Search and Filtering for WP Job Manager 1.1.7

While the core WP Job Manager plugin comes with a basic search bar and filters for Category, Job Type, and Location, high-traffic job boards often need more advanced filtering (e.g., Salary, Experience Level, or Skills).

There are three primary ways to achieve this, ranging from a dedicated "no-code" add-on to heavy-duty faceted search.

1. Dedicated Solution: Search and Filtering for WP Job Manager

This is the most direct solution, developed by sMyles Plugins specifically for WP Job Manager.1 It replaces the default filter bar with a fully customizable, drag-and-drop interface.2

Best For: Users who want a visual, "What You See Is What You Get" (WYSIWYG) editor.3

Key Features:

Drag-and-Drop: Add or remove fields like Range Sliders (for Salary), Checklists, and Date Pickers.4

AJAX Powered: Results update instantly as users select filters without refreshing the page.5

Location Radius: Allows users to search within a specific distance of a zip code or city.6

Mobile Optimized: Specifically designed to look great on smaller screens where standard filters often fail.

Pricing: Around $49 (Single site).7

2. High-End Search: FacetWP8

If you are building a massive job portal with thousands of listings, FacetWP is the industry standard for "faceted" search (similar to what you see on Amazon or Airbnb).

Best For: Developers or large-scale sites that need maximum speed and complex filtering.

How it Works: It uses its own indexing system to make filtering nearly instantaneous. You can create "Facets" (filters) based on any WordPress metadata.9

Integration: Requires the WP Job Manager Field Editor to create the custom fields (like Salary or Years of Experience) and then FacetWP to filter them.

Pricing: $99/year for up to 3 sites.10

3. Improving Keywords: SearchWP

Standard WordPress search is notoriously weak at finding keywords inside custom fields or job descriptions. SearchWP fixes the "search" part of "Search and Filter."

Best For: Sites where users often search by specific job titles, skills, or niche keywords.

Integration: Includes a dedicated WP Job Manager Integration extension that indexes all job listing details, including categories and tags.

Live Results: You can add an "AJAX Live Search" so users see job titles pop up as they type.

🛠️ Feature Comparison

Feature

WPJM Default

Search & Filtering (sMyles)

FacetWP

Speed

Moderate

Fast (AJAX)

Blazing Fast

Custom Fields

❌ Limited

✅ Yes (Drag & Drop)

✅ Yes (Advanced)

Salary Sliders

❌ No

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

Map Integration

❌ No

✅ Yes

✅ Yes

Setup Level

None

Easy

Intermediate

💡 Implementation Tip: The "Field Editor" Requirement

To filter by anything custom (like Salary, Remote/Office, or Education Level), you must first have those fields on your job submission form. I highly recommend using the WP Job Manager Field Editor mentioned in our previous discussion to create the fields before trying to set up the filters.

Would you like me to show you the specific shortcode configuration to hide the default search bar and replace it with a custom one?