Creating a custom source in CareerPlug

Note: You must have a CareerPlug Hire or Grow subscription to create custom sources.

With a Hire or Grow subscription, CareerPlug automatically shares your jobs with our partner job boards. While job boards have traditionally provided great visibility for organic job postings, many major boards have shifted visibility toward sponsored (i.e., paid) job postings.

This shift — coupled with the fact that custom sources produce far more hires than job boards — is why we recommend using custom sources and diversifying where you post your jobs as the best way to hire consistently and reliably.

What is a custom source in CareerPlug?

A custom source is a unique tracking link that you can use to share your job posting (or careers page) on a specific non-partner job board (i.e., where CareerPlug doesn't already share your job) and monitor incoming applicants.

A custom source might be specific to your location, your industry, or the type of candidate you're seeking. For example, you might want to track how many applicants you receive from a local college job board where you frequently post jobs.

Create a custom source, copy the link, share your job posting on any non-partner job board, and track the applicants you receive from this source.

How do I create a custom source in CareerPlug?

1. Navigate to Settings > Hiring Tools > Custom Sources.

2. Click the plus (+) icon in the top-left corner of the page.

3. Enter the title of the source (for example: "University of Texas Job Board," "Austin, TX Jobs Facebook Group," etc).

4. Click the Save button at the bottom of the drawer.

Now you're ready to share your jobs using your new custom source! This source will be available for all existing jobs.

Can I make a custom source that links to my careers page instead of individual job postings?

By default, after you create a custom source, CareerPlug generates a unique tracking link for that source each time you post a job. This link only applies to its individual job posting.

If you'd prefer all links for a custom source redirect to your careers page rather than an individual job posting, turn on the This is a Careers Page source toggle when you create a custom source.

You can make an existing custom source a careers page source at any time. Navigate to Settings > Hiring Tools > Custom Sources. Click the Edit button to the right of the custom source, turn the This is a Careers Page source toggle on, and click the Save button.

How do I share a job using one of my custom sources?

1. Navigate to your Jobs page.

2. Click the three-dots icon to the right of whichever job you want to share and select Share from the drop-down menu.

3. In the Share Job pop-up window, scroll down and click the Track Custom Sources tile.

4. In the Custom Sources drawer, click the Copy button to the right of the custom source where you want to share your job, then select Copy link from the drop-down menu.

Now you're ready to sign in to the corresponding non-partner job board or website to share your job posting using your custom source URL.

How do I see which source an applicant came from?

1. Navigate to your Applicants page.

2. Click an applicant's name to open their profile.

You'll find an applicant's source listed near the top of their profile page.

How do I measure the effectiveness of my custom sources in CareerPlug?

To see which sources produce the most applicants for your jobs, you can look at three different places in CareerPlug:

The Source Analysis charts on your Hiring Insights page
The Source Analysis charts in Classic Reports
The Source Conversion Performance chart on a job profile page

The Source Analysis charts on your Hiring Insights page

The Source Analysis charts show a breakdown of which sources your applicants are coming from, split across two groups: All Applicants and Hired Applicants. The Source Analysis chart can help you learn where you're finding quality applicants.

1. Navigate to Insights.

2. Scroll down to view the Source Analysis charts.

The Source Analysis charts in Classic Reports

The Source Analysis charts in Classic Reports show the same data as the Source Analysis charts in your Hiring Insights.

1. Navigate to Insights.

2. Click the View Classic Reports button in the top-right corner of the page.

3. Click the Source Analysis tab to view the Source Analysis charts.

The Source Conversion Performance chart on a job profile page

The Source Conversion Performance chart shows the number of applicants and job posting clicks per source, allowing you to see which of your sources are producing high numbers of clicks and/or applicants.