
5. WC Paid Listings
Allows you to create pricing plans to charge business owners for posting a job on your job board.
Conclusion
Creating a job board website is a nice way to start an online business and create a reliable passive income stream. The WP Job Manager plugin is an excellent way to create a job board without knowing coding skills or having to fundamentally alter your website.