Tips for Job Listings & Search Websites

Looking for jobs & career opportunities? Here, we present the best job search websites & educate you about your job search engine options.

Arguably the most efficient way to uncover and apply to dozens of employment opportunities is through job search engines. However, there are an overwhelming number of job search and staffing company websites, networking groups, social media channels, apps, and aggregators to choose from.

The good news is they provide helpful tips for job applications, millions of job listings, and resources like resume tailoring and career coaching. The bad news? The wide variety of options are too numerous to evaluate and get your arms around. So, which job search engines should you use to find your next great role and get the most interviews?

With the help of some industry professionals and recruiters, we researched several options and curated an elaborate list of the best job search websites available for your needs. We also educate you on your website choices and provide helpful tips for job applications so you can decide which website(s) best fits your unique needs.

Important: If you're an employer, you should take note of these top job search engines, as well. After all, you want to make it as quick and easy as possible for highly skilled professionals to find and apply for your open position. And there's no better way to achieve that than posting your jobs on the job search websites where the profiles you’re seeking are likely to look.

Indeed

Indeed aggregates job listings from across the web, including professional associations and company career pages. It was founded in 2004 and is now the biggest job search engine globally, boasting over 250 million unique monthly visitors and ten new job postings added every second. The website also allows employers to post their jobs and job seekers to search globally or locally for job openings, post resumes, and research companies.

Why Should You Use This Website?

Indeed host millions of job postings for job seekers in every industry, level (from entry-level to executive), and lifestyle (full-time, part-time, internship, and freelance). Users can enter keywords and location or filter search results by contract type, job title, experience level, date posted, and salary range.

Indeed is the most-trafficked job search engine in the United States, thanks to its size, unmatched update frequency, industry number, and lifestyles catered. The website is 100 percent free, so job seekers do not have to sign up for an account to use. However, creating an account will allow users to receive messages from prospective employers and recruiters, upload a resume, complete job applications more quickly, and receive email alerts when new jobs are posted.

The website's interface is designed to make job search moves easier and faster. It also hosts free resources like career blogs, a salary comparison tool, a resume builder tool, and a company reviews section. Job seekers can build their resumes and read honest opinions on prospective employers before accepting an offer or applying to a role.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, with over 740 million registered users and 55 million registered companies. It was founded in 2002 and now serves as a social networking tool, a digital resume platform, and a database for jobs and open opportunities. This professional networking site allows employers to post open positions and job seekers to post their resumes / CVs.

Why Should You Use This Website?

LinkedIn is the #1 go to resource for jobseekers and professional networking. And recruiters, such as Jennifer Berman-Thiffault, a Recruiter at Dawson & Dawson Inc, and Ellen Weinreb, the Managing Director of Weinreb Group Sustainability Recruiting, use LinkedIn as their go to resource to source candidates.

Unlike most other job search websites, LinkedIn users can add recruiters, professionals, and people of interest to their virtual network and grow their professional network. Users can also search for jobs, customize their searches to see the exact type of jobs they want, and apply for the job with the "EasyApply" feature without requiring a cover letter. That makes it the best job search website for connecting directly with their industry professionals and recruiters.

Your LinkedIn profile is your public digital portfolio and resume and would be sent to recruiters when you applied for an open job position via LinkedIn. That's why you should invest your effort and time to make sure it's optimized for search, accurate and detailed. If your LinkedIn profile is detailed and well-optimized for search, recruiters and employers may send a message directly to you about applying for specific roles or opportunities.

Creating a LinkedIn profile and browsing open job positions is free. However, the website offers a premium membership option that lets candidates send messages to people they've not yet connected with, see detailed information on other job applicants, and see who viewed their profiles.

Glassdoor

Glassdoor began in 2008 as a review/ratings site where former and current employees could anonymously review employers and companies. Since then, the website has grown substantially and now boasts over 9 million job listings, 70 million company insights and reviews, and 1.3 million employers in its database.

Glassdoor now offers users an excellent job search engine and salary research tool that allows them to search for open jobs and read detailed information on the company's culture, benefits, CEO, and salary data.

Why Should You Use This Website?

The website allows job seekers to simultaneously search for open opportunities and research the employer or company they are applying to. On the hiring side, the platform enables employers to market their companies to job seekers and identify job candidates.

Professionals and people who have interviewed or worked with a company can share details on the recruiting process, company review, salary structure, and interview advice that job seekers wouldn't otherwise know. While any individual review should be taken with a pinch of salt, any recurring trend in reviews can be revealing and help gauge if the company you're applying to is for you.

You need to create a profile and upload your resume to start your search on the platform. You can sign up for email alerts to notify you of new job openings and opportunities as soon as they are posted. You can also browse each job listing and visit the company's profile to see the anonymous ratings, detailed employee reviews, and interviewee experiences that can help you prepare for an interview and land your dream job.

ZipRecruiter

ZipRecruiter started as a tool that allows small businesses to post job openings affordably and find great candidates. It has now transitioned into a leading online employment marketplace that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to intelligently search and connect millions of job seekers with businesses of all sizes via the web, mobile, and email services.

Why Should You Use This Website?

ZipRecruiter goes beyond being a job board site for employees only to find job opportunities. It also allows employers to post job openings and automatically syndicates the post across other job listing websites, thanks to its partnership with several top job boards. That means many more job seekers see your job opening, improving the likelihood of finding the right person for the job.

On the job seekers' side, the website allows candidates to find jobs by location and keyword, search for salaries, and negotiate salary confidentially with its salary data. You can also sign up for job alerts, communicate with hiring managers, and read reviews from other professionals.

ZipRecruiter recently introduced a new "Get Recruited" feature where it claims companies will contact you (after you provide your name and email address) or invite you to apply for a job. While this is a great feature, we haven't tried it out yet, so we recommend trying it to see for yourself. But it's rare for an employer to have the ideal position for you and think to contact you (since there are probably thousands of other CV/resumes on their computer, too).

Unlike Indeed, ZipRecruiter is not free for recruiters. There's a variety of pricing plans as well as free trials for recruiters and businesses of all sizes, allowing you to dip your toes in first. And like most leading job boards, it charges no fee for their job seeker services.

Tips For Job Applications 

Network – don't rely solely on job boards

Do not use job boards and job search websites for 100% of your overall job search effort. You should also network within your contacts (leveraging social media and networking platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.) and applying directly to businesses or companies that interest you.

Specialized job search engines can also help

The effectiveness of job search websites for you depend on the lifestyle (full-time, part-time, internship, and freelance) and the field or industry you're searching in. While the top job search engines mentioned above cater to different industries and lifestyles, many job seekers find some specialized job boards more suitable and effective.

We spoke to many job seekers and people in engineering, IT, tech jobs, computing, etc., and they find Dice more effective for their job search effort. Reed Foster, the Executive & Technical Recruiting Consultant of Foster Talent Partners in the San Francisco Bay Area, recommends Dice for technical job seekers and employers. "I've been surprised at the good resumes I've seen come in through Dice," he said.

Paul Kohler, founder of Sitedux and Silicon Valley Technology Alliances LLC, also recommends Dice for tech jobs and the use of freelance job websites for finding business contractors and services. "If I'm hiring a consultant for my business, I've found Upwork to be the best. For graphic designers, I have used 99designs, which is great, and Fiverr. There are fantastically talented, affordable consultants globally who speak excellent English, so leveraging these websites can be very powerful and effective," he said.  

Try different job search engines

Like we said earlier, some job search engines are more favorable to job seekers in certain industries than the rest. That is why we recommend trying a few to see for yourself and figure out the best job board for you. It's also a smart move to set up alerts on different sites to get notified when new jobs are posted.

Final Words

Choosing the best job search websites to find secure quality interviews and your next great role or find the right candidate for an open position can be time consuming. Hopefully, Sitedux and this post have opened your eyes to the wide variety of job websites available to you, how effective, powerful, and useful they can be, and which ones best fit your individual needs. We also included tips for job applicants on sites to uncover employment opportunities or the most suitable candidate for the job. We wish you the best of luck in landing your dream job or finding the best talent for your open roles!

Hopefully, Sitedux and this post have opened your eyes to your job listings & search website options. We wish you the best of luck in either finding your dream job or finding your dream employee!

Check out our Job Listings & Search and Business Contractors & Services pages for our comprehensive lists of more websites and advice.