You already know that Big Interview has you covered when it comes to learning how to ace your job interviews. But what if you're having trouble actually finding great opportunities and landing those interviews?
We asked Elizabeth Magill to evaluate all of the job search sites out there to determine which ones can really help you. Follow this guide to expand your job search and uncover a wealth of new job leads (and tools to get you noticed when applying).
Don't you wish there was an easier way to land your dream job? From crafting the perfect cover letter and resume, to finding the best-fit niche jobs to apply for, to acing the big interview, to using social media to your advantage, there’s a whole heck of a lot that goes into searching for a job.
Fortunately, you can use a number of job search websites, tools, and apps to make the hunt for your perfect job easier.
Here are 50 of the best job search sites, apps, and tools:
Best Job Search Sites – Niche Industries
Industry specific job search websites help you focus your efforts on the field in which you’d like to work. These sites are outstanding in their respective niches.
1) Dice.com – Dice is a site dedicated to tech industry jobs. In addition to a robust database of available jobs in the information technology industry, it offers a wide range of articles with tips and advice on landing a job in the IT field.
You can search the 87,000+ jobs posted on Dice.com according to skills, job titles, location, type of employment (full time, part time, contract, temporary, temp-to-hire, etc.), or by specific company names. Dice.com has an Alexa rank of 901 in the U.S. as of October 2014.
2) Crunchboard.com – CrunchBoard.com provides another admirable spot for people interested in working in the tech industry to search for jobs in the field.
The board is affiliated with readers from TechCrunch, MobileCrunch, TechCrunch IT, and Crunch Gear, and the jobs posted here are likely to appeal to regular site visitors.
While the board focuses mainly on tech positions, you may also find jobs here in sales and marketing, customer service, and business operations – mainly in tech-based businesses.
3) Culintro.com – Looking to break into the business of culinary arts? It’s an exciting field and Culintro.com is the place you need to visit on the web to give you an edge in this competitive industry. From bartenders and line cooks to executive chefs and maître d’s, there are hot new jobs available from coast to coast. If you’re a restaurant professional, or want to become one, Culintro.com is where your job search should begin.
4) eFinancialCareers.com – Featuring nearly 9,000 jobs in the fields of banking, finance, and insurance globally, eFinancialCareers.com is beneficial to use to broaden your search in these industries. For financial professionals seeking positions in investment banking, asset management, trading, auditing, risk management, and securities, to name a few, this is a go-to website for you. The site also provides job market news and salary survey information.
5) JobsOnTheMenu.com – With the tagline “Fresh Jobs Served Daily”, JobsOnTheMenu.com specializes in restaurant jobs, for servers, hostesses, chefs, restaurant managers, and more in some of the finest restaurants in the U.S. There are thousands of jobs available at any given time in locations throughout the country.
6) HealthcareJobsite.com – Offering more than 500,000 healthcare jobs throughout the U.S., HealthcareJobsite.com is the first stop you need to make in your job search if you are looking to build a career in the health care industry. One unique advantage the site offers is an online career portfolio option that healthcare professionals can use to build and showcase their portfolio. Jobs are available for a wide range of health care workers including CNAs, RNs, lab personnel, and more.
7) JobsInLogistics.com – Logistics is big business these days, and now is an exciting time to begin a career in this field. JobsInLogistics.com helps job seekers find careers in Transportation, Supply Chain, Purchasing, Distribution, and Manufacturing among other areas. It also provides a weekly alert for dispatchers.
8) mediabistro.com - mediabistro.com touts itself with the tagline “the pulse of media”, and its job board certainly has its finger on that pulse. Offering everything from communications coordinators to editor and social media positions, this site has a lot to offer anyone wanting to break into media and/or communications. It also hosts events, including boot camps, cocktail parties, trade shows, conferences and online events to provide unique networking opportunities. Featured employers with medicabistro.com include Amazon, UNICEF, PennyPress, and more.
9) JournalismJobs.com – Another site dedicated to media jobs, JournalismJobs.com offers over 800 journalism jobs around the world. In addition to traditional employment opportunities, you can find freelance work and internships as well as diversity jobs in the journalism industry at JournalismJobs.com.
10) SalesGravy.com – Aside from offering a healthy job board for sales professionals, SalesGravy.com offers an excellent range of sales training services, as well as articles on topics of interest within the field of sales. Featured employers include brands you know and love like Verizon, Dow Jones, AutoZone, and more. Whether you’re a seasoned pro in the field of sales or trying to break into the industry, this is an excellent starting point for all of your job search needs.
11) TalentZoo.com – This site offers nearly 87,000 job options for talented individuals in advertising, marketing, design and creative pursuits, and geek and web related positions. You have the option of searching by the date jobs were posted, the name of the job, the company, and job location.
12) TechCareers.com – While not as widely known as some of the other tech industry job sites online, TechCareers.com offers nearly 200,000 tech and engineering jobs, as well as the ability to create your own career portfolio to attract interested businesses and recruiters.
13) Idealist.com – People interested in building careers helping others will certainly want to take a moment to check out Idealist.com. The jobs listed here are all for nonprofit organizations and include jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities. You can search by type of job, keywords or areas of interest, and location. In addition to the jobs available at Idealist.com, there are also articles about the types of work available and an email list that will send a daily list of opportunities suitable for your interests and location.
14) StackOverflow.com – StackOverflow, with a global rank of 50 on Alexa (41 in the U.S.) is a wealth of information for talented computer programmers, engineers, and developers looking for new opportunities or for career advancement. In addition to a hefty offering of jobs worldwide, the site also offers many remote work opportunities for professionals seeking new challenges but uninterested in relocating.
15) USAJobs.gov - From Department of Transportation jobs to Department of Veteran Affairs, the government’s official website for government jobs is USAJobs.gov. Job seekers interested in federal jobs can apply online, and learn about eligibility, pay, and benefits.
16) Behance.com - Behance is an awesome community for creative professionals and a great place to find creative gigs (permanent and freelance). Members also have access to useful tools to showcase their portfolios online and connect with others in the field.
17) IEEEJob Site - Offers a searchable database of available jobs in engineering. Provides job seeker tools, such as a resume builder tool and the ability to search for jobs by employer.
18) VentureBeat.com - VentureBeat is devoted to technology innovation news and their job board follows suit with a wide range of tech-industry jobs.
19) Mashable.com - Mashable is the ultimate source for social media news and views. They also have an excellent job board with lots of digital and social media gigs and tools to help you create a digital resume.
Now that you’ve explored a few industry or niche specific job sites, it’s time to explore those that offer more flexible employment opportunities.
Best Job Search Sites for Telecommuting, Flexible Jobs, Contract and Part-Time Work
The beauty of today's job market is that there really is something for nearly every kind of worker. Not everyone is destined for the traditional nine-to-five lifestyle. If you’re among those who aren’t, there are job search sites just for you, like these. (And keep in mind that many of the industry job boards above and general job boards below also list freelance and contract opportunities).
20) SnagaJob.com – Featuring nearly 500,000 jobs added within the last month alone, SnagaJob.com offers a wide range of jobs and career opportunities from seasonal work in local retail settings to participation in studies and more. SnagaJob.com had an Alexa rank of 1,241 as of October 2014.
21) FlexJobs.com – anyone looking for freelance work, remote work, and part-time jobs will benefit from taking a look at the opportunities available on FlexJobs.com. This site provides researched opportunities, advice, and other benefits for members who have the option of paying monthly, quarterly, or annually for their memberships.
22) Odesk.com - If you're serious about building a freelance career, you need to check out oDesk, the "world's largest online workplace, where 1+ million companies hire freelancers to get the job done." You can find contract opportunities and use oDesk to manage your projects as well (everything from tracking hours to billing to proficiency tests to prove you're awesome).
Best Job Search Sites - General
Specialized jobs are all well and good, but sometimes it helps to widen the search and the big job boards can work well for that. We don't recommend limiting your search to these big job boards (it's definitely harder to stand out when you're a faceless resume among thousands). However, people DO get jobs this way and the boards are also useful for researching the types of positions out there in your profession.
You'll find that there is some overlap (same jobs showing up on multiple boards) and it would probably be a full-time job to visit ALL of them on a regular basis. However, you can easily set up email alerts to stay in the loop with the job sites that seem to have the most listings related to your search.
23) Indeed.com – Indeed.com is a job site aggregator that boasts 618,000 jobs in the past seven days. Those numbers are certainly impressive and it is one of the most visited sites on the web today, receiving more than 140 million unique visitors each month. What makes Indeed.com unique is that it behaves like a search engine for jobs, allowing you to widen or narrow your search until it’s just right for you. (Note from Pam: I would start here when considering the big job boards.)
24) Glassdoor.com - This website boasts an Alexa rank of 137 among U.S audiences. In addition to offering a job search feature with nearly 6,000 jobs, Glassdoor.com also offers salary information and company reviews from employees. Honestly, the company research feature is probably even more useful than the actual job board.
25) Monster.com – Monster.com is one of the most visited and recognized websites worldwide offering more than one million jobs to visitors at any given time. Monster.com has been around a long time and is worth checking out
26) CareerBuilder.com – Operating in 23 countries outside the U.S., CareerBuilder.com remains one of the largest job search sites on the web today, featuring 24 million unique visitors monthly. CareerBuilder.com allows users the opportunity to post resumes and save jobs and searches.
27) SimplyHired.com – Offering well over nine million jobs and growing every day, SimplyHired.com has a wide range of offerings from entry-level work to health care and high-tech. It also offers charts depicting industry trends, occupation trends, and geographic trends.
28) TheLadders.com – Originally launched as a site that specialized in employment for executives earning $100,000 or more per year, the site has expanded its services to all professional jobs representing nearly 43,000 recruiters.
29) Craigslist.org - This site offers more than the ability to buy and sell stuff. It offers jobs categorized by specialty in large and not-so-large cities throughout the U.S. and around the world. With an Alexa ranking of 10 in the U.S., Craigslistt.org is a high-traffic site that is popular with employers.
Any of these sites can work well for general job searches. However, it's a mistake to rely exclusively (or even primarily) on job boards. Make sure you are leveraging your network and the power of social media for the best results.
Best Job Search Social Media Sites
Many employers are using social media platforms as a primary way of advertising job openings and connecting with candidates. Get savvy about social media job search tools like the ones listed below.
30) LinkedIn.com – When it comes to useful tools for your job search, it’s nearly impossible to match LinkedIn.com. With a global Alexa rank of 11 and a U.S. rank of 7, this site is a go to resource for employers — and needs to be one of the first places you check daily as you search for your new job.
31) TweetMyJobs.com – There are tons of companies using TweetMyJobs.com to get the word out about job openings today. The simplicity and viral nature of the platform combine to make it a powerful recruiting tools for businesses – and job seekers savvy enough to use this medium in their searches.
32) JobsMiner.com – This neat tool extracts job postings from various social media networks to match the search criteria you establish. You can set the terms for when the postings were made, whether positions are full or part-time, and which social platforms you search.
33) Persona - Worried about recruiters and hiring managers getting turned off by your social media presence? Persona is a new tool that helps you clean up your online presence and make it more employer-friendly.
Social media job searches let employers know you’re in touch with technology and a forward-thinking employee. But if you’re just getting started in the professional world, you need to consider sites designed for students and entry-level positions.
Best Job Search Sites for Students
Getting started is sometimes the hardest part. Finding that first job in a sea of applicants with more practical experience can be tough. Job search sites for students, like these below, match students with companies that are looking for the fresh perspective you bring to the table.
34) CollegeRecruiter.com – Designed for students and recent grads alike, the site offers a wide range of options from entry-level career positions to internships, and more. In addition, it offers practical benefits like resume critiques and “Best Places to Work” lists.
35) Internships.com – Students looking for internship positions need to look no further than Internships.com. They feature internship positions in all 50 states representing more than 62,000 companies offering nearly 91,000 internship positions. It’s even been listed as one of Forbes Top 10 Career Websites.
Getting started in your job search isn’t nearly as hard with sites like these devoted to entry-level and internship positions.
Now it’s time to explore tools and tech that will help you take your search on the road.
Best Job Search Apps and Tools
Every job seeker needs tools in their job search toolbox. Whether it’s using an interviewing practicing tool or tapping into an app to find those hidden open jobs, they make your job search not only easier, but more successful. Job search apps, for example, are the hottest new tools to have in your job search arsenal. They help you make your job search portable,so that you’re not chained to your computer in your search for the perfect job. Check out these great job search apps and tools.
36) LinkUp Mobile App – Enjoy the powerful combination of the LinkUp Job Search Engine, which searches job listings found exclusively on business websites with the portability of mobile phones and tablet devices, so you can always have your job search with you.
37) LinkedIn Job Search App – Search, sort, and filter jobs in your search from the comfort of your iPhone or iPad with this free app. Also, see if any of your LinkedIn contacts are employed by the same company.
38) JobApplicationsOnline.com - Simply put, the site offers a tool to help you navigate the online application process for popular employers, like McDonalds, Subway, Lowes, and Home Depot.
39) Good Job App – Good Job by Code Beyond is a paid app that allows you to track your progress in your job search, create tasks, events, and follow ups to interviews and other job search related activities, and even set priorities for your job search. It’s all in one convenient location and there’s no paperwork to lose!
40) Hidden Jobs App – Sometimes, getting there first is the most important thing, and the Hidden Job app helps you do just that by sifting through hiring announcement in newspapers, on social media, and business press releases to send you the news about new positions before they’ve been announced on other job boards.
41)Payscale.com - Provides users the ability to research and compare marketplace salaries and benefits categorized by such areas as experience, city, and skill. In some cases, salary information is available by employer.
42) JobAware App – This unique app provides many features you won’t find elsewhere – at least not bundled together. This includes searching through Indeed using your phone’s GPS feature, designating part-time, full-time, contract, freelance, and internship positions, comparing salaries, tracking jobs according to priority, and tracking the progress on the jobs you designate.
43) BeKnown – Monster’s BeKnown app allows users to leverage the power of Facebook connections to aid in their job searches. It works much like LinkedIn using Monster and Facebook to accomplish the same connections.
44) PocketResume.net – This app was the number one Paid Business App – USA & Canada in April of 2010 for good reason. It allows you to create a resume on your iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad that you can maintain and mail from your device.
45) Evernote - Evernote is an amazing tool for your job search and the rest of your life too! It's a great app for tracking all of your research and projects in one place with handy productivity tools built in.
46) BLS.gov - The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a government-operated website that collects, analyzes, and distributes current and forecasted employment information by occupation, geographic area, and more. It publishes the free Occupational Outlook Handbook, which provides job search tips, information on the job market by state, and more.
47) JibberJobber -- This is another useful online tool to help you manage your job search -- tracking your progress and staying on top of your action items.
48) Vizualize - This tool allows you to create a visual or infographic version of your resume -- great for standing out when applying to creative and innovative roles.
49) JobCompass – JobCompass apps are available through the Apple App Store, Google Play Market, Nook App Store, and Amazon App Store and allow you to search for available jobs within a five-mile radius of your home up to 100 miles from your location. With a database of more than two million listings, there’s sure to be a job for you.
50) Apploi – The Apploi app is available in the iTunes store and via Google Play. More than an app, Apploi is a community that seeks to connect job seekers with the employers that are right for them. It offers job searches, advice, training, and tips while allowing employers to reach out to you on your mobile device.
BONUS) Big Interview - Last but certainly not least, job seekers can benefit from all of Big Interview’s resources to shine in job interviews -- including the webcam practice interview tool, fast-track video training curriculum, and interview question library.
In Summary
With all of these 50 best job search sites, tools, and apps at your beck and call, you have a much clearer path to landing the job of your dreams. Pick the ones most relevant to your search strategies and apply them today to optimize your job search and find your next amazing opportunity.
What have we missed? What other best job search sites do you feel are worth using?
HUMOR: Seinfeld - George Costanza ponders about potential jobs:
Main Photo Credit: Nekoyanagi