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Indeed for employers review
Last updated:
Post jobs for free, access millions of resumes and get connected with global talent.
Indeed is a job board with massive reach, as it garners over 250 million monthly unique site views. But you’ll have to pay to make your listing stand out from the thousands of other job posts, and its pay-per-click billing model lacks transparency.
What's in this review?
What features does Indeed offer for employers?
Indeed allows you to create, post and edit your job posting. You can either redirect each candidate to your website, or applicants can apply directly through Indeed.
Here’s a snapshot of its unique features:
- Recruiter services. An Indeed recruiter can help usher candidates your way to save you time.
- Resume database. Access over 175 resumes when you purchase a subscription.
- ATS Integration. Indeed integrates with dozens of popular applicant tracking systems, including ApplicantStack, CareerPlug and TalentReef.
How much does it cost to post a job on Indeed?
It’s free to post a job on Indeed. Your job posting will show up in general search results, and you can manage applicants from your account and accept mobile applications.
However, paying to sponsor your job posting will boost visibility, landing it higher in search results. Basically, more candidates will see your job posting more often if you decide to pay.
Indeed promotes sponsored job posts to potential candidates through desktop and mobile alerts, and in email blasts. Sponsored jobs are 3.5 times more likely to result in a hire, according to data from Indeed. You can set a budget as low as $5, though Indeed will give you a recommended daily budget based on your job title.
Indeed’s pricing model for sponsored posts is complicated. You set a budget and it charges you each time someone clicks on your post. Once you reach your budget, Indeed stops sponsoring your post, which means it will fall further back in search results over time, so fewer people will see it.
Indeed is a job aggregator. So when a candidate uses it to look for a job, it searches thousands of other sources around the web, including recruiter listings and company career sites — in addition to its own listings — to gather results according to the keywords in each query. This means if you don’t pay to sponsor your posting, there’s a good chance it’ll get lost in the crowd.
How much will I pay per click?
Most clicks on Indeed cost between $0.25 to $1.50, according to a third-party recruiter. However, Indeed doesn’t provide a straightforward answer to this question.
Instead, it states that “the cost of individual clicks is managed by a tool called Bid Optimizer,” which “responds to fluctuating jobseeker traffic throughout the day to increase the amount you pay for clicks when interest from candidates is at its highest.”
Simply put, you won’t know how much it charges you for each click upfront.
If you’re in charge of hiring for a company with its own career page or applicant tracking system (ATS), you can work with Indeed to create a custom hiring campaign that sponsors jobs directly from your website.
Working with an Indeed recruiter
Indeed also has two subscriptions available, which partner you with a recruiter in charge of sending candidates your way. Here’s what you have to choose from:
| Standard | Professional | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $100 monthly | $250 monthly |
| Candidates | 30 monthly | 100 monthly |
| Includes |
| All features of Standard, and:
|
Pros and cons
Indeed doesn’t require a long-term contract or monthly subscription, which means you can get started with little financial risk and can cancel anytime without paying a fee. That said, customer service isn’t available during the weekends, which may be frustrating for small business owners juggling a busy weekday schedule.
Pros
- Post jobs for free. Release your job posting to the public without paying a cent.
- Huge audience. Indeed reports over 250 million unique monthly visitors to its job board — compare that with ZipRecruiter reporting 25 million monthly job seekers.
- Massive resume database. Indeed has one of the largest resume databases available online — compare its 175 million to CareerBuilder’s 38 million .
Cons
- Pricing model lacks transparency. Indeed won’t tell you exactly where it posts sponsored jobs, and its estimated results don’t guarantee that qualified candidates will actually apply.
- Poor user reviews. Employer complaints on the BBB and Trustpilot raise concerns about billing mistakes and scam applicants.
- Your job won’t go live instantly. After you verify your Indeed account, it can take up to five hours for its team to review and approve your post.
Does Indeed automatically post to other job boards?
No — Indeed only posts to other job boards if you pay to sponsor your posting.
Indeed doesn’t say which job boards it posts to — but its partner sites across the web include Bloomberg, USNews and AARP. It also partners with Dotdash, which owns The Balance, Investopedia, ThoughtCo and more.
How does Indeed compare to other sites for employers?
See how Indeed stacks up against the competition:
Indeed reviews and complaints
As of October 2020, Indeed has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), where it has been accredited since 2017. However, over 50 reviews average out to just 1 out of 5 stars. Over a dozen reviewers report billing mistakes, where Indeed charged them much more than they expected. People also report issues with upselling, scammers and difficulty reaching a representative to resolve their issues.
On Trustpilot, Indeed fares a bit better, with a 3.2 out of 5 star Average rating compiled from more than 2,833 reviews. Some employers report frustration dealing with a slow verification process, where it took three days or even a month to verify their account. Others report that their account was disabled, though they aren’t sure why.
Still, Indeed has replied to most complaints on both the BBB and Trustpilot, urging users to contact the customer support team to resolve issues.
How do I post a job on Indeed?
To post a job on Indeed, start by creating an account:
- Click Employers/Post a job
- Click Post a job
- Enter your company name and email, then click Continue
- Go to your email and click the verification link to confirm your info
- Enter a password and click Set password
- Complete a brief contact form and click Continue
Next, Indeed walks you through the steps for posting your first job. You’ll need to provide information like:
- Industry
- Job title
- Location
- Pay range and benefits
- Number of hires you’re hoping to make
- Level of urgency
- Required availability
- Type of person you’re looking for
- Job description and responsibilities
- Applicant qualifications
After you create a job posting, the final step requires you to verify your identity. You can do this using:
- Two factor authentication via text
- A phone call to verify your information
- An image of a government-issued ID
- Your Facebook account
Once your identity has been verified, Indeed will review your job post. This typically takes between three to five hours, and you’re notified when it goes live.
What is Indeed?
Indeed is an employment website based in Austin, Texas and Stamford, Connecticut. It was founded in 2004 and is available in 60 countries and 28 languages. Employers can post jobs for free or on a pay-per-click basis.
How do I contact Indeed if I’m a business owner?
Indeed’s customer service team is available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. To contact Indeed as a business owner, head to the help center. From there you can get in touch via:
- Phone. Call 888-535-1564
- Chat. Message its support team in real time
- Email. Submit a question via online form
You can also reach out via Twitter, by tweeting or sending a DM to @IndeedSupport.
Bottom line
It’s relatively low risk to post a free job with Indeed, since the only investment is your time and energy — though paying to sponsor your post will likely result in receiving higher quality applications more quickly.
For more strategies to help grow and manage your business in the digital age, browse our collection of resources for entrepreneurs.
