Free job listings for councils – FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- What is LG Jobs?
- What is the LG Jobs free job listings offer for local government organisations?
- Who is eligible to use the LG Jobs free job listings service?
- Why are you offering free job listings on LG Jobs?
- We use other online advertising services, how does LG Jobs fit in?
- We advertise vacancies on our own website, what added value can LG Jobs provide?
- I am a current subscriber to Jobsgopublic services, how will the free job listings service affect me?
- Is it really free?
- How many user accounts can I have?
- Am I able to set up a user account for a generic recruitment email address?
- What are the chargeable services?
- I notice there are now facilities for site sponsorship – how can I take advantage of this?
1. What is LG Jobs?
LG Jobs is the official local government jobs board, owned by the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) on behalf of the sector, and delivered in partnership with Jobsgopublic.
2. What is the LG Jobs free job listings offer for local government organisations?
- self-service job listing (post your jobs when you need to)
- free job listing for 30 days on a DDA compliant website
- listings include branded job descriptions
- candidates can request an application pack through a form on the site
- reporting on vacancy performance and application statistics
- a diverse range of candidates driven to your listings via targeted marketing and the IDeA’s network of sites
- increased traffic to your job listings when candidates sign up to receive jobs by email
- online map showing vacancy location
3. Who is eligible to use the LG Jobs free job listings service?
All councils in England and Wales are eligible to use the free job listing service.
The free service is only available to councils and users require a valid local government email address to access the self-service upload facility.
4. Why are you offering free job listings on LG Jobs?
The IDeA and Jobsgopublic believe that adopting an e-recruitment strategy can help councils harness significant benefits from the Internet.
“Online job advertisements turned out to be not only cheaper than newspaper-based space, it also proved to be easier to monitor, evaluate and track responses”.
Clare Ateyo, Recruitment Officer, North Somerset Council
Many councils have already embraced online recruitment. However, the IDeA wants to create a barrier-free channel for ALL councils in England and Wales to start making these considerable cost savings.
Reducing barriers to online advertising and e-recruitment channels will also benefit those councils with devolved budgets, enabling recruiting managers to access a quality online national advertising service free of charge without affecting their budget.
5. We use other online advertising services, how does LG Jobs fit in?
The IDeA and Jobsgopublic encourage councils to use the free job listings service and support LG Jobs as the only online recruitment service, dedicated to local government that is owned by the sector. However, councils may also continue to use whatever advertising suits their recruitment needs. For example a subscription to the wider Jobsgopublic network and associated services enables organisations to access over 1.1million jobseekers every month and LG Jobs is included free as part of this.
As the LG Jobs service is free of charge, it is unlikely to affect any current contractual relationships councils have with other commercial advertising providers. It does mean though, that councils now have access to a free quality national resource in addition to any other media.
6. We advertise vacancies on our own website, what added value can LG Jobs provide?
LG Jobs works to complement any additional online advertising channels. By advertising both on your own website and LG Jobs you are assured of a targeted local (or organisation specific) and national audience.
There are also additional value-added services available, which can be built using the LG Jobs platform. By utilising LG Jobs to access these services, you can benefit from economies of scale, thereby saving money on sophisticated candidate functionality, leading to barrier free, compliant technology and e-recruitment.
LG Jobs is part of the LG Talent suite of IDeA resources; dedicated to attracting talent into local government. LG Talent links LG Jobs with a wide network of IDeA web services including:
- www.lgcareers.com - A dedicated local government careers information portal
- Local Government Talent Pool - A free-to-search database of those interested in working in local government, exclusive to councils
- www.LGTalent.com/skills - A web resource that provides councils with information on improving workforce skills
- www.communities.idea.gov.uk - A professional network for sharing information and innovation on recruitment, skills, retention and development in local government
Collectively LG Talent provides the richest source of careers information and employment opportunities for those interested in working in local government.
7. I am a current subscriber to Jobsgopublic services, how will the free job listings service affect me?
Jobsgopublic.com subscribers have already been benefitting from free job postings on LG Jobs and will continue to do so. Vacancies placed on the Jobsgopublic website will continue to be automatically fed into the LG Jobs website without the need for additional effort or cost.
8. Is it really free?
Yes! All nominated council users can access the free of charge services.
For added value there are additional chargeable services available.
9. How many user accounts can I have?
The IDeA has funded up to 5 free user accounts for every authority. Larger councils will generate higher posting volumes, requiring additional support and technical requirements. To fairly reflect these associated costs, a small charge of £500 will be made for additional user licences beyond the introductory 5 free user accounts.
10. Am I able to set up a user account for a generic recruitment email address?
For this free, and/or heavily subsidised service to be maintained, it is important that all users of the service respect the terms of use. The sharing of user accounts and password details is prohibited for the following reasons:
- In order to comply with the Computer Misuse Act 1990
- Individuals are accountable for content posted via their allocated licence
- Individual licence holders are accountable for any technical abuse
- Data accessed through the system (e.g. candidate data/applications) is logged against a specific user id, which needs to be an individual, in order to comply with data protection
- Any user leaving the council will have their account closed, in order to comply with data protection and to prevent misuse. Any shared user would, therefore, simultaneously lose all data.
Please let the IDeA know if any allocated users leave your organisation and their individual account will be deleted.
The free service will continue to be funded by the IDeA, providing that regular supplier audits confirm the above policies are being followed. Misuse will result in accounts being cancelled and access rights revoked.
11. What are the chargeable services?
LG Jobs provides a self-service facility to enable councils to advertise their vacancies free of charge. There are a number of value-added capabilities available via the IDeA which provide additional branded services and functionality that can be implemented to increase your profile on the LG Jobs website and will also enhance the candidate experience:
- Online Application Form – this is customised to reflect a council’s branding, and enables candidates to immediately apply for the job via a secure online application. Once completed, the candidate can adapt and re-use this application for other vacancies as appropriate.
- Downloadable application forms (Word/PDF) – Branded with the council’s logo, this facility enables candidates to download a protected application document and then either email, or post it to the council.
- Employer Brochure Page – This is an opportunity for councils to sell themselves as employers – they can provide jobseekers with an online brochure about the benefits of working there.
- Vacancy bulletin - Generated automatically this is a structured printable listing of vacancies that can help councils promote the jobs currently advertised on the site.
- Enhanced Advertising and Promotion opportunities – Branding packages provide an excellent opportunity to promote a council’s jobs and drive traffic to their listings.
For further information on these value added services please contact freelisting@lgjobs.com.
12. I notice there are now facilities for site sponsorship – how can I take advantage of this?
Advertising or sponsorship on LG Jobs is the ideal environment to further attract the right candidates for your vacancies. We offer a range of opportunities from enhanced listing, banners and buttons, to full site sponsorship. To find out more contact freelisting@lgjobs.com.
