This is a repost of a top ten list I did a few days ago. I am reposting it because I hope it will help someone who is looking for a job. I used these and other resources when I was looking for a job, and actually managed to find a good paying job with full benefits. It's really tough out there, so it is important to take full advantage of every resource available to you.
#10
Monster.com
This is probably the largest job search site on the internet. I have found that I generally get the most hits here, but not necessarily the most quality hits. The site tends to be overrun by staffing agencies and recruiters. If you are looking for direct hire employment, this is not the best choice.
#9
Dice.com
This site specializes in high tech jobs. I tend to think of it as the Monster of high tech. There are a lot of good leads here, but, like Monster, a lot of them are low quality.
#8
Vault.com
Vault.com would probably be on the top of my list, if they didn't charge for complete access. They offer profiles and reviews, but they charge a premium if you want full access. The freely available information is still somewhat helpful. I can't comment on the paid services, however, because I just don't think it is worth it.
#7
AnnualCreditReport.com
When that job offer does come, in most states, for most jobs, it will probably require successful completion of a background check that includes credit history. Even if you aren't looking for a job, it is still good to know what is on your report. AnnualCreditReport.com is a free service that allows everyone to get a free copy of their credit report every 12 months. AnnualCreditReport.com is the ONLY authorized source to receive this report under federal law. Be careful not to confuse it with other sites that claim to offer a free report and then sign you up for a subscription service.
#6
ResumeBear.com
ResumeBear offers an interesting free service. You can upload or create a resume, and then send hiring managers a link to your resume. When the hiring manager opens your resume, you will get a notification from ResumeBear. It's a service that won't work for every kind of job, but for the jobs it does work for, it is really cool. ResumeBear also has a fun and informative career blog that I always enjoy checking out.
#5
Glassdoor.com
You won't find job listings here, but you can find a lot of useful information about prospective employers. Glassdoor creates a place for employees to post anonymous reviews and salary information about places they have worked. Like any review site, you should always take it with a grain of salt, but if a lot of people are saying the same thing, that is something to pay attention to. This is also a great place to find potential interview questions.
#4
Jobing.com
There are a lot of quality leads at jobing.com. You may still run into staffing agencies and recruiters, but it seems to be easier to sort them out here. The layout is different from what I am used to, so it took a bit of adjustment, but now it is one of my favorite sites. What I really like about it is that it offers some excellent resources, including blogs from the people who do the hiring. I recently had an interview and during my research I found a blog at jobing.com from the company's lead recruiter. It was full of excellent advice on how to approach different interview questions. That allowed me to prepare well for my interview and get the job.
#3
Occupation Outlook Handbook
If you've been out of work for a while, you may be considering going back to school. How employable a person will be in their potential career may not matter for some people, but for the rest of us, it is something to think about. The Department of Labor offers the Occupation Outlook Handbook for the more pragmatic of us. Under the "Job Outlook" heading of each career field, you can find how fast the field is expected to grow, and how much competition is expected for those new jobs. It also offers advice on what level of education will make you the most competitive. I really love this website.
#2
Common Interview Questions
If you are anything like me, interviews terrify you. I learned as a math tutor that the best way to overcome such anxiety is to be as prepared as possible. This blog post from Paul Michael lists 23 of the most common interview questions, and offers advice on how to answer them well. The best resource, though, can be found in the comment section. There, many more questions and answered are discussed.
#1
Indeed.com
Indeed has become my favorite job hunting site. It's like Google for jobs. The Indeed crawlers pull in jobs from all over the internet. Along with postings from the various job sites, it also crawls company websites and pulls in the jobs off of their career pages. The result is a huge database of excellent job leads. Beyond that, Indeed offers job forums where you can learn about the hiring practices of just about any company. They also compile salary information. For more insight into your area check out their "trends" section.
I also want to mention a couple of resources that came up in the comments of my previous diary.
- LinkedIn.com - A commenter suggested joining groups and keeping your eye out for job postings. Not only will this allow you to see jobs that may not be listed elsewhere, but it also gives you direct access to hiring managers.
- Hoovers.com - This website has company profiles with information about company size, financials, and competition. Some of the information requires a subscription, but there is a lot of useful information for free.
Feel free to post any other resources you have! Even job openings you have heard about that may not be publicly available.
And finally, I have my own bit of advice to offer. When you are putting together your resume, start with a blank document and build it from scratch. I recommend this for a few reasons.
- Most people are using templates, which means hiring managers are receiving a bunch of resumes that look alike. If you resume is different, it stands out immediately.
- Everyone's work history and skills are unique. By designing you resume from the ground up, you can make sure the most important things about you stand out. If you just plug your info into a template, that may not happen.
- It shows you have good computer skills. Plugging your info into a template is easy, building your resume is not. If you can successfully design and build a strong resume, it shows you are an above average computer/office user.