Best Sites for Job Hunting

Best Sites for Job Hunting: What to resources to use?

Video Transcript

Cody: Let’s get a job.

Ryan: Cody called me last night and he’s like, “Look, I don’t know if it’s working out. Good to have been here for awhile.” So, we put this together for him.

Cody: Yeah. Got a younger, more handsome weatherman. Yeah, thank you.

Ryan: So, most people are going to start at Indeed. Indeed is like the biggest job hunting board in the world right now, and almost everybody uses it. Employers can post there for free and it’s easy to search. You can apply for hundreds of jobs very easily, and it’s just a great easy-to-use experience. And, you can put an app on your phone so you can kind of search things on the go.

Cody Yeah. They’ll send you-

Ryan: Yeah. You could be commuting just like…well, on a bus or something. Obviously, not driving. So, the best part of it is, you basically put in the kind of job you’re looking for, the area, and you’ll get a big list. Then, you can narrow it down by the salary that you want to get, whether it’s full-time, whether it’s temporary, and kind of just dive in.

There’s one big problem with Indeed is because it’s so popular, you’re going to compete with literally everyone looking for a job. So, if you send a resume, employers are going to be getting hundreds and hundreds of resumes for the exact same job. So, you got to make sure you stand out, maybe even find different ways to contact them.

We’re going to get into that now in a second. So, if you want to look for jobs that are maybe a little higher brow, maybe not everybody’s looking for, go to careerbuilder.com. Now, this is considered a little bit more for college grads, people that are just kind of out in the workforce and looking for more of a professional job, rather than just something that anybody can get.

So, you’re looking at accountants and lawyers, and things like that.

Cody: Okay.

Ryan: So, it’s the same as Indeed. You can search by title or by category. And again, you can narrow it down. Pro tip here: make sure you always do it by the most recent job post. And also, be aware of those job posts where they don’t tell you the name of the company or they don’t give you a lot of details. Those are often scams that are looking for your resume, and your resume has a lot of good information on it. So, you don’t want to do that.

Cody: Yeah, it does. Don’t do that.

Ryan: If there’s no name for a company, no clear contact information, and it seems kind of vague or too good to be true, just skip it. Okay. So, go to LinkedIn if you want to go for really crazy. So, let’s say you got a specific job you want or a specific company you want to work for. LinkedIn’s the place to start.

Most people are going to get jobs these days by references rather than just applying for jobs at random. In fact, you’re 12 times more likely to get a job if you’re networking. So, I just pulled up Nerds on Call’s page. What you can do on Nerds on Call is right here where the highlights are, you click there, and guess what? You’re going to see who the- Oh, look at that. You can contact the president directly and say, “Hey, I’m looking for a job. I’m the best person for everything. Let’s go for it.” Right? Is that kind of cool?

Cody: Okay, okay. I like that.

Ryan: If you know a certain person, and you’re like, “Oh, look at this. I know this guy. I want to go work at his job.” So, I can message him directly and say, “Hey, Jordan. Is there any openings over there? I really want to get a job.”

Cody: Can I ask a quick question? Is it okay to email professionals on LinkedIn? Say, “Hey, you got a job?”

Ryan: Yeah. Now, here’s the thing with LinkedIn is, you have to connect. Just like on Facebook, you can’t just message anybody. You have to pay a fee to do that. But, if you click “Connect,” Jordan will get a message that says, “Hey, do you want to be friends? Do you want to hang out?” And then, you just click. “Ah, there. Now we’re connected,” and Jordan can respond back if he wants to or he can ignore me. That kind of thing. So, that’s kind of cool, right?

So, last but not least, money.com came out with this great list of every single job board in every single industry you might want to go. So, little niche industries you might want to get into. So, go to money.com, just type in “Niche job boards,” and you’re going to get this huge list of every single…look at this: creative hotlist, dribble, if you’re going to be in education or finance. Just about anything you want to get, check out that job board.

Cody: Excellent. that’s pretty cool, man. Very, cool. Thank you very much.

Ryan: And, get Jordan on LinkedIn.

Cody: Yeah, exactly. Let’s connect, Jordan. All right, over to you.

Courtney: All right. Thanks, you two.

Job hunting is something almost all of us will do at some stage in our adult lives. In fact, according to recent Gallup research, roughly half the working-age people reading this article right now are actively looking for a new job.

This is particularly startling when you think of the pachydermatous (our word of the week) persistence the job hunting process entails. We’re talking about the boring grind of getting your resume up to date and polished to a high shine; the daily possibility of rejection via gloomy emails that begin with phrases like “we regret to inform you”; and of course there’s the colossal energy-suck of preparing for interviews. There’s just no avoiding it: finding a new job is work!

Which brings us to one core truth about job hunting. All of that hard work only makes sense if you find job opportunities that are worth the effort. While we can’t take the sting out of all that preparation and brain work for you, we can offer some on-point nerdy insight on how to go about finding that perfect career opportunity. Here are some of our suggestions on how you can make sure you move on to greener workplace pastures.

A Few Rules of Thumb for Job Seekers

Before delving into specific online job-hunting services, let’s get back to basics. The vast majority of folks seeking a new job position are going to be spending a lot of time on one or more job boards. These online directories vary a little in structure and sophistication, but in essence, they’re designed to offer a categorized job listing.

Now, here’s the first chunk of wisdom we have to offer about job boards — learn to use them right.

Filter Your Listings

Filters are your best friend here. Spend time learning how to filter job listings by date and by the key category of job you’re looking for. You’re very likely to be returning to your job boards of choice repeatedly, so make darn tootin’ sure that every time you resume your hunt you’re only looking at current listings that are directly relevant to you. This saves time, mental bandwidth and potential disappointment.

Speaking of saving your effort, acquaint yourself with the job board’s more advanced features. If there’s a way to upload your resume to the service, do it! Many job boards offer a function where you can simply check a box for “send latest resume,” and the job service will handle the rest. This might only save you a minute or so for each job application, but all that time does add up. It also reduces the possibility for error when you’re caffeine deprived or in a hurry.

Steer Clear of Scam Listings

Safety is also important. Unfortunately, even carefully moderated job boards will contain scam job postings. Those orchestrating these malicious postings will typically aim to deceive an unwary applicant into believing a dream job opportunity has landed in their lap, and that all they need to do is fork out a small registry fee to get started. Be wary, and use commonsense.

Big, scary red flags to look out for include generic or nonsensical job descriptions, salaries or perks which seem too good to be true, and irregular contact email / Skype details. If in doubt, do some research on the company and be prepared to walk away from an opportunity if it smells like one of these guys.

And never part with your money.

Where Should I Look?

There’s good news and bad news on this one. Let’s start with the less fun bit. There’s no ideal one-stop-shop for online job hunting. There are just too many players out there, and which site you end up spending most of your searching time on is going to depend a great deal on your particular industry, salary range, and personal preference.

The good news is, this segmentation can actually work in your favor. Once you locate that job board which works for you, you’ll find yourself on the receiving end of a constant stream of relevant job opportunities. Less distracting job spam equals a more efficient search process for you!

Here are three job boards well worth your time.

An Ideal Place To Begin: Indeed

Indeed.com was one of the first dedicated job listing services, and that maturity shows. Indeed houses an extensive database of current job opportunities. It’s also built to make the job hunting process as straightforward as possible, with lots of tools for refining your search and streamlining the application process. Dropping an application can take as little as thirty seconds once you’re set up.

The downside? Well, you could say the downside is directly related to the upsides. Being so large, Indeed will place you head to head against lots of good competition. Your resume will need to be on point, and you’ll need to be zen about allowing the process to run its course.

Downsides notwithstanding, Indeed is an excellent resource and, especially if you are nearer the beginning of your career, it delivers solid career bang for your mental energy buck.

The Go-To For Veteran Professionals: CareerBuilder

CareerBuilder is a different kind of job hunting animal entirely, and right from the get-go, we want to be clear that it’s not for everyone. Where Indeed has wide open glass sliding doors for anyone looking for a job, CareerBuilder’s front door is small, serious-looking and equipped with a deadbolt and security camera.

CareerBuilder is a better choice if you’re mid to senior career level and looking for very specific career advancement. This site tends to feature job opportunities with stringent requirements for education level and experience. If you don’t meet these criteria, your application will likely go nowhere.

Of course, this also means you’re right where you need to be if you do meet those requirements. You’re likely to be up against fewer applicants, and there’s a higher likelihood prospective employers will reach out to you for more information and the possibility of an interview.

Beyond its selectivity, CareerBuilder is a solid, reliable platform for job hunting, with quick apply features and some clever filter algorithms designed to offer job ad recommendations based on your most recent CareerBuilder search history.

The bottom line: we recommend you try CareerBuilder if you’ve substantial experience under your belt and you’re prepared to apply a targeted, “less is more” approach to your career search.

A Networker’s Shangri La: LinkedIn

With a membership base in excess of 575 million, chances are you’re already a member of LinkedIn and know a little bit about how it works. A simple way to describe it is Facebook for career-minded folks — without the Candy Crush.

As far as job hunting on LinkedIn goes, the process is quite interesting. You do, of course, have the option to apply for a job position in the traditional way; you fill out a form, add your CV and write a few words about why you’re interested in the job.

However, LinkedIn also builds a sophisticated fabric of networking through the job hunting process. Would you like to build connections with people already working for the company you’re looking at? LinkedIn will let you do that. Keen to build an enriched personal brand for prospective employers to gain a more in-depth insight into your unique value-add? You can spend hours carefully curating this kind of content with laser precision.

It’s a fabulous approach if you a) aren’t in a hurry to leap at the first job opportunity which comes your way; and b) favor the more organic process of networking over the hit or miss of constantly spamming job applications.

Getting Granular With Industry-focused Boards

So far, we’ve talked about the catch-all job boards; and in the vast majority of cases, this is exactly where you’ll want to be conducting your search. However, some industries have dedicated boards purely for that profession. If you’re fortunate enough to work in one of these fields, it makes all kinds of sense to get granular and build a presence on an industry-focused job board.

Money published a list of dedicated job boards spanning administrative, creative, education, finance, government, and human resources sectors. If any of these categories describe you, have at it!

One Final Dollop of Advice

Steve Dalton, a program director at Duke University’s Business School, and the author of The 2-Hour Job Search, said of the online job hunting process, “it’s the black hole that everyone thinks it is.” Bit of a downer I know, but it’s an important observation. There are so many opportunities out there, but it can be a wasteland. It can — and probably will — feel discouraging and tiring at some point along the way.

The key is not to give up on your search, but at the same time, be kind to yourself. If you need to step away from the job boards for a while, be sure to take that time. Go read a cool website about nature or prancersise (it’s a fitness revolution, don’t you know). Then come back refreshed, energized and with your game face on.

Good luck out there, career hungry nerds. Stay happy.