Best Job Search Sites - The 2022 Guide to the Best Job Search Sites in the US

On that fine sunny day, there was a realization.

Jeremy thought of himself more as a books-person, or 'offline' as he liked to call himself, over reading stuff up online. But then things began to change.

Jeremy called up a few friends who were in the same industry that he was in.
Almost all of them were looking for a job change.

While Jeremy applied through job magazines and visited job fairs, his friends were getting interview shortlists by the week - a few were even placed in reputed firms.

It seemed that everyone in the world was destined to get a dream job, except Jeremy. Jeremy couldn't figure out what was it that he was doing wrong. He asked his close friend for help.

Turns out, applying for a job online was way easier than he had thought. His friends were using the best websites to post a resume and the process just seemed to automatically proceed from there.

It was then that Jeremy decided to unlearn everything he knew about himself, brush aside his attitude towards everything 'online' and get on-board the online job bandwagon.

Here's a summary of what you will find in this guide:

• You might be missing on a lot of job opportunities because it's a high possibility that the keywords which you use while searching for jobs might not be related to what the employer is looking for.
• The ratio of hires-to-applicant is almost always less than 10%. The low success rate of 10% is also based on the fact that many candidates either apply on wrong sites, look up 'wrong' profiles, or apply in a wrong way (keyword mismatch, ATS, resume formatting, etc.).
• Avoid sending a generic resume across all profiles. Try to customize the resume according to the requirements of the profile you are applying for.
• Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn. etc. are some of the best job search sites. Read on to know about its pros and cons.

By the end of this article you will learn:

• Why should you search job online?
• What are the three basic facts about job search portals?
• What is the 4 step guide to online job search?
• What are the parameters of selecting the best job search sites?

Online Job Search - Why?

Let us do a reality check.

Some experts agree that spending time searching for a job online is a virtual waste of time as it has a very low success rate.

Also, the entire gamut of searching for jobs online is based on the right keyword search.

This is to say that you tend to miss potential jobs here.

For instance, you were a Business Analyst in your last profile and are looking for similar roles in larger companies. So you decide to log in on best websites to post a resume and look up jobs on 'Business Analyst'.

But as it turns out, the role of a Business Analyst is somewhat complex, with a large part depending on the individual requirements of the organization. Consequently, a Business Analyst in one organization might be called a Functional Consultant/Product Manager/Solution Architect in other organizations.

It's a high possibility that the keywords which you use while searching for jobs might not be related to what the employer is looking for.

It is not possible for the companies to manually process every application coming in. For example, you might be putting the keyword in the job site search bar as Procurement Manager, but your dream employer is looking for a Sourcing Head!

So even though the profile overlaps on several counts, there's a strong likelihood that you'll miss the opportunity.

Now, do you understand why online job search is not as easy as it looks?

According to Richard Bolles, the author of "The Job-Hunters: Survival Guide", only 10 people get a job online out of 100 people who apply. Meaning, there is only a 10% success rate when it comes to this method.

What adds to the situation is that there are thousands of websites to post a resume online.

So here's our in-depth Guide on Job Search Sites to help you sort through the clutter and enable you to gain a better understanding of the treacherous online job search market.

To bolster your chances of getting an interview shortlist, you can additionally refer to our Online Resume Builder, with pre-filled templates for every profession (almost, but don't worry, we're constantly adding more!) and infinite designs. Making a resume will be a breeze!

3 Basic Facts around Job Search Portals

If you are still on the sideline when it comes to online job search, there are a few things which we think you should know:

1. Given the fact that we are living in a highly competitive world, where the ratio of hires-to-applicant is almost always less than 10%, we have to try every avenue available for job search. Online job search is no different.

2. The low success rate of 10% is also based on the fact that many candidates either apply on wrong sites, look up 'wrong' profiles, or apply in a wrong way (keyword mismatch, ATS, resume formatting, etc.).

3. You don't want to miss out on all those companies who partner with online job portals to look for the right candidate.

So in your quest to find your dream job, you need to know the nuances of this online search medium, which is taking the jobs market by storm and in all probability is here to stay.

The 4-step Guide to Online Job Search

We are here to help you here with a 4-step criteria to grab a great job:

• BUILD
• SIGN UP ON A JOB PORTAL
• APPLY
• CONNECT NETWORK & MEET

1. Build your resume using our expert tips as outlined in the RESUME GUIDE 2019. To save time on formatting and design, you can use our resume builder which will cut your resume-making time by half while tripling your chances of actually getting a shortlist!
2. Once you are done with your resume, go to the job sites to post resume that we have shortlisted after extensive research and sign up.
3. Apply to your dream jobs while trying to exhaust the daily job application limit.
4. Connect with your dream company's HR and other authorities. Try to find out a common contact, communicate and drop in to meet your prospective employer.

HIRATION PRO-TIP: Make sure you are not sending a generic resume across all profiles. Try to customize the resume (the Professional Summary section and Key Skills section before anything else) according to the requirements of the profile.

Experts say that many of the times, job sites provide you with links for networking after which the actual hiring is done.

One of our users told us that he was referred to his dream employer’s HR through a common link. He went there, gave the interview, and was eventually selected.

However, he also received a rejection email for the same profile. That application was submitted through an online job site.

This in particular tells us more about the functioning of online recruitment in general and the best website to post resume in particular. Maybe the ATS rejected his application, maybe his resume wasn't shortlisted in the first round of screening...it's anybody's guess.

(Applicant Tracking Systems work on a keyword matching method, where the ATS software matches the key skils in the resume with the key skills written in the Job Description.)

So here is a chance to learn a great deal about the online job industry and customize your job-hunt accordingly.

Why the need for Online Job Search Sites & Portals?

As part of servicing our clients, we have to sift through dozens of best site to post resume to find the ones which would suit them the most. While no one will tell you this, but the truth is that there isn't a single best job search site that can cater to all the different requirements.

A lot depends on the profile of the individual and what s/he is looking for. Are you looking for an internship? Are you an entry-level professional? Are you shifting industries? The answers to these questions will tell which job search site would be the best one for you.

Here are a few parameters which we use, and which you too, can use to evaluate different job search portals:

• Best job sites are updated with the most recent jobs and are not selling a vacancy which is already filled up.
• Reputed firms and conglomerates will have partnered with these portals for fulfilling their recruitment requirements.
• The interface of these job sites is easy to understand which makes the process of a job search quite smooth.
• Best job sites use an algorithm to collect data and posts from other places on the web and post it for the users.

After extensive research spanning several months and communicating with our clients who landed their dream jobs, we came up with a list of the best sites which can help streamline your job search and get you faster results.

Parameters for selecting the best Job Search Sites

Plainly speaking, our primary goal was to make sure that the sites we have selected should land more interviews for everyone.

While there's no way to be sure if your dream employer is posting vacancies on a specific online job portal, we are very sure that you can land the best interviews from the employers who have partnered with the site.

Additionally, the sites that we are recommending below cover all major employers, so your worries around reaching out to an important employer are all gone.

We shortlisted the following parameters on which evaluation was conducted for these best resume posting sites w.r.t the requirements of the 2019 job market.

Lead Data & Meta Data

Lead data is the basic information without which a job posting is not legitimate. This data includes details like job posting, job description, location, selection criteria, etc.

We can say that it is the DNA or the job advertisement for the employer. Metadata shows the culture, activities, and recent news about the employer.

It also includes a set of reviews by employees and interviewees who had their set of personal experiences. These hands-on experiences generate the most genuine information around the company.

Research says that this data is a much better tool in deciding whether you would like to apply for a particular employer.

It gives you a feel of how it would be working with this employer.

In all the cases, it is deemed extremely important to use the metadata given and decide whether to apply for the job and then try to network with the company’s HR and other decision authorities.

Number of visitors

This parameter inherently shows how often is the site updated which results in more traffic.

Alexa rating

According to Wikipedia, Alexa provides web traffic data, global rankings, and other information on 30 million websites by collecting data on Internet browsing behavior patterns and transmits them to the Alexa website, where they are stored and analyzed.

Now let us check out the list of job sites:-

Top 10 Resume Posting Websites

GLASSDOOR

We rate this as the number 1 website. It is an Amazon job search. And just like Amazon.com gives user reviews on all products, this job site allows an employee to review his/her company.

Now, this is fantastic.

PROS

As discussed before, the metadata provided on the site is very useful in your job search and application process. If you look at the image above, you will see the number of reviews, benefits, and pictures.

There is a job alert available for the jobs you are interested in.

For smartphone users, there is a mobile application available on both ios and android.

CONS

• Not a great site for startup jobs and small scale companies, maybe because Glassdoor wants to make sure that all the relevant data should be available in all cases.

INDEED

Indeed is the only site besides Glassdoor which allows a provision for company reviews by employees.

Because of the metadata that it generates, it culminates in an engaging job-hunt process for everyone.

Aesthetically pleasing, this website is rated as the best online job site in the USA for the whopping number of visitors it possesses.

Looking at the statistics (origin: [http://blog.indeed.com/2016/02/08/indeed-200-million-unique-visitors/]

It is evident that indeed.com reports the maximum online traffic till now. Indeed has additional value-added services like resume storage, salary comparisons, industry trends on employment, and user forums.

CONS

• Minimum wage jobs and highly specialized skills jobs are missing.

• We found some formatting issues in the resume while applying through 1-click.

LinkedIn

Launched in 2003, this site already has 500 million members across 200 countries.

The one domain where LinkedIn scores significantly higher than the rest is networking.

It is a wonderful platform to network and build professional relationships with employers.

As networking holds a lot of value, it is indeed the only site in the entire gamut of best websites to post resume that gives you the profile of the human employer waiting to interview you.

You can go through the professional journey of the recruiter or HR who might interview you. How you leverage that to your benefit is your call, but it sure is a game-changer in our opinion.

This makes Linkedin a very interesting place for building a transparent community.

You can link with the colleagues of your dream company to get a fair knowledge of how things work there.

People out there are smart, active, and helpful. Linkedin is probably the only job search site that touts Community Building as one of its USPs!

The amazing feature of referrals makes it stand apart from the competition. Ironically, LinkedIn was not built as a job search portal in mind. Networking was its USP, which is then leveraged to target the job search market.

Your dream company's HR Head could read your referrals to judge your credibility in the given domain!

As shown in the analysis below, Linkedin has the highest Alexa Rating of 32, which makes it one of our favorites.

MONSTER

Till 2010, Monster.com was the real monster out there in the online job search world.

It had the highest site visitors after which Indeed.com took over.

The very first public job search site boasts traffic of 22 million per month with 70% of its traffic coming from the USA.

This site is easy to navigate and generates accurate results for the job search as shown in the image below.

Also, Monster.com is a good place for hourly low paying jobs. For the same, other alternatives are Snagajob and Craigslist.

CONS

• It gives free job postings and thereby has a flood of small companies. If you are a person with specialized skills looking to work in a brand, then this might not be the first choice.
• Metadata is almost nil.
• This site does not focus on educated and distinguished league of professionals

The Ladders

Being one of the best sites to upload resume, its monthly traffic is growing at a very high rate. The Ladders is an excellent choice for candidates with a specialized skillset who are looking for high paying jobs.

It has minimum salary criteria of USD 40,000 for job postings.

It boasts the best customer support as compared to many other sites.

CONS

• Boolean searches are not possible and that every search has to be with one and only one keyword
• Jobs below a salary of USD 40,000 are not available
• Less than 1-year contractual jobs and commission-jobs are not available

Simply Hired

An aesthetically quirky site, it offers a free job search engine with a very unique concept. The concept is that you can find out and connect with your Facebook and LinkedIn connections on this site.

And then it allows you to find vacancies at your friend's workplace so that you can also apply.

We have to give a thumbs-up for incorporating this particular feature on their portal.

You can also really narrow down your job search by simply adding in the zip code.

Another feature of this site is the famous telecommute feature. This tells you all the jobs that are work from home or can be done remotely.

Then again, its unique feature of Simply Salary allows you to see salary lists of your competition to check your income against them

This job site offers the best search options with its algorithms optimized for 5 lac keywords across 1000 job categories.

CONS
Not that we can think of.

Dice

Tech professional?

On the lookout for only tech jobs?

Why roam around aimlessly when there is a niche site just made for you?

This is again a personal favorite because of the courage they have shown in entering a niche segment and thriving.

With a lot of tech news flashing on the site and pleasing aesthetics to the rescue, this site is great for tech jobs in the USA.

CONS

• Due to the niche segmentation, candidates in sectors other than IT have no use of the website

CareerBuilder

Another amazing website in the league is CareerBuilder.

Boasting OF the best-rated mobile application, it makes the whole game of job search very easy.

Competition is high as there are around 5 times more resumes than Monster. With an Alexa rating of 904, this site looks promising in the online job search market.

CONS

• Many clients say that their emails have been spammed with fake emails and spams.

Robert Half

A very interesting feature of Robert half is that it tells you the office and job available by distance and pin code.

So if you wish to have a job within 5 miles of your residence, then just go there, upload your resume and you will get a list of options.

CONS:

• Customer support deemed to have some issues according to many users of the website.

Conclusion

After comparing all the statistics, Indeed wins the game as it's armed with a huge amount of metadata, has the highest number of jobs posted, and boasts of the biggest monthly user traffic. Being a very popular website, you would indeed get the best jobs out here on this platform.

Monster.com would be ideal for you if you are looking for contractual jobs and work from home jobs or full-time jobs in startups and small companies.

For tech roles/profiles, Dice is the way to go.

Here's a table assessing all the different job portals that we've discussed above:

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