Engineering Job Boards: The Complete Guide

Job Boards That Work for Engineers

The Job Board Landscape

Not all job boards are created equal for engineering hiring. Understanding the landscape helps you invest in the right platforms.

Platform-by-Platform Analysis

LinkedIn Jobs
The largest professional network with unmatched reach. Most engineers have profiles, though many don't actively browse jobs. LinkedIn's strength is its ability to surface your posting to passive candidates through their algorithm and enable "Easy Apply" friction reduction.

Best for: All engineering roles, especially senior positions where network effects matter.
Watch out for: High application volume doesn't mean high quality. Many candidates apply broadly.

Indeed
High volume, broad reach. Indeed's free tier gets basic visibility; sponsored posts increase prominence. Works well for entry-level and mid-level roles but can generate overwhelming unqualified applications for senior positions.

Best for: Volume hiring, entry-level roles, broad searches.
Watch out for: Low signal-to-noise ratio. Requires significant screening effort.

Hacker News "Who's Hiring"
Monthly threads on the first of each month attract engaged, technically sophisticated developers. Free to post. The audience skews toward experienced developers who value technical culture and often overlook traditional job boards entirely.

Best for: Startups, technically interesting work, experienced developers.
Watch out for: Once-monthly posting window, competitive attention, requires compelling narrative.

Stack Overflow Jobs
Developers who solve problems on Stack Overflow are often strong candidates. The platform offers detailed developer profiles with verified technical credentials. Smaller pool but higher average quality.

Best for: Specific technical skills, senior developers, companies with technical credibility.
Watch out for: Narrower reach, requires competitive developer-focused benefits.

Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent)
The go-to board for startup hiring. Candidates browsing here are specifically interested in startup opportunities and often willing to trade salary for equity and impact.

Best for: Funded startups, equity-heavy compensation, mission-driven roles.
Watch out for: Startup-focused candidates may not fit enterprise contexts.

Built In
City-specific tech job boards with strong SEO and local community engagement. Works well for companies hiring in specific tech hubs. Includes employer branding content opportunities.

Best for: Location-specific hiring, local tech community engagement, employer branding.
Watch out for: Geographic limitations, varies significantly by city.

Optimizing Job Postings

The Anatomy of a High-Converting Job Post

Job postings that attract qualified candidates share specific characteristics. Engineers evaluate opportunities quickly—your posting needs to communicate value immediately.

Title optimization

• Use standard, searchable titles (Senior Software Engineer, not "Code Ninja")
• Include key technology if truly central (Senior Backend Engineer - Python)
• Add location/remote indicator when relevant (Remote, US Timezones)
• Avoid clickbait or inflated titles that create skepticism

Salary transparency
Research consistently shows that job postings with salary ranges receive 30-40% more applications. Many jurisdictions now require it. Beyond compliance, salary transparency:

• Attracts candidates who are actually a fit
• Reduces time spent on misaligned conversations
• Signals organizational transparency
• Reduces bias in compensation discussions

Requirements vs. qualifications
The most common mistake: listing too many requirements. Studies show women apply when they meet 100% of qualifications while men apply at 60%. Long requirement lists discourage diverse applicants and strong candidates who could grow into the role.

Best practice:

• List only true requirements (would you reject a perfect candidate who lacked this?)
• Separate "required" from "preferred" explicitly
• Use ranges for experience ("3-7 years" not "5+ years")
• Remove degree requirements if not genuinely necessary

Compelling description
Engineers want to know:

• What they'll actually work on (specific projects, not vague "innovative solutions")
• What tech stack they'll use (and why those choices were made)
• What the team structure looks like (who they'll collaborate with)
• What growth looks like (career paths, learning opportunities)
• What makes this role/company different (not just perks—meaningful differentiation)

What to Avoid

Red flags that make engineers scroll past:

• "Competitive salary" instead of actual ranges
• "We work hard and play hard" (signals burnout culture)
• Buzzword-heavy descriptions with no substance
• Unrealistic requirement combinations (10 years React for a 10-year-old framework)
• "Other duties as assigned" (signals unclear scope)
• Stock photo imagery instead of real team/office
• No mention of remote policy in 2026
• Excessive interview process descriptions

Paid vs. Organic Strategies

Understanding the Investment Options

Organic (Free) Strategies

• Hacker News "Who's Hiring" threads (monthly, free)
• Developer community job boards (many free for basic posts)
• Company career page with SEO optimization
• Social media promotion through engineering team
• Employee referral amplification

Paid Strategies

• Sponsored posts on LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter
• Featured listings on tech-specific boards
• Programmatic job advertising (Appcast, Pandologic)
• Premium employer branding placements
• Recruitment marketing content promotion

Budget Allocation Framework

Maximizing Free Channels

Hacker News optimization:

• Post on the first of the month, early in the thread
• Lead with what makes the work technically interesting
• Mention compensation range (HN audience expects transparency)
• Include remote policy and location
• Be specific about the technical challenge

Developer community engagement:

• Contribute genuinely before posting jobs
• Follow community norms (some allow job posts, some don't)
• Make engineering team visible and helpful
• Share technical content, not just job ads

SEO for career pages:

• Use standard job titles that match search terms
• Structure pages with proper schema markup
• Include location-specific pages for multi-office companies
• Keep page load speed fast (developers notice)

Paid Channel Optimization

When to invest in paid:

• Hard-to-fill roles after organic efforts plateau
• Time-sensitive hiring (urgent backfills, rapid scaling)
• Entering new markets without existing presence
• Roles requiring very specific, rare skill combinations

Optimization tactics:

• A/B test job titles and descriptions
• Monitor application quality, not just quantity
• Set up conversion tracking (application → screen → hire)
• Use retargeting to re-engage visitors who didn't apply
• Pause underperforming campaigns quickly

Measuring Job Board ROI

Metrics That Matter

Tracking applications alone is misleading. High application volume with low conversion wastes screening time. Track the full funnel:

Building a Measurement System

Minimum viable tracking:

• Track source on every application (most ATS platforms support this)
• Standardize source naming across recruiters
• Review source performance monthly
• Calculate cost-per-hire by source quarterly

Advanced tracking:

• Quality score candidates at screening, track by source
• Measure time-in-stage by source (do board candidates move faster/slower?)
• Survey hires about how they actually found you (attribution is messy)
• Track 6-month retention by source (are board hires retained at same rate?)

Interpreting Your Data

Signs a board is working:

• Consistent flow of qualified applications
• Reasonable cost-per-qualified-candidate vs. alternatives
• Candidates convert at or above your average rates
• Time-to-hire comparable to other sources

Signs to reconsider:

• High application volume but few phone screens
• Applications require extensive follow-up to qualify
• Candidates frequently misunderstand the role
• Cost-per-hire significantly above other channels

Common pitfalls:

• Judging boards by applications instead of hires
• Not accounting for recruiter time in cost calculations
• Treating all boards the same instead of role-matching
• Abandoning boards too quickly (some take 2-3 months to optimize)

Beyond Traditional Boards

Alternative Sourcing Channels

Job boards are one tool. The best engineering recruiting strategies combine boards with active approaches:

Developer communities where engineers actually spend time:

• daily.dev and similar developer news/content platforms
• Discord and Slack communities for specific technologies
• Open source project contributor networks
• Conference attendee lists and speaker networks
• Technical blog comment communities

Content-driven sourcing:

• Engineering blog showcasing technical challenges
• Open source contributions that demonstrate culture
• Technical talks and conference presence
• Podcast appearances by engineering leadership
• YouTube technical content

Relationship-driven sourcing:

• Employee referral programs with meaningful incentives
• Alumni networks from previous companies
• Bootcamp and university partnerships
• Meetup and community event presence
• Warm introductions through investors, advisors, customers

When Job Boards Aren't Enough

Some roles consistently underperform on job boards:

Staff+ engineers: Senior technical leaders rarely browse job boards. They're found through networks, referrals, and executive search.

Niche specialists: Very specialized skills (particular ML sub-fields, specific infrastructure expertise) have too few practitioners for boards to reach them.

Passive candidates: The best engineers often aren't looking. Boards only reach active searchers.

Competitive markets: When everyone's posting similar roles, boards become noise. Differentiation requires other channels.

For these situations, complement boards with active sourcing, retained search, or specialized technical recruiting firms.

The Multi-Channel Approach

The most effective engineering recruiting uses boards as part of a system:

Awareness tier: Boards, career page, social presence—make sure people can find you when they look.

Engagement tier: Content, community involvement, engineering brand—create interest before they're looking.

Relationship tier: Referrals, networks, direct outreach—reach passive candidates who never visit boards.

Conversion tier: Interview experience, offer competitiveness, onboarding—turn interest into hires.

Job boards excel in the awareness tier but can't replace the other layers. Build a complete system.