HigherEdJobs

Site's statement

Jobboard Finder’s opinion

Summary: HigherEdJobs was founded in 1996 by three university employees: Andrew Hibel, John Ikenberry and Eric Blessner (who most likely met at Penn State University). HigherEd could be a play on words for a job board (“hire Ed”) but since this specialist job board for academic professionals (working in schools and universities) has a mostly professional feel to it, it’s unlikely any play on words is actually intended. The website attracts as many as 2.45 million views a month (which is quite impressive for a specialist job site), mostly from the US, even if it is an international website. On social media, 21 800 people on Twitter, 47 550 on Linkedin and 9 908 on Facebook follow its activity. A Youtube page can also be found (with a dozen videos and 98 followers) but it hasn’t been updated in a while. Despite being open to international recruiters and jobseekers, the only language option is English.

Design: The colour scheme is dominantly yellow and grey and the image of a classroom is featured on the homepage behind some search options (jobs by category, by location, by school, by type) and the search bar (keywords). The rest of the homepage encourages users to sign up and displays some article previews. To access the job listing, a keyword (or subcategory) is required. You can also use the advanced search (job category, position type, institution type, specific location details) for a more specific search. There are no logos in the job listing or in the job offers, but the information is quite detailed and clear. Some job offers are priority job offers so they appear above the others.

The job board objective: HigherEdJobs aims to make it easier for university staff to find work.

Recruiter observations: As a recruiter, you can order a pack or a single post. To do so, you simply go to the employer section and find the appropriate offer (prices are available). The job advert form is straightforward and you can even include a diversity or affirmative action statement. Recruiters must include an application method (a mailing address, an e-mail, a fax, or an online form) and the deadline is optional. International customers must pay by credit card.

Jobseeker observations: For jobseekers, HigherEdJobs focuses on displaying available jobs. To apply, there is often an application form or the possibility of applying through the university website. If you create an account, you’ll have to include a fair bit of information about your current situation.

The job offers: There are 52 159 job offers on the website at the moment. There are administrational jobs, faculty jobs and executive jobs. Remote positions are also available on the website.

Reactivity: --

Special features: The blog (quite interesting, and they publish an article every day. There is also an entire section on diversity); HigherEdCareers (internet chat with higher education experts); the interactive map; the Youtube videos (including a 30 minute video on how to recruit in academe); the salary data (and how salaries for specific positions have evolved over the last 6 years); the disability services; the author in residence section (including book reviews, all with a focus on higher education); the higher education employment report; the testimonials; the job alerts.

Verdict: Even if you are not looking to work in an academic field, HigherEdJobs is an interesting job board with articles on a variety of topics. Creating job posts is easy and the application process depends on the employer.

Written by Ali Neill

As the job board tester and blog editor for the Jobboard Finder, Ali works on job boards from all around the world and keeps a close eye on the recruitment trends thanks to a number of sources, including the website's social media pages.