{"id":14356,"date":"2018-11-21T18:03:13","date_gmt":"2018-11-21T18:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/recruiterflow.com\/blog\/?p=845"},"modified":"2025-08-06T15:12:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T15:12:16","slug":"indeeds-ban-independent-recruiters-means","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/recruiterflow.com\/blog\/indeeds-ban-independent-recruiters-means\/","title":{"rendered":"Indeed\u2019s ban on independent recruiters and what it means for\u00a0them"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you are not aware, Indeed recently announced that it will remove all the free postings made by Recruiting and staffing agencies. This is not an unprecedented step. Even with their ATS partners like Recruiterflow<\/a>, Indeed had made their plans clear that they will be restricting access to recruiting and staffing agencies.<\/p>\n

<\/span>What made Indeed make this move?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

There are several reasons that are behind Indeed making such a move. They already talked about one of the reasons and that is improving the quality of search and experience of candidates.<\/p>\n

Battling Google for jobs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The second reason is competitive pressure from the likes of Google. Google search still remains the biggest way Indeed attracts candidates looking for a job. A simple search on Similarweb will tell you that 42% of Indeed\u2019s traffic comes from searches.
\nIndeed\u2019s model is that of an aggregator where it aggregated jobs in an area and gave users a better way to look for the jobs they want. So the value chain was pretty simple \u2014 Search engines -> Indeed ?Companies\/agencies posing on Indeed. As Indeed was able to get a lion\u2019s share of search traffic that was generated on google for people trying to find jobs, the business thrived.<\/p>\n

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The business model of Indeed is predicated on playing arbitrage with Google search and taking a chunk of this pie. This fact is the core business model of almost every content aggregator on the web(think yelp!). What helps them differentiate is that they can optimize their experience for just one thing, unlike google. Google has to optimize its user experience for a multitude of use cases.<\/p>\n

With Google entering the market with Google for jobs, it is going to have an impact on Indeed and maybe Indeed is already feeling the pinch. Despite google\u2019s chops for making it easier for people to search for Jobs, Indeed still retains the top spot. However, the castle now seems to be built on shaky ground.<\/p>\n

Although there is no public data, there is a great chance that Indeed saw its top of the intent traffic(active job seekers) being lost to Google. This means a change in the way they position themselves with job seekers. One of the ways to do this would be to establish themselves as a place where candidates come directly without google. This means removing the middleman and getting candidates straight to organizations recruiting. Posting jobs on Indeed is completely free. This means that every organization in the world can tap into the pool of candidates on Indeed.<\/p>\n

Also check, How To Post a Job On LinkedIn For Free – Recruiterflow<\/a><\/p>\n

Recruiting agencies did not play nice<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Okay, a part of the blame is on recruiting agencies as well. A lot of recruiting agencies work on a contingency recruiting business model. This means that they get paid only if the candidate they introduced gets hired. This creates a race against time to get the HR time stamp. Recruiting agencies are often competing against a myriad of other agencies to submit the same candidate. This leads to behavior where agencies keep jobs open even if they are not hiring for it but to build their database. This created a bad user experience for candidates.<\/p>\n

(Note: Using Recruiterflow\u2019s automated email recipes, our users are first to establish the connection with the candidate and secure representation rights! Schedule a demo with us to understand how you can do it too!)<\/p>\n

Most importantly \u2014 Because they can do it now!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is a time when Indeed can take this risk. It\u2019s a household name. Almost every business knows what Indeed is and so do the job seekers! Indeed is big enough to come out of the shadow of Google: Indeed is a household name today and it is not very difficult for companies to start posting their own vacancies<\/p>\n

It is not just the Indeed. I would venture a guess that a host of other free job boards might make the same move.<\/p>\n

<\/span>So the question is what\u2019s next for recruiting and staffing agencies?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The fundamental expectation from a recruiting and staffing business is rapidly evolving. The candidate pool that is active is easily available to businesses themselves. What they need is a helping hand to access the pool that is passive. They need someone who can close candidates and help them recruit the finest talent out there.<\/p>\n

Also, check Strategies to Increase Staffing Agency Sales<\/a><\/p>\n

Why post and pray isn\u2019t a good business model<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Internet has made access to information exceptionally easy. It is going to be increasingly easier for active candidates to find companies in their area that are looking for people with their skillsets.<\/p>\n

When an agency presents candidates that they have sourced through job postings on free job boards<\/a> like Indeed, they are playing with information asymmetry and hoping to get lucky! Well, in the age of information, a business model predicated on information asymmetry just doesn\u2019t make a lot of sense! I know that a lot of Recruiters still make 5\u20136 figure income just doing this but I wouldn\u2019t expect that business to grow quickly.<\/p>\n

What can you do to stay a step ahead of the future?
\nIf as a recruiter, your only value add is that you collect candidates, screen them, and submit them, it\u2019s not going to help you in the new way of doing things. To become a successful recruiter, you need to have a deep understanding of people, the niche of your recruiting, and the ability to source great candidates.<\/p>\n

Modern clients expect you will bring something to the table that they can\u2019t themselves.<\/p>\n