What Is ZipRecruiter: Features, Pricing & How It Works
This article is part of a larger series on Hiring.
ZipRecruiter is an online employment marketplace and recruitment platform that allows you to post job listings to more than 100 job sites with just one submission. In addition to its database of 36 million+ resumes, it has artificial intelligence (AI)-driven applicant matching technology to help you find the best candidates for your vacancies. These features make ZipRecruiter a big time saver for business owners, people managers, and HR professionals who want to improve job fill rates and hire the right talent for their companies.
If you want to test ZipRecruiter’s functionalities and navigate through its intuitive interface yourself, sign up for its free trial today. ZipRecruiter is even offering a special, limited-time offer (Exclusive Free Highlight Enhancement – $60 value) for Fit Small Business readers to help your job postings stand out.
ZipRecruiter Features
ZipRecruiter can serve as a one-stop-shop where you can advertise job ads and find quality candidates. To give you a better idea of what ZipRecruiter is and how it can help you improve hiring timelines, take a look at its most essential features below and watch the video for quick information on how to start posting your first job for free.
With this feature, you don’t have to manually post your job ads to each job site. After you create and post your job listing on ZipRecruiter, its platform will automatically distribute it across its partner job sites. You can even share your job posts on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
Unfortunately, ZipRecruiter doesn’t post to big job boards, such as Indeed, Monster, and CareerBuilder. You also have to pay extra if you want to advertise job ads on veteran job sites like Job Soldier and Veterans Enterprise. Most of ZipRecruiter’s partner sites are smaller and niche job boards such as Resume.com, Lensa, ITJobCafe, LiveTrucking, Jobrapido, BetterJobs, and JobHat. While these sites may not get a lot of traffic individually, when added up, it equals a lot of eyes on your job posting.
If you have tough-to-fill job vacancies, its “TrafficBoost” tool helps your job postings get increased placement and maximum visibility across ZipRecruiter’s partner job boards. This feature also promotes your job listing for up to 30 days or until it receives your selected number of views (e.g., 100, 200, or 300 views for one job post).
Unless you subscribe to its Monthly Pro plan, you have to purchase “TrafficBoost” credits—which cost anywhere from $300 to $500, depending on the competition in your local area.
ZipRecruiter has a library of over 500 job description templates that you can customize to fit your job posting requirements. You also have the option to not use the template and come up with your unique description. If you have already created an active job post on ZipRecruiter and need to build a similar one, you can easily copy the said listing and update its job details as needed.
ZipRecruiter automatically searches its job description database and suggests a pre-written template that fits your job posting.
ZipRecruiter’s AI-driven candidate matching technology is designed to help minimize the time needed for you to sort through applicant resumes. It scans its database of more than 36 million resumes and sends you profiles of candidates who match your requirements (such as skills, job experience, and education). You can then invite those candidates to apply for the job. You may also use ZipRecruiter’s “Invite to Apply” tool to headhunt top talent. This is a feature not found on many other job boards, such as Indeed or Glassdoor.
Inviting candidates to apply to your open positions is easy on ZipRecruiter.
In addition to AI-based candidate matching, you can search through ZipRecruiter’s resume bank to look for candidates who may fit your hiring requirements. Using a resume search helps you find job seekers who are passive candidates, meaning they haven’t applied to your position but might—if you contact them.
ZipRecruiter provides you with job ad slots that you can easily reuse. You’re also not locked into a 30-day job posting limit. This means that you can immediately post a new job as soon as you complete the hiring process for an existing job listing.
You can sort and review candidates through ZipRecruiter’s easy-to-use dashboard. You can also rate and organize candidate profiles using thumbs-down (uninterested), thumbs-neutral (unsure), and thumbs-up (interested) buttons. Its smart technology even learns from your ratings, enabling it to send applicant resumes that are similar to those that you rated positively.
You can easily change the ratings for candidates through your ZipRecruiter dashboard.
If you have a company website, you can promote your open positions there using the embeddable ZipRecruiter widget. Just copy the job widget code directly to your webpage and, voila, your website has a recruiting page. You also don’t have to worry about having to edit the open jobs in the widget in case there are updates. All changes that you make in your ZipRecruiter job postings will automatically be updated on your company site through its widget.
ZipRecruiter Pricing
ZipRecruiter’s pricing scheme is based on the numbers of active job ads, resume views, and user seats that you need, including your business’ location and preferred job distribution level. It doesn’t publish its fees online, so you’ll have to contact the provider to discuss your requirements and request a quote. The customer service agent we chatted with shared that ZipRecruiter has Usage and Monthly plans, wherein each has sub-levels and package options.
Usage Plans
With Usage, you can post as many active job ads as you need. It follows a per-job post, per-day pricing in which you will be billed either on a monthly basis, when your account reaches $500, or upon cancellation, whichever comes first. There are two options:
- Standard: For $16 per job post daily, you get one reusable job slot and unlimited candidate applications. In addition to letting you distribute job ads across ZipRecruiter’s partner job boards, you are granted access to its smart dashboard where you can create job posts, rate candidates, and view online applications that you received.
- Premium: Priced at $24 per job post daily, you get all of Standard’s features plus premium job ad distribution and access to ZipRecruiter’s resume bank with 25 resume views per month.
Note that resume access and views are unavailable as paid add-ons for the Usage Standard plan. You also can’t purchase additional resume views even if you subscribe to ZipRecruiter’s Usage Premium option. If your resume viewing requirement exceeds 25 views per month, then you have to upgrade to its Monthly plans.
Monthly Packages
Compared to the Usage plans, ZipRecruiter’s Monthly packages are a bit more complicated as they have sub-tier and sub-level options.
Sub-tiers
These are based on the number of active job slots and include:
- Simple: One slot
- Starter: Three slots
- Team: Four to 10 slots
- Company: 11 to 20 slots
- Enterprise (highest sub-tier): Monthly slot limits start at 50
Sub-levels
Its sublevels have three options based on the level of job distribution needed.
- Standard: This is for easier-to-fill and entry-level jobs with a low level of urgency in noncompetitive markets in which job ads naturally fall down quicker in search results. Similar to the Usage Standard plan, this includes one-click postings across ZipRecruiter’s 100+ partner job boards.
- Premium: This is good for jobs with semi-urgent hiring levels in semi-competitive markets. It provides better reach and higher priority placement than standard plans. Aside from one-click job postings, you are granted access to ZipRecruiter’s AI candidate matching tools and resume bank with up to 25 views monthly.
- Pro: Best for fast hiring, this gives you dominant placements on job boards for urgent and hard-to-fill roles in competitive markets. In addition to Premium’s features, you get three “TrafficBoost” credits and seamless integrations with ZipRecruiter’s partner applicant tracking systems (ATSes) such as Greenhouse, Bullhorn, ZohoRecruit, and ApplicantPro.
For Monthly packages, you have to choose the sub-tier and sub-level based on your business’ hiring requirements. Let’s say you need one active job slot per month with a standard job distribution level, then you should select the Simple Standard plan on a Monthly subscription. If you require a premium or pro distribution level for one reusable job slot, then your Monthly package will be Simple Premium or Simple Pro, respectively.
To give you an idea of how much a Simple tier costs, here’s a breakdown of ZipRecruiter’s pricing and some of the plans’ essential features.
Simple Tier (With One Active Job Slot Per Month) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Distribution Level | Standard | Premium | Pro |
Monthly Fees | $299 | $419 | $719 |
User Seats | 1 | 2 | 8 |
One-click Job Postings | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Smart Dashboard Access | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Unlimited Candidates | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Resume Bank Access | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Monthly Resume Views | 0 | 25 | 200 |
“Traffic Boost” Credits | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Recruit for Multiple Companies | N/A | N/A | ✔ |
Unlike the Usage Premium option, you can purchase additional resume views ($1 per resume view) for the Monthly Premium, including the Pro plan. You can also add extra user seats for $15 per seat monthly.
While ZipRecruiter has flexible subscriptions, its plans may be a bit confusing, mainly because of the many options. We strongly suggest that you call ZipRecruiter’s sales team instead of making pricing inquiries through its live chat. This way, you get more clarity about plan restrictions and feature inclusions.
Plan Upgrades/Downgrades & Auto-Renewals
With ZipRecruiter, you can easily change your subscription at any time. If you need additional job slots, you can upgrade to your chosen tier (e.g., Starter, Team, Company) directly through your ZipRecruiter online account. However, if you want to downgrade your plan, the system will automatically close and remove open jobs over the allowed job slots in the order of oldest to newest.
For example, if you downgrade from a Team plan (with 10 job slots) to a Starter option (with three job slots), then the seven oldest jobs will be closed automatically on your plan’s monthly renewal date. To avoid having the wrong jobs from being closed, we suggest that you manually close any excess jobs before downgrading your plan.
All of ZipRecruiter’s pricing options are set to automatically renew at the end of each billing period. However, you can turn this off through your ZipRecruiter “My Account” settings, specifically via the “Subscription” button and by selecting the “Cancel Auto-Renewal” option.
Once the automatic renewal is off, your account will become inactive on your next billing date and all your excess job ads will be taken down.
How Job Posting Works in ZipRecruiter
When hiring employees, posting open jobs easily across multiple job boards and quickly finding the best candidates are two important objectives. In this section, we’ll walk you through ZipRecruiter’s job posting and candidate search process step-by-step so that you can see what it is like before you sign up.
Go to ZipRecruiter’s website and click on the “Post a Job” button located on the upper right of your screen. A popup will prompt you to create an account where you can input your business name and select the number of employees your company has via a drop-down menu. After choosing your company’s employee headcount, follow the onscreen instructions to create a ZipRecruiter account.
Once you create an account, you’ll see your dashboard. You can create and post your first job under the “Jobs” menu. ZipRecruiter allows you to post most job types—except domestic and home/residential-based roles such as housekeepers and nannies.
With ZipRecruiter’s 4-day free trial, new users can create and post jobs at no cost.
ZipRecruiter’s “Create an Employee Account” page
Input the job title, job location, and type of employment. If the job is remote, you’ll still need to list a company location, but you can add the word “remote” to the job title and as the work address on your post.
For job location, you can type a full address or City/State or ZIP code.
Writing a good job description is important to attract the best candidates and keep those who do not qualify from applying. What’s key is to make your job description short, informative, and interesting. Use clear section headings and bulleted details that list job functions and any required education or work-related certifications.
Similar to remote jobs, if your open position is a commission-only job, the words “commission only” need to be included in the job description section. If not, ZipRecruiter will flag the posting.
If you’re lucky, ZipRecruiter will already have a similar job description for you to start with. You can use the templates and customize to your specific job opening. You can even save previous templates in case you need to recruit for the same position multiple times.
Most job applicants don’t read past the first page, so try not to fit the entire job description in the job ad. Look for key attributes to the job, and leave out parts that can be addressed during the interview process.
ZipRecruiter also lets you select which benefits your company offers to potential employees. You don’t have to type in the information manually since its benefits options have checkboxes that you can easily select.
ZipRecruiter’s job description template
Click the checkboxes to highlight the benefits you offer.
Many employers decide to provide a salary range or rate of pay for job roles. One of ZipRecruiter’s features is that it allows you to put in a compensation range for your job posting. Although entering a pay rate is optional, you get better results if you include at least a range.
ZipRecruiter has a graph that shows what similar jobs pay compared to the salary or range yours does.
After you have entered the compensation details, you can add skill keywords to help you target the job seekers you want. ZipRecruiter even provides recommended skills based on your job description. You can either use its suggestions or manually type in the skills specific to the job.
The hiring company section is where you can input information about your business that will entice job seekers to want to join your company. Aside from providing a little background and company history, you can share what it’s like to work at your company and if flextime or remote work is an option.
You have to add these details only once, and ZipRecruiter will add the information to every job that you post.
Before your job post goes live, you need to choose whether you want to try ZipRecruiter’s free trial or purchase a paid plan. If you choose the free trial, keep in mind it’s free only for four days and you need to provide your credit card information. You can sign up for a free trial of the Standard plan that includes only one reusable job slot or the Premium tier that comes with premium job placements and access to ZipRecruiter’s resume bank.
If you don’t cancel your free trial before the four-day period ends, ZipRecruiter will automatically charge your credit card for the selected plan.
Before you can post your job, you have to let ZipRecruiter know which user will receive the system’s new applicant email alerts. Note that this defaults to the system administrator, but you can easily add new users into the system—provided your plan allows multiple seats. Once you do that, choose the “Save & Post Now” button and ZipRecruiter will automatically distribute your open jobs to its network of more than 100 job boards.
ZipRecruiter has several online tools to help increase traffic to your job post and encourage passive job candidates to apply to your job ads. Here are some of the options.
After you have successfully posted your open position on ZipRecruiter, interested applicants can start applying to your job ad. The system also sends you candidate emails for the job post, though you can view applicant details on your ZipRecruiter dashboard through the “Candidates” menu. You can even see candidates who are applying in real time.
Send Automated Emails to Candidates
Responding to each applicant via email (even the ones you reject) is a great way to promote your employer brand. It also feels more personal than a standard applicant rejection letter. With ZipRecruiter, you can create custom email messages or use its template for replying to those who applied to your job post. It also has an auto-reply feature that sends automated emails to candidates.
Track Applicants Throughout the Process
If you opt for a paid ZipRecruiter plan, then you get features similar to a full-blown applicant tracking system (ATS) that lets you rate, sort, and track candidates throughout the hiring process. You can monitor the status of applicants by using drop-down options (i.e., reviewed, rejected, phone screen, interview, offer extended and hired. In addition to adding custom labels and notes, you can rate applicants to distinguish between the ones you’re interested in, not interested in, and unsure about.
However, if you have an existing ATS, ZipRecruiter supports integration with third-party software. Its ATS partners include:
- ApplicantPro
- Avature
- Breezy HR
- Bullhorn
- ClearCompany
- Everhire
- Greenhouse
- JazzHR
- JobScore
- MightyRecruiter
- Zoho Recruit
ZipRecruiter has a comprehensive job performance report. If your job posting doesn’t get many results, then you may need to modify your job description to make it more specific or pay extra to boost traffic to your job ad.
This screenshot shows the performance of two jobs we posted that received several organic applications. Had we used a “TrafficBoost,” the results of that extra spend would also have appeared on the report.
ZipRecruiter Pros & Cons
If you’re looking for more job posting options, check out our guide that lists the best job posting sites for employers. In addition, our article about free job posting sites provides you with job boards that let you share your business’ open positions at no cost.
ZipRecruiter Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How is ZipRecruiter different from its competitors?
Traditional job boards rely on keyword searches to match candidates. ZipRecruiter uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology to find candidates and actively invites them to apply to your open positions.
Is ZipRecruiter a better job board than Indeed?
Both ZipRecruiter and Indeed allow you to post jobs online to find the best candidates for your open positions. However, ZipRecruiter posts not only to its own job board but to 100+ other job boards, thus increasing your odds of finding a top candidate.
Is ZipRecruiter free?
While job seekers can use ZipRecruiter to find and apply for jobs for free, employers must subscribe to its paid plans. The good thing is that employers can use the platform and check out its features using its four-day free trial.
Is ZipRecruiter a legitimate site?
Both job seekers and employers can use ZipRecruiter safely and securely. Employers posting jobs in Europe can safely do so as ZipRecruiter is compliant with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
What job sites does ZipRecruiter post to?
Aside from social networks and veteran job sites, ZipRecruiter also posts to more than 100 job sites including:
- TrafficBoost
- Better Jobs
- LiveCareer
- JobHero
- FlexJobs
- Adzuna
- CareerJet
- College Recruiter
- Post Job Free
- JobKoreaUSA
- Employment Crossing
- JustJobs
- LiveTrucking
Bottom Line
If you want an efficient recruiting platform for sourcing qualified candidates, posting job openings to multiple job boards, and tracking the status of applicants, then ZipRecruiter is a good option. Aside from its easy one-click job postings, smart AI candidate matches, and intuitive interface, it has flexible plans that charge you either on a monthly or a per-job post, per-day basis. This is helpful for employers who have varied hiring needs, including small businesses that are ready to scale their workforce.
You can try ZipRecruiter’s online tools by signing up for its free trial today.