A nonprofit job board is a job listing service that helps job seekers find jobs in the nonprofit sector. A variety of organizations and businesses sponsor job boards, and each board has its own policies and offers different job search services. While many general job boards also list employment opportunities for nonprofit businesses, a nonprofit job board offers a more specialized search.
Historically, a job board was an actual bulletin board located in schools, employment offices, and businesses. Administrators or other people with information about available jobs would tack written job notices on the board so that job seekers could write down the information and apply for the jobs that interested them. Many job boards now exist online, either through websites or through inter-organizational Intranet services, though physical job boards still exist in some businesses and at some job centers.
The appeal of the nonprofit job board is that it can provide a targeted search for individuals who wish to work for a nonprofit organization. This can be particularly helpful for social service and health care workers who are most likely to find work in nonprofit organizations. In addition, some business professionals specialize in nonprofit management, public relations, or marketing work and thus prefer to search for jobs in the nonprofit sector.
Each nonprofit job board is unique in its offerings. In some cases, a nonprofit job board offers interactive job search services to both employers and candidates. For example, a job candidate may be able to upload his or her resume to the service. This not only makes it easy for the candidate to submit resumes to hiring managers, but also allows employers to search resumes and contact desirable candidates directly. In addition, job boards may also include discussion forums for users who can then exchange tips and information and provide support during their respective job hunts.
Individuals who are looking for employment may find it to their advantage to search and register with several different job boards. Although some employers make the effort to list their jobs in many different venues, some may post job listings on only specific boards. This may be particularly true for nonprofit organizations that do not offer relocation assistance to candidates and may thus list openings only on local employment sites rather than on national boards. Seekers who are interested in working for a particular nonprofit organization should also check that organization's regional and national websites to determine if it has an in-house job board.
