The Best Job Search Sites to Find Your Dream Job

How many times have you found a job on a job site, uploaded your resume, re-typed your resume in the provided boxes, and STILL not heard a word back? Probably too many to count, right?

Whether you’ve recently been laid off or you’re just simply looking to upgrade, your job search will be far more productive if you’re familiar with some of the quality resources that are at your disposal. With the help of the best job search sites, you’ll be able to find the opportunities that you’re looking for, apply for jobs quickly, and ultimately land the new job that you’re after.

While there are countless websites that can help you to find job listings, not all of them are equal. You’ll find different jobs at different boards, and each site will have its own unique strengths and features. Once you know the details of the sites that are available, you’ll be able to choose the resources that are right for you and your own job search.

Finding a job can be a challenge under normal circumstances, and it’s especially challenging in tough economic times when unemployment rates are high. With so many people searching and applying for the same jobs, the competition is fierce. Today, you’ll need to be on your game to have the best chance of finding and landing a great job, and part of that is simply knowing where to look.

Aggregators vs. Job Boards

While there are a lot of different sites that exist for the purpose of helping job seekers, it’s helpful to understand a key difference that separates some of the websites covered in this article.

A job board allows employees to create a job listing and post it for job seekers to find. There are other sites that may be referred to as job search engines or aggregators that don’t directly allow employers to place a listing. An aggregator or search engine will scour other job boards, as well as job listings on company websites, to allow you to find opportunities.

This list includes job boards as well as some search engines or aggregators.

The Best Websites for Finding a Job

Finding a job can be a very time-consuming process, but the following sites can help you to find and apply for the right jobs.

1. Indeed

Indeed is an extremely popular job search engine that pulls data from hundreds or thousands of other websites, including job boards and company websites. In addition, employers can also place job listings directly on Indeed.

As a job searcher, you’ll probably find more listings at Indeed compared to any other website. Searching for a job is easy and you can also use the advanced search to filter listings based on details like salary, experience level, company, and more.

You can upload your resume to Indeed, which makes it easier and faster to apply to some openings.

Aside from actually finding jobs, Indeed can be very useful for research. You can read company reviews to find a good place to work, and research salaries to give yourself more information for negotiating.

2. Glassdoor

While Glassdoor does allow you to search for job openings, the research capabilities are where it really shines.

Glassdoor is one of the best places to find information on employers and to find salary data on different jobs. Anonymous users can leave company reviews for employers, which can be extremely helpful when you’re trying to decide where you’d like to work.

You’ll also love the fact that Glassdoor collects salary information from anonymous users, so you can find out how much you should expect to make for different types of positions. You can get a free personalized salary estimate to see how your current job or available jobs stack up against other similar jobs.

The only downside to Glassdoor is that you need to register in order to get all of the benefits. You can use your existing Facebook or Google account, or create a Glassdoor account with your email address.

3. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional social network that includes a job board. You can search the listings and take advantage of some nice features that involve the social aspect of LinkedIn. For example, you can view job openings at companies that employ other people in your network.

Aside from actively searching for jobs, LinkedIn is often used by employers to recruit workers for positions that may not be listed publicly. Be sure to keep your profile up-to-date and maintain an active presence on the site and you never know what opportunities might arise as a result.

4. ZipRecruiter

ZipRecruiter is similar to Glassdoor in some ways. Like Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter provides a wealth of data related to jobs and salaries. You can get salary data for particular jobs in your local area to know how much you should expect to earn.

Employers are able to post job listings directly on ZipRecruiter and the site also shows search results that include listings found at other websites.

5. Monster

Monster was the original job search website and is still a popular and useful option. Of course, you can search jobs and upload your resume to make it easier to apply (as well as to allow employers to find you).

One of the unique features of Monster is Job Fit Scoring. You’ll need to create a free account in order to take advantage of this feature that will show the jobs most relevant to your skills and interests.

Monster also provides salary data that you can search to see how much you should be making.

6. CareerBuilder

CareerBuilder is another popular job board that has been around for a very long time. Like many other sites covered here, CareerBuilder allows you to search for jobs, upload a resume, and research job salaries.

When you search for jobs at CareerBuilder, you can filter the results in a few helpful ways. In addition to filtering by details like salary and distance from your desired location, you can also filter to see opportunities that allow you to work from home and jobs that offer an easy application process (if you have a free CareerBuilder account).

7. Dice

Dice is unlike any of the other sites mentioned so far because it focuses specifically on tech jobs. With a free Dice account, you can upload a resume and use an easy application process for certain jobs.

One of the nice features of Dice is the ability to filter jobs based on only remote opportunities or to remove all remote jobs from the listings.

The salary predictor at Dice will help you to see how much you should expect to earn for a specific tech job in your area (or in another location). The Career Path functionality can help you to identify your next career move based on your existing experience and your current position.

8. Google for Jobs

While it’s not a job board, Google can be a helpful resource for finding job openings. If you do a simple Google search for a job in a specific location, Google search results will show opportunities from various job boards and company websites.

Top jobs will be shown above the regular search results, and then you can click on the “more jobs” link to see many more openings.

While Google for Jobs lacks some of the features of other job boards, it does have some options like saving your favorite job listings and setting up alerts to notify you of new openings that meet certain criteria.

9. LinkUp

LinkUp stands out by displaying only listings that have been verified. While some other job boards may show more listings, some of them can be spammy opportunities disguised as job listings. LinkUp helps you to avoid these types of listings.

The jobs displayed at LinkUp come from employer websites in order to be able to provide higher-quality search results. Rather than paying to post a job at LinkUp, employers must have an opening that has been verified by LinkUp, and then the employer can sponsor the listing to get more exposure.

10. SimplyHired

SimplyHired is a job board that makes it easy to search for openings. You can also create a resume and easily apply to certain jobs. Like many of the other sites already mentioned, SimplyHired also offers a salary estimator.

11. Snagajob

Snagajob is unique because it only shows listings for jobs that pay hourly. You won’t find any salaried jobs here. While this job board may not be for everyone, it’s one that you should definitely check if you’re looking for an hourly job.

If you create a free account with Snagajob, you’ll have access to a unique feature that allows you to track the progress of your applications. You can see if the hiring manager has looked at your application or if you’ve been put on a shortlist.

12. USAJOBS

If you’re interested in a federal government job, USAJOBS should be your go-to resource. You might be surprised to see how many federal jobs are available in your area (that’s the case when I search in my local area).

One of the major perks of this site is the fact that you can see exact salary data for every listing. You can create your free profile to save jobs, upload your resume, and easily apply for jobs.

13. Niche Job Boards

While a few niche job boards have been mentioned in this article, there are hundreds or maybe thousands of other niche-specific job boards that might be able to help you locate a specific type of job.

You may be familiar with a niche job board that you can try, and if not, it’s worth searching to see if any exist. Just do a Google search for “accounting job boards”, “developer job boards”, or whatever type of job you’re looking for.

These job boards aren’t as popular as some of the sites listed above. While there will be fewer job listings, you may face less competition to get the attention of the hiring manager or HR rep. Employers like niche job boards because the applications are usually more relevant, so it can be a great way to get noticed.

Use Multiple Job Search Sites

Each job board will show different opportunities. While there is definitely a lot of overlap between job boards, you’ll miss out on some opportunities if you’re relying on a single job board. For this reason, it’s recommended that you use a few different websites to increase your odds of finding the best openings.

Don’t Rely Exclusively on Job Search Sites

While job boards and job search engines are definitely useful, keep in mind that there are other ways to find jobs too. The downside to job sites is that many people use them because they’re easy. The easier it is, the more competition you’ll face. You may need to apply to a lot of openings in order to land a job.

Sometimes the best opportunities come as a result of your personal or professional network. Who you know will often matter more than what you know. Make an effort to establish and develop connections with others in your industry and you may and you may be able to find a job without applying to lots and lots of openings.