Monster: Is It Still Worth Using Monster When Recruiting?

The one-time big-hitters in the market have certainly slid a long way down the pecking-order. Is there any way back for them to dominate the UK recruitment scene once again?

It doesn’t seem too long ago when Monster were doing exceptionally well in the job advertising space. They were genuine pioneers in the recruitment space and transformed the marketplace by making strides with advanced job matching and mobile searching.

The American giant had a number of successful years in the UK space, but unfortunately that is well and truly over. Ailing job applications, minimal UK traffic and dwindling candidate database numbers have kept Monster on the side-lines. This shouldn't really come as a huge surprise as personally I can't remember the last Monster advert that I come across. Nothing on the TV, YouTube, radio, train, road bus or tube networks - it's all gone very quiet.

From the thousands of recruiters that I’ve spoken too, only a fine margin of these still have any sort of package with them. Monster’s reputation has been tarnished by offering both minimal applications to clients and having a stagnant candidate pool. It’s not a good combination when those are the two vital components of a successful job-board.

Yet still to this day, some clients have been pulled in by their ridiculously cheap packages. Despite this, many request to cancel within a matter of days at the sheer disappointment at just how stagnant the candidate flow really is. Many recruiters and hiring managers quickly realise just how time-consuming it can be to stay on top of things when running a job-board, so when it’s not pulling through the right candidates, it can become an incredibly tiresome duty with little yield.

For recruiters who are just starting out, unfortunately they do sometimes chase the lowest price available - at all costs - and it has dire consequences. It’s essentially flushing money down the drain, especially when they’re other cost-effective suppliers available who offer access to a more advanced and capable platform (the likes of Indeed, CV-Library and Reed).

Do they offer any trials so I can see how the site works?

The main type of trial that Monster offer is a 4-day test with access to an unlimited volume of candidates. It can prove to be a useful entry point when trying to identify whether they can assist you in your market. It's advised to be cautious with these kind of trials, as they can sometimes work quite well but upon further inspection when you take out a paid package, the results can quite rapidly tail off. It's important to review a few other things before subscribing, such as the following:

• Do any other agencies or companies in your sector currently advertise with them?

• Check their Trustpilot score and take a look through some of the reviews.

• Type in "Monster" on your LinkedIn newsfeed to see any relevant status' about them from other users.

I’ve spoken to many a sole trader who has been through this process and it feels a bit like when you get your first ever car for a couple of hundred pounds and it break down on the side of the road within the first 3 months. There’s an aura of inevitability about it, which makes it all the more depressing.

How are they performing over in the States?

However, it’s not all doom and bloom for Monster. They are arguably one of the market-leaders in the competitive and vastly profitable American market. If this is where most of your recruitment lies, then it’s definitely worth considering them solely for your roles based in the US.

They do face stiff competition over the pond with the likes of Indeed, Career Structure and Glassdoor - who are all performing phenomenally well too. Nevertheless, Monster have maintained the US as their stronghold by offering an extensive CV database service alongside decent job application rates too.

What are their subscription fees?

From a pricing stand-point, Monster are one of the cheaper platforms available. In times where purse-strings are tighter than ever, this can be a huge selling point for them.

After all some job-boards have simply priced their way out of many recruiters portfolio's in recent years. Understandably, not everyone can afford a £500+ per month subscription, specifically when they may be starting out with just a couple of clients. I have included their online rates below but again it's advised to call them to negotiate the best rate possible.

Overall rating - 5/10

With such a competitive UK job-board market, it can become quite easy to fade into the backdrop unless you both advertise astutely and relentlessly. Monster have fallen into this trap and it's cost them across all aspects of their platform - less traffic, less job applications and ultimately less clients.

It wouldn’t come as much surprise if Monster switch off the life-support and end up pulling the UK platform altogether, so they can focus on a selection of the 40+ other countries that they operate in. The whole UK venture hasn’t gone horrifically - they certainly had some successful years but the longer they plod on now - it will only distance that memory even further.

On the contrary, if they can generate some further investment and get some engaging marketing campaigns off the ground then they make have a chance of mounting a bit of a comeback over the coming years. They have the brand name and market know-how already in place, it's more just a matter of time and commitment.

Please feel free to reach out either in the comment section below or via email to smartfind@outlook.com if you have any questions.