JOB SEARCH SITES

In the past, searching for a new job was a long and tedious process. Scrutinizing newspaper listings, examining trade publications, even calling a company's HR department were all steps that a serious job hunter needed to take.

Not any more. As millions of people have already found, the internet provides a way for employers and job hunters to find each other in cyberspace. After the job seeker posts their resume online, they can search available job openings and apply immediately. Alternatively, employers constantly run scans of resumes online and actively solicit potential new hires.

And you are not required to use only one job search engine. By posting your resume onto more than one service, you increase your odds of finding a job. In fact, one of our top-ranked sites automatically sends your resume to over 70 job search engines for you.

In looking at the different job search sites, there are a few factors you'll want to consider. Some of these include:

•  Audience.  Would a general job search program work for you? Or are your needs more specific, such as executive jobs, freelance work, or part-time positions?

•  Job Listings.  The greater the number of prospective employers, the greater your chances of landing a great job.

•  Features.  Is confidentiality important to you? What about career advice and resume writing tips?

Don't forget - finding a job opening is one thing, but submitting a professional resume is another. Check out our reviews of Resume Builders here - and be sure to get your resume noticed.

TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best job search sites available. We hope you find these reviews helpful in finding your next dream job!

 

Cost:	Free to job seekers
Job Listings:	Over 850,000 jobs

 

Yahoo HotJobs is an easy-to-use site with many helpful search features. From the home page you can search for new jobs by keyword, city, state, zip or by industry. When you go the Job Search page, you are given the flexibility to do a Quick Job Search, Advanced Job Search, Search by Company or Search International Jobs. Once a search has been entered the results are delivered by job title, company name, location and the date posted. You can see the total number of jobs for that search and view the results in brief or detailed format.

One nice feature of Yahoo HotJobs is their ability to keep your posting information confidential. Enter the name of any company that you want to be shielded from (such as your current employer), and that company will not be able to see your resume or job search profile. Another useful feature of Yahoo HotJobs is their ability to deliver relevant information. For example, in your job search results you can click on the name of your potential employer. This gives you information about the company and other jobs available within that company.

Yahoo HotJobs also provides one of the most useful devices we found. Job headhunters and recruiting agencies have invaded almost all job search engines. When searching for a job, most seekers would like to focus on those listings that are offered direct from a company, rather than weed through these "junk" listings. Fortunately, Yahoo HotJobs provides a filter for just this purpose. If you want to see the headhunter listings you can; however you can just as easily remove them from your view. This is a convenience feature not found in many of the other top-ranked search engines.

The site has a Career Tools section that is very helpful and provides a lot of helpful information such as how to write a resume, interview tips, a salary calculator, networking advice, career growth, transitioning, planning and benefits, and a diversity center.

Although Monster.com is perhaps the most well known of the online job search engines, that doesn't mean it's the best. The advanced features and tools offered by Yahoo HotJobs, combined with its huge pool of available jobs, have caused it to leapfrog into the top position in our rankings. Congratulations, Yahoo HotJobs!

 

Cost:	$59.95
Job Listings:	Post to over 1.5 million employers (with millions of available jobs)

 

Resume Rabbit is an ingenious tool created to assist you in your job search. By filling out one simple form, this site will post your resume to over 75 job posting sites; 47 general sites and 30 specialty sites including information technology, accounting, sales/marketing and diversity (complete list of submitted sites here). Just a sampling of these sites include such well-known services as Monster.com, CareerBuilder, Job.com, Dice (for IT professionals), Accounting.com, and Salesjobs.com.

In addition to submitting your resume to all these job sites, Resume Rabbit provides you with a real-time resume posting report that gives you information on where your resume is in the cycle at each career site. You can post your resume "confidentially" - a helpful feature that eliminates personal information from being seen by your current employer. Resume Rabbit also safeguards your information and does not sell to third parties.

Once your information has been posted by Resume Rabbit to the various sites, you are then given the username and password of each site and can edit and update your information as needed. Resumes are posted within 72 hours where over 1.5 million employers can view your information. Resume Rabbit further protects each customer from receiving unwanted "spam" emails by assigning a unique email to each customer that filters this out.

The signup form is easy to fill out, with basic general information required. You can specify whether you are actively or passively searching for a job and what type of employment you are looking for - including contract-for-hire, telecommuting, availability to relocate, willingness to travel, a desired title and pay. Cut and paste your resume into the form and you're done. Customer service is offered thorough live help (via a link on their home page), or by email.

Resume Rabbit is an ingenious tool that lets you immediately post your resume to dozens of job sites and over 1.5 million potential employers. This simple method greatly multiples your chances of finding a job and earns this product our highest ranking.

 

Cost:	$47 for 3 months
Job Listings:	Over 3 million jobs

 

Worktree.com is not a traditional job search site. Instead, this trendy service scans thousands of sites searching for job opportunities - including paid listings, newspaper links, Fortune 1000 links, employer and recruiter links, government links, and more - to return the largest pool of available jobs possible.

Work Tree offers different fee packages for their services. The entry level is the Silver Level at $47 for 3 months, followed by the Gold Level at $57 for 6 months or the best value Platinum Level only $67 for a 12 month membership. Each option comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee - if you don't find a job by the time your membership ends, they give you an additional 3 months free, no questions asked. In addition to the guarantee, with a Gold or Platinum membership, you receive a free bonus of 14 powerful career e-books valued at $47. And, you need to understand that membership gives you access to the job search only. In order to submit a resume, you need to log onto the individual job site and fill out your application.

The site is equipped with a very impressive Career Toolbox that gives advice, information and articles on resumes, interviews, networking, cover letters, salary negotiation, a salary calculator and various other helpful tips. Worktree.com also offers a service called Resume Messenger that actually posts your resume to thousands of recruiters nationwide. While offering this service to the general public in three plans, ranging from $47 to $87, Worktree.com members enjoy a 50% discount. Keep in mind that whichever package you choose, it is a one-time resume blast; if you want to resubmit your resume you need to purchase another package.

The phenomenal reach of this program, combined with the career advice and useful information provided on their website, make Worktree.com an extremely powerful tool in the hunt for your next job.

 

Cost:	Free to job seekers
Job Listings:	Over 1.3 million jobs

 

Monster.com is the largest job search service in our review. Since job hunting is partly a numbers game (the more jobs you apply to, the greater your chances of landing a job), many people have found success here.

From the home page you have access to many facilities. For example, you can conduct job searches, get assistance in writing your resume, find a degree program, and even participate in an opinion poll. Creating an account (called My Monster) is free. Once created, Monster.com offers you a wide variety of services to assist in your job search; you can have multiple resumes on file, access application history, keep contacts, access letters and questionnaires, use a message center, and a host of other features. In addition, you can save jobs (useful for bookmarking interesting positions), use job search agents, and post your resume.

The most impressive features of Monster.com are the Marketplace and Career Advice pages. The amount of information and tips are staggering. They include interview and cover letter tips, salary comparisons, 401k rollover information, job profiles, and a self-assessment center. Monster.com also provides career advice for 23 different areas, access to job search blogs, and the opportunity to be kept up to date with new information through an RSS feed or traditional newsletter. You name it, Monster's got it. It really is the one-stop shop for finding employment.

The FAQ page is very thorough but hard to find under the Help link at the bottom of the site. Should you need additional help, the contact link is also on the bottom tool bar. Customer service is available in 3 ways, live chat, email or telephone, all available 24/7.

Unfortunately, due in part to their success, Monster.com has attracted a number of job listings from headhunters and agencies. While these listings can still be valuable to job seekers, they tend to blur the line between companies that advertise for their own open positions, and companies that advertise to provide a service. Other job search engines have similar issues, but unlike our top-rated selection Yahoo HotJobs, Monster.com does not provide a way to filter these types of listings from your search results.

Monster.com also suffers from advertising overload. They seem to bombard the job hunter with ads for services or third-party tools at every turn. This tends to get in the way of the job search activity, and can cause some confusion and frustration along the way.

Still, Monster.com has the largest number of available jobs to choose from, and provides a wealth of job search and career information. For these reasons, Monster.com earns one of our highest ratings.

 

Cost:	Free to post bio and let employers find you
Job Listings:	Over 200,000 jobs

 

Beyond.com is part of an extensive community of over 11,000 national general, local, and regional niche sites that combine to provide more than 200,000 jobs. Because they are setup as a community of niche sites, they can provide opportunities that the larger job search sites might miss.

In 3 easy steps, you are able to create an on-line portfolio, choose the channel or industry you're interested in, and search for jobs. After building the free personal portfolio you are then able to post your resume. Their free service allows you to post your resume online and be contacted by potential employers; however, if you want to have Beyond.com "distribute" your resume directly to companies in your channel, there is fee of $20. If after 60 days you're still looking they will re-distribute your resume for free. You can also choose to upgrade your resume with the "featured resume listing" service. For an additional $10 you can have your resume listed first with companies in your channel.

One nice feature of this website is the Job Search Alert; simply sign up and you will be notified via email of new postings in your channel of interest. Beyond.com offers a host of free resources including industry magazines, personality tests, consultations, resume writing help, articles and blogs, career videos, background checks, salary report, a relocation center, and more. These features help set Beyond.com apart from other employment sites.

Customer service issues can only be resolved by email or a non-toll-free number, and unfortunately there is not a FAQ section to answer frequent questions.

This fast-growing service offers an impressive variety of job opportunities and career assistance. We wish their customer service was more accessible, and would like to see an FAQ section added to their website. Still, as their list of employers and job offerings continues to grow, this service could be a serious contender to the heavyweights in the job search field.

 

Cost:	$2.95 trial period, $29.95/month thereafter
Job Listings	Over 5,000 jobs

 

Freelance Work Exchange is a professional, easy to navigate website. The website is categorized in simple sections on how to find work, make money, post projects, resources, FAQ's and a contact page. Once you become familiar with the site, you can simply click on links for writers, designers, work at home jobs or programming jobs in order to see the latest project postings. If you are interested in applying for one of the postings, you must be a member.

FreelanceWorkExchange provides a variety of tools designed to increase you earnings. When you sign up for their newsletter, you receive a free report on finding freelance work, an ebook on beginning a freelance career, and a course on being successful while working at home. They offer over a dozen case studies on successful freelance work stories, and over a hundred testimonials from real people who have been successful with their services.

A one-week trial membership is $2.95; after that, regular membership subscription is $29.95 / month. FreelanceWorkExchange and includes a free copy of Million Dollar Freelancing, valued at $197. The membership can be cancelled at anytime and a number is listed if you have additional questions. We really like the fact that you can sign up for the newsletter and free offerings, and not pay until you want to bid on a job.

If you currently make a living at freelance work, or just want to try it, you need to tap into the resources provided by FreelanceWorkExchange.com. This is the best site available for finding freelance work on the internet.

 

Cost:	Up to $500
Job Listings:	Over 13,000 job recruiters

 

Resume Zapper is a service that instantly sends your resume to thousands of recruiters. The site is easy to use. You select the industry or industries that you want to target and the geographical areas you want to focus on; their database finds the appropriate matches and posts your resume to the proper recruiters.

To make the matches most effective, they have over 450 industries for you to select from. You can easily view these industries and the number of recruiters they have available for each one. For example, they have over 4,000 recruiters specializing in computer programming, over 2,000 recruiters for accounting positions, and over 1,900 recruiters focusing on sales management. They even have over 1500 recruiters that specialize in international markets.

The site is easy to use and includes an FAQ section with very detailed information. Membership is $49.99; for this fee, your resume and cover letter is distributed to 600 general recruiters as well as every recruiter that matches your choice of 3 industry and geographic filter selections. Optional services include receiving a list of recruiters who have received your resume ($15), additional industries ($19.99 for 3), a confidential email box ($10), and an option to re-distribute your resume to new recruiters after 30 days ($29.99).

We wish Resume Zapper provided additional useful tools on their website. For example, assistance in resume writing, templates, and advice would be helpful. Also, we'd like to be able to submit to more than 3 industries with our basic membership plan.

Still, Resume Zapper does a great job in connecting job seekers with thousands of job recruiters searching for candidates. If you're serious about your job search, Resume Zapper is a valuable and effective tool in landing your next job.

 

Cost:	Free for job seekers
Job Listings:	Over 100,000 jobs

 

Snagajob.com provides a clean, information-filled interface to students and entry-level workers looking for an hourly or part-time job. They have a long list of popular and well-known clients, including Chuck E Cheese, Home Depot, Toys R Us, Burger King, and Boston Market.

Snagajob.com offers a number of options to make the job search process easier. For example, you can set up an email alert, so that when new positions become available that match your criteria, you are automatically notified via email. Also, when searching for a particular geographic location, you not only get a list of the jobs available - you also see a list of the companies, arranged alphabetically. This makes it easy to scan the companies that are looking for jobs, and see every job they have open.

In addition to the search facilities, Snagajob.com offers job-related advice and articles. These are designed to aid in your job search, providing services such as finding the right job for your personality, and how to stay on an employer's radar. They also provide advice on what to say - and not to say - on job interviews, and how to write an effective resume.

Clearly, Snagajob.com is the industry leader when it comes to finding jobs for part-time and full-time hourly employees.