In our modern times, searching for a job has become easier than ever. There are tons of job search sites out there, which are widely used by employers.
That sounds all good at first sight, but it not always is. All these easy-to-find job listings in job search sites make the competition larger than ever. As these sites are available for everyone on the internet, the numbers of candidates for every position has risen drastically.
Furthermore, all job search sites offer a different variety of job positions. That can make the process of choosing which job search sites to use a little overwhelming.
Each job search site offers different functionalities and different companies has preferred to add their job listings in them. In order to take the best decision, you need to know what are the pros and cons of every job search site out there.
Not only that, you need to know how to get the best out of each site’s functionalities. Don’t panic, we got you covered. In this article, we are going to explore the following questions:
- What are job search sites?
- Should you use job search sites?
- How to get the best out of job search sites?
And we are going to wrap things up with the best job search sites out there.
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What are job search sites?
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Before we continue, we should determine what job search sites are. Job search sites usually act as a combination of search engines and databases with open job positions.
What you can find on most are filters that let you search job positions depending on:
- Job title
- Industry
- Experience level
- Type
- Keywords
Typically, such sites are free to use by job-seekers and let you open a free account, which to use for your job-seeking purposes.
In your profile, you should be able to add some information about you, and upload documents which you would use to apply for job positions.
It is strongly recommended that you use a job search site when you are looking for a new position. It is a great way to find and apply as many relevant opportunities as possible.
Keep in mind, that you need to tailor your application documents for each. In addition to basic functionalities, some job search sites provide additional services to job-seekers, like career counseling with an expert.
Should you use job search sites?
It is not necessary for you to use a job search site to get a job. You can always discover new opportunities by social media, company websites, or even mouth-to-mouth.
But it would be a shame if you miss an incredible opportunity. It is always a good idea to expand your search as much as possible. And job search sites are a great place to do so. They provide thousands of open positions from a variety of companies, all in one convenient place.
Most job search sites would let you filter the job positions by many factors, so that you can easily find a job that would be suitable to you. Furthermore, you may find companies that you have never heard of, but they turn out to be a perfect fit for you. And as most job search sites are free to try by job-seekers, it would cost you absolutely nothing to broaden your job-seeking.
How to get the best out of job search sites?
If you don’t use the job search sites correctly, you will probably get frustrated from spam and never being called for an interview. That often happens, but there is an easy way around it in just a few quick steps.
The first thing you need to do is get rid of the spam. You can easily do that by creating a professional email account, dedicated for your job-seeking purposes only. You can also get a free Google Voice phone number for job applications only.
Second, you wouldn’t want to pick just one job search site. The point of using these sites is to expand your search, and just one would not do the trick.
Since some employers only post their job positions on specific sites, signing up for more than one job search site can significantly help your chances.
However, you wouldn’t want to overdo it. Signing up for every job search site you find can result in some serious spam with no result whatsoever. Make sure you explore all your options and pick the best few that fit your needs best.
Last, but not least, be careful how you apply for job positions. Automatic job applications are never a good option. The easier your application is, the less likely you are to get an interview.
Your resume should be tailored for each and every job position you apply for. However, not using automatic job apply doesn’t mean do the same manually.
You wouldn’t want to apply for every job position you see. Take your time and make sure your application documents are ready for the job positions you really want. Otherwise, the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) might never let your resume get to the hiring manager.
Top job search sites
Okay, now that you understand the importance of job search sites and how to use them correctly, it’s time to pick those best suited to your needs.
There are plenty of great ones out there. We are going to go through the most impressive ones, but feel free to keep browsing and find the best ones for you. Here are the categories for the best job search sites:
- Best extra tools
- Best if you are currently employed
- Best application features
- Best government jobs
And we will finish with one honorable mention, that we simply can’t leave out. All set? Let’s dive in.
Best Extra Tools
For the category of the best extra tools, we have chosen Indeed. Indeed is on the top job search sites out there.
It has been around since 2004, and has over 250 million users and 10 new job listings every second.
It offers a great variety of job listings. You can find a job in every industry, every expertise level, as well as every type of job. It is absolutely free for job-seekers, and you can even use it without an account.
However, signing up for a free account has the great advantage of email alerts for new job positions being posted. Indeed offers a great variety of filters for job listings. You can specify job title, location, salary range, date posted and expertise level, and find the best fit for you in no time.
Some of the best features Indeed has are outside the job searching ability. The best features you can find are:
- Salary search tool
- Company review search tool
- Virtual hiring events and workshops
- Career guide
Best If You Are Currently Employed
Monster is our pick for the best job search site, if you are currently employed. It was founded in 1994, and is still a pretty impressive site.
Every minute of every day you can find 29 new resumes being uploaded, and 7900 job search queries being entered. Just like Indeed, Monster is also free to use and has job listings for all experience levels and types of work.
However, this time you would need an account to be able to use all the functionalities. But with that comes one of the best features Monster has.
You can set privacy settings on your resume. When you create a resume in the Monster’s resume database, you will face the three privacy options that are available:
- Private
- Visible and limited
- Visible
If you are currently employed and searching for a new job, that’s a great way to conduct your search, without your current employer knowing about it. It is up to you how much of your information is public.
Best Application Features
For the best application feature, we have chosen one of the oldest job search sites out there – CareerBuilder. Even tough it has been around for more than 20 years, this job search site still produces massive traffic and is still largely preferred by many employers.
You can search jobs by locaton, job title, skills, and even military code. However, the best feature of the site is its quick apply feature. CareerBuilder’s tools gather information from your searches, and show you multiple jobs that match your searches. After that, you can apply to up to 25 jobs with just one click.
Best Government Jobs
If you are specifically searching for government jobs, there is one job search site that is perfect - USAJobs. It is an official site of the United States government, where you can find all the active government job listings.
In USAJobs you can search the federal jobs database by job title, department, agency, series, occupation, and location. You can also try searching government jobs in any other site, but USAJobs should be your first go-to, as it has the largest database of federal jobs.
Honorable mention
An honorable mention that we can’t leave out of this list is LinkedIn. LinkedIn exists since 2003, and has become the biggest professional networking platform in the world.
Unlike any other job search sites, LinkedIn allows you to add recruiters, hiring managers, and any other people of interest in your virtual network.
LinkedIn is a social network, a digital resume platform, and a database for open positions, all in one. In that site, your profile serves as your resume and portfolio. That is why it is important to make it as accurate and impressive, as possible.
LinkedIn also has one of the best online job search engines. You can customize your searches to show you exactly what you are searching for. Furthermore, most job listings allow you to “EasyApply” for a job with just a few clicks.
However, keep in mind that LinkedIn effectiveness as a job search site varies depending on the industry you have targeted for your career.
Takeaways
We are all done. Now you know what jobs search sites are and how to use them correctly.
You are now ready to start browsing job search sites and find those which best fit your needs. Don’t forget – pick just the right amount of job search sites to use for best effect.
Check out our selection of job search sites and find the best one for you.
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