You need a stronger candidate pool, and another job posting package is waiting for your approval. The proposal promises more reach. Your hiring manager wants to know whether it will help fill the role. Your finance team wants a reason to approve the expense.
When comparing diversity job boards, start with evidence that connects the audience to your vacancy. Then confirm exactly what the package includes and follow the application process through to your recruiting team. Those checks give you a more useful basis for a purchase than network size or a low price per posting alone.
The worksheet below will help you put each vendor's answers in the same place, identify what is still missing, and explain your recommendation to the people signing off on it.
Which vacancy does this purchase need to help you fill?
Bring a real opening to the vendor conversation. Describe the work, essential qualifications, location, and working arrangement. Include practical constraints such as an on-site schedule or required license. A national audience may sound attractive, but a local vacancy needs candidates who can realistically do the job where it is based.
Also explain what you need to change about your current recruiting reach. Perhaps qualified applicants are coming from a small number of familiar sources. Perhaps a specialized role needs visibility in professional communities your team has not reached. Define that gap before asking a vendor to recommend a package.
Share the same role information with shortlisted providers. That makes their recommendations easier to compare and gives them an opportunity to explain where their offer fits, including any limitations. If your team hasn’t yet agreed on the wider channel mix, use our candidate sourcing strategy guide to frame that discussion first.
Make the audience numbers mean something
A larger network is not automatically the best choice for a particular vacancy. The useful question is whether the provider can explain how that network relates to the people you hope to reach.
Ask what an audience figure measures. Registered accounts, website visitors and people who recently engaged with relevant jobs describe different things. Ask what period the number covers and whether it represents the whole network or only the boards included in your proposed package. Where available, look for information relevant to your location, profession, or experience requirements.
You do not need personal candidate records to evaluate a proposal. Aggregated audience information and clearly explained examples can help you assess fit. If a vendor shares a customer result, ask what roles and locations it involved, when it happened, and how the result was measured. Treat it as context for your decision, rather than a prediction of your own hiring outcome.
What if the vendor cannot provide the audience detail you requested? Record the gap. Ask what other evidence is available, such as an explanation of relevant distribution channels or recent activity on comparable listings. You may still have a reason to consider the board, but avoid making a large commitment depend on an audience claim you cannot assess.
Find out what the quoted price actually buys
Put the package terms beside the price. Confirm the posting duration, where the listing appears, whether a company profile is included, and which features cost extra. Ask what happens if you need to correct a listing, close it early, or advertise the role again.
WorkplaceDiversity.com's current job posting options illustrate why package names matter. Basic Job includes a single 60-day job credit and a company profile, without distribution across the 10 diversity-focused boards. WorkplaceDiversity.com Network Posting includes that distribution alongside a single 60-day credit and a company profile. The 10- and 20-credit network packages provide credits to use over a year, with each position live for 60 days.
That distinction changes what you are comparing. A single listing and a network posting have different distribution. A credit's use window and how long a job stays live are separate terms. Ask the provider to confirm how the use window applies to a posting placed near the end of the package period.
For any multi-posting offer, work from openings you reasonably expect to advertise during that window. Clarify whether one credit covers one position, whether credits can be reassigned, and what happens to unused credits. Get renewal, cancellation, and any recurring-charge terms in writing. These are questions to resolve with the provider, not features to assume are included.
A lower advertised cost per credit only helps your budget if you can use the credits and the package serves your hiring needs. Compare the total commitment, including necessary extras, before deciding that the larger option is better value.
Follow an application all the way to your team
Ask the vendor to demonstrate what happens after a candidate selects Apply. Does the candidate complete an application on the board, go directly to your careers site, or enter another system? Confirm what your recruiter receives and where they will review it.
If the proposal mentions integration with your applicant tracking system, ask which connections it supports and for a demonstration of the actual handoff. Identify who sets it up, who checks that the application arrives correctly, and who handles a broken link. General statements about compatibility leave those operational questions unanswered.
Include the candidate's experience in that check. Review the route on a phone and ask your web or accessibility team to assess barriers in the application itself. The W3C guidance on accessible forms emphasizes clear field labels, instructions, and feedback that helps users understand and correct errors. Ask who owns those elements at each stage, especially when the process moves from the job board to your own site.
Finally, request a sample report and definitions for the activity it records. A job view, an Apply click, and a completed application are different events. Establish which ones the board can report and which your own system must confirm. Name a contact on each side so your recruiter knows where to go when something needs attention.
Bring this worksheet to the vendor conversation
Use one copy for each vendor and package under consideration. The last two columns are intentionally blank so you can record the answer, its supporting document or date, and any follow-up. Ask each provider about the same vacancy.
| Decision criterion | Question to ask | Vendor answer or evidence | Follow-up needed |
|---|
| Role and geography fit | How does this package fit our role, requirements and location? | | |
| Audience evidence | What does the audience measure cover, and how recent is it? | | |
| Exact distribution | Which boards and placements are included in this quote? | | |
| Credits and expiry | What uses a credit? When must we use it, and how long is the job live? | | |
| Application destination | Where does Apply lead, and what reaches our recruiting team? | | |
| Support and ownership | Who handles setup, listing changes and application problems? | | |
| Reporting and terms | What activity is reported? What are the total cost and renewal or cancellation terms? | | |
After the conversation, identify which unanswered questions could change your decision. You may need to resolve a missing explanation of the application destination before any purchase. Limited audience evidence may point toward a smaller initial commitment, if one is available. Do not let a well-presented proposal hide an unresolved requirement.
Choose a commitment you can explain
Your recommendation should connect the purchase to the hiring need. Explain which vacancy or planned openings it supports, why the available evidence makes the audience worth considering, and what the team will receive for the total price. Include any important uncertainty and how you intend to address it.
For a single opening or an unfamiliar channel, a smaller purchase may give your team room to learn before committing further. For several planned openings, a credit package may be appropriate when the timing, distribution, and operating requirements fit. Neither choice removes the need for clear job requirements and a recruiting team ready to respond to applicants.
Bring your hiring needs and completed worksheet to a review of WorkplaceDiversity.com's employer packages. Ask the team to walk through the relevant option and clarify the open questions before you commit your next posting budget.
