Are We Finally Witnessing the Death of the Traditional Job Board?

Are We Finally Witnessing the Death of the Traditional Job Board?

CareerBuilder and Monster. Two names that once dominated the online recruiting world. Now? They're making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

A recent LinkedIn post from The Job Board Doctor revealed a letter from CareerBuilder CEO Jeff Furman informing employees that they’d be “terminating the employment of employees, including you.” Brutal. And very real.

Let’s be honest—this was a long time coming.

Less than a year ago, Monster and CareerBuilder attempted a Hail Mary by merging. But instead of becoming stronger together, they ended up on life support. Fast forward to today: they’ve been slapped with a for sale sign and told U.S.-based employees their last day is August 4.

Sad? Absolutely—for the employees caught in the middle. But surprising? Not in the least.

These two job boards haven’t been relevant for years. They’ve been hanging on while platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed gobbled up market share. (Ironically, Indeed built part of its empire by syndicating Monster's jobs.)

I remember talking with a Monster rep in 2021—couldn’t find a single job from our career site on their platform. Our ATS was sending them over, but they just… vanished. No listings, no visibility. Nothing.

That was my wake-up call.

And if this merger-turned-mess doesn’t convince you to rethink your strategy, I don’t know what will.

It’s time to stop depending on job boards to do the heavy lifting. Your employer brand is your best recruiting tool. You need to build programs that get your people talking, posting, and sharing.

At our last Employer Branding EXP conference, we had three sessions dedicated to employee advocacy:

  • How to launch a program
  • Tactical ways to scale your brand
  • And how to identify internal influencers

So let the CareerBuilder/Monster collapse be a cautionary tale: job boards are no longer your recruiting lifeline. Your people are.

Invest in your brand. Empower your employees. And stop chasing applicants on job boards that are fading faster than dial-up internet.

Join us at the next Employer Branding EXP virtual event on September 9, 2025, and future-proof your recruiting strategy.

Because dinosaurs don’t hire.