In today's competitive job board landscape, leveraging job feeds is a game-changer for acquiring traffic, scaling content, and monetizing platforms. Whether you're launching a new job board or looking to expand an existing one, integrating job feeds can provide a steady flow of fresh job listings, ensuring a seamless experience for job seekers.
RSS job feeds are a powerful tool for kickstarting a job board by backfilling it with pre-existing job postings. This approach ensures that your platform appears fully populated and active from day one. Many job board hosting platforms already support RSS or XML feeds, making integration straightforward and efficient. By utilizing job feeds, job boards can automatically update their listings, maintain relevance, and attract more users.
This guide dives deep into RSS job feeds, their formats, distribution strategies, and the top platforms for backfilling a job board. Whether you're aiming for increased job visibility, better monetization, or enhanced automation, this resource will equip you with everything you need to know.
What Is a Job Feed?
A job feed is a structured data stream that contains job listings. It is commonly used to distribute job postings between platforms, such as from an employer’s Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to multiple job boards or vice versa. By leveraging job feeds, companies can enhance job visibility and improve candidate reach.
The most common format for job feeds is RSS (Really Simple Syndication) based on XML, though JSON feeds are increasingly popular due to their lightweight nature and ease of implementation. Here's an example of what a basic RSS job feed might look like:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
<channel>
<title>Techmap.io Job Posting RSS Feed API</title>
<link>https://job-postings-rss-feed.p.rapidapi.com/api/rss/v1/jobs_full?dateCreated=2025-02&countryCode=us</link>
<description>Techmap.io's Job Posting API in RSS 2.0 Feed format based on a search query.</description>
<pubDate>Fri, 21 Mar 2025 08:59:01 GMT</pubDate>
<docs>https://api.techmap.io/rss-doc</docs>
<webMaster>data@techmap.io</webMaster>
<ttl>1440</ttl>
<contact>Do you have any feedback for us? Missing fields? Unclear docu? Other improvement suggetions? Please contact us at data@techmap.io</contact>
<apiVersion>1.0.0</apiVersion>
<page>1</page>
<pageSize>10</pageSize>
<totalCount>1069251</totalCount>
<query>
<query>
<bool>
<must>
<range>
<dateCreated>
<gte>2025-02-01T00:00:00.000Z</gte>
<lte>2025-02-28T23:59:59.999Z</lte>
</dateCreated>
</range>
</must>
<must>
<match>
<countryCode>us</countryCode>
</match>
</must>
</bool>
</query>
</query>
<item>
<title>Entry-Level Lube Tech / Technician - Creston Park</title>
<description>Overview ... </description>
<pubDate>Thu, 06 Feb 2025 05:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<link>https://careers-vioc.icims.com/jobs/55300/entry-level-lube-tech---technician---creston-park/job</link>
<guid>https://careers-vioc.icims.com/jobs/55300/entry-level-lube-tech---technician---creston-park/job</guid>
<category>Technician</category>
<location>090098</location>
<city>Portland</city>
<state>OR</state>
<country>United States</country>
<company>Valvoline Instant Oil Change</company>
<company_url>https://jobs.vioc.com</company_url>
<company_logo/>
<workType>Holidays, Weekends, FlexTime</workType>
<contractType>Holidays, Weekends, FlexTime</contractType>
<industry>Trade</industry>
<careerLevel>Junior</careerLevel>
<workPlace/>
<skills/>
<department/>
<occupation>Technician</occupation>
</item>
...
</channel>
</rss>
Each job feed contains essential elements such as job title, company information, location details, job description, salary information, and application links. The structured nature of these feeds enables automated systems to parse and display the information consistently across different platforms.
Why Use Job Feeds?
Job feeds serve two critical functions that can dramatically improve your job board's performance:
- Inbound Aggregation: Importing job listings from other sources to enrich your content and provide more options for your users
- Outbound Distribution: Sending your job listings to other platforms to increase visibility and drive traffic back to your site
Both strategies can play a vital role in your job board's growth strategy, particularly in the early stages when building inventory and attracting visitors are top priorities. But lets dive into the topic of this article - Backfilling Job Boards.
Job Feeds for Backfilling Job Boards
Backfilling involves importing job listings from other job boards or programmatic advertising platforms into your own site. This is especially useful for new or growing job boards that need to populate their database quickly to attract users. By integrating XML feeds from external sources, you can maintain a steady stream of fresh content without manual entry.
Key Benefits of Backfilling with Job Feeds:
- Launch Faster: Skip the "empty board" problem on Day 1 and populate your board with thousands of jobs overnight.
- Improved User Experience: More jobs keep job seekers engaged and returning to your site.
- Credibility with employers: Companies are more likely to place a job posting on a well filled and visited job board.
- Better SEO Performance: More content means more indexable pages, more keywords, and more organic traffic.
- Revenue Opportunities: Some feed providers offer revenue-sharing for clicks or applications
- Maximize Google Ad Space: Every backfilled job creates a dedicated page for header, sidebar, or inline ads.
Here’s a detailed list of job boards and ad platforms offering XML feeds for backfilling, complete with some details:
Name | Target Regions | Where to Start | Note |
---|---|---|---|
Appcast | UK only? | Job Site Partners | |
Indeed | Global | Contact Support | Defunct |
PostJobFree | Global | XML Feed Info | XML Feeds by country and company |
Pandologic | Global | Contact Support | Defunct |
Talent | 79+ countries | Publisher Program | |
Talroo | Global? | Publisher Program | Personalized XML Feeds |
Techmap | Global | RSS API Page | Customizable RSS Feeds, Freemium |
We Work Remotely | Remote | Public RSS Feed | Multiple Free Feeds |
WhatJobs | Global | Publisher Program |
Backfilling Strategies for New Job Boards
Backfilling is a powerful technique to enhance your job board’s content, especially when launching a new platform or expanding into new niches. By integrating job listings from external sources, you ensure that your board remains well-populated and appealing to job seekers. This not only improves user experience but also increases engagement and retention, as job seekers are more likely to return to a site with consistently fresh and relevant listings.
However, implementing backfill feeds effectively requires careful selection and management to maintain content quality and relevance. Over-reliance on backfilled content can dilute your job board's unique value, so it’s crucial to balance external feeds with direct job postings. By monitoring performance metrics and optimizing searchability, you can refine your approach and maximize the benefits of backfilling. Here are the essential steps to do it right:
- Curate Your Sources: Choose backfill partners that align with your job board's focus and quality standards.
- Balance Original and Backfilled Content: Ensure a healthy mix of direct postings and backfilled jobs to maintain your board's unique value.
- Clearly Label Sources: Maintain transparency by indicating which jobs are from partner sources.
- Monitor Performance: Regularly analyze which backfill sources perform best in terms of user engagement and conversions.
- Optimize for Search: Ensure backfilled jobs are properly indexed and searchable within your platform.
No-Code RSS/XML Feed Integration for Non-Technical Founders
Launching a job board doesn’t require coding expertise—many job board SaaS platforms offer built-in RSS/XML feed support, allowing you to import thousands of jobs with just a few clicks. These solutions handle the technical backend, so you can focus on curation and monetization. Whether you’re using jBoard.io, smartjobboard.com, jobboard.io, or similar platforms, you can automate job imports, schedule updates, and even filter feeds by niche (e.g., remote jobs or specific industries).
Below is a comparison of popular no-code job board platforms with RSS/XML feed support, including key features like pricing and feed customization:
Platform | RSS/XML Feed Support | Pricing (Starter Plan) | Key Feature |
---|---|---|---|
JobBoard.io | ✅ Yes | $449/month | One-click feed imports + AI job matching |
jBoard.io | ✅ Yes | $199/month | Custom feed filters & auto-refresh |
SmartJobBoard | ✅ Yes | $439/month | Multi-feed support + geo-targeting |
WordPress (with Plugins) | ⚠️ Requires Plugin | ~$50/year (plugins) | Flexible but needs manual setup |
By leveraging these tools, you can kickstart your job board in minutes, ensuring a professional, content-rich platform without touching a line of code.
Conclusion
We've seen how RSS/XML job feeds solve the biggest challenges for new job board owners: launching with content, attracting traffic, and generating revenue from day one. By backfilling your platform with quality feeds from sources like Techmap, We Work Remotely, and PostJobFree, you bypass the "empty board" problem while creating multiple monetization opportunities through ads, CPC partnerships, and premium listings.
Now it's up to you! Create your job board today and use Techmap's Job Posting RSS Feed to get 300 job postings per month for free. Pair it with a no-code platform like jBoard.io, and you could have a fully populated, revenue-ready job board live before lunchtime. The opportunity is waiting!
Frequently Asked Questions
Target long-tail keywords and address common entrepreneur concerns with this FAQ section:
1. "How much does it cost to backfill a job board with RSS/XML feeds?"
Some platforms offer free RSS feeds (e.g., We Work Remotely, PostJobFree), while premium feeds (e.g., Techmap, Appcast) charge $10–$500/month based on job volume - sometimes with a Freemium model.
2. "Can I make money from backfilled jobs on my job board?"
Yes! Monetization options include:
- Google AdSense ($3–$8 RPM per job page)
- CPC/CPA partnerships (can earn $0.10–$3 per click/application)
- Premium employer listings (charge $50–$500 per job posting or $10-$100 to highlight jobs).
3. "How often do RSS job feeds update automatically?"
Most feeds refresh every 24 hours, but you can customize intervals in platforms like jBoard.io or SmartJobBoard. For real-time updates, use API-based feeds (e.g., Techmap’s paid plans).
4. "What’s the best RSS feed for a niche job board (e.g., remote tech jobs)?"
- Remote jobs: We Work Remotely (free)
- Specific Niches: Techmap’s customizable RSS API (300 jobs per month are free)
- Global generalist: Global job posting feed provider such as PostJobFree, WhatJob, or Techmap.
5. "What is the difference between RSS and XML job feeds?"
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a specific type of XML format designed for easy content distribution, while XML is a broader markup language used to structure data. All RSS feeds are XML, but not all XML feeds follow the RSS format.