When you’re looking for jobs, it helps to know what the best job search sites are. It’s natural to have a favorite go-to platform, but if you don’t check the others you could miss out on the perfect opportunity!
Last week, I had the opportunity to teach a dear friend how I hunt for job listings. As always, I decided to turn that information into a Low Income Relief post to hopefully help even more of you find ideal employment.
Best Practices for Job Search Sites
Like any search engine, even the best job search sites can be difficult to use. There are some best practices (or “hacks,” if you will) that you can utilize to help your job search be more effective and more efficient.
Use quotation marks in your searches.
Many of the best job search sites, including Indeed.com, consider entry level and “entry level” to be two very different searches. The first one, without quotations, will yield any results that have the word entry or level present in the job description. By putting the phrase in quotation marks, you are telling the website that you only want to see listings where both words are together in a phrase. This will help you find the job listings you’re looking for without having to weed through a bunch of irrelevant ones.
Use title: to search for specific job titles.
Unless you tell it otherwise, even the best job search sites will scan the entire job description for the keyword you enter. This can lead to a lot of irrelevant job listings, since many descriptions are long and wordy. If you’re looking for a specific job title, you can preface your keyword with title: to instruct the search engine to only search the titles of the listings. For example, title:CSR for customer service representatives. This works on Indeed.com and many of the other leading online job boards.
You can also combine this with the quotation marks for an even more refined search. For example, title:”tech support” for technical support. However, I would recommend using title: tech support as some of the relevant job listings are titled Support Tech and wouldn’t show if you use the quotation marks.
Use advanced search tools for even greater precision.
Most of the best job search sites have developed advanced search tools that can help you specify which companies you want to work for, how much you want to earn and more. These tools can dramatically increase the efficiency of your job search by removing any listings you aren’t really interested in from your results.
Best Job Search Sites Overall
I consider these the absolute best job search sites because they are almost universal. As a result, they feature listings for all kinds of jobs, in all areas.
Indeed
Indeed.com is used by 250 million people every month, so it’s widely considered to be the #1 job site in the US. You can use their website to analyze job trends, post your resume, apply for jobs and even negotiate your salary with their nifty salary data tools.
If you’re into data science, engineering, information technology, online marketing, product management, or UX/UI design, you may be able to get even more benefits from the Indeed Prime network! For more information on Indeed Prime and how it can help you, click here.
Glassdoor
After Indeed, Glassdoor is the #2 best job search site in the United States. Although the site was originally designed to increase workplace transparency, Glassdoor now features job listings, benefits reviews and more to help employees find the best opportunities in their area.
Facebook Jobs
It’s no secret that the Facebook platform is used by, well, just about everyone. According to Jobcast, 66% of companies use Facebook to recruit new employees. This is because there are far more job seekers on Facebook than there are on other platforms like LinkedIn! The Facebook Jobs board is one of the best job search sites because it’s convenient and easy to use – and it’s built into a platform that most people are already checking every day. To see what opportunities are available near you, check out Facebook Jobs!
ZipRecruiter
ZipRecruiter.com boasts 7 million monthly users and a convenient, easy-to-use mobile app. Even if you don’t apply for jobs directly, you can upload your resume to the system and their Job Alerts algorithm will notify you of jobs that match your preferences. It’s an easy way to find and apply for jobs that match your interests!
Career Builder
For over 20 years, Career Builder has been one of the best-known online job boards. However, they have taken a backseat to Indeed and other job boards as the technology has evolved. Although it’s always worth doing a search or two on Career Builder, it’s definitely not the one-stop job spot it used to be.
Best Job Search Sites for Entry-Level & Hourly Workers
Snagajob
If you’re looking for hourly or entry-level work, Snagajob.com is one of the best job search sites you can use. Many other online job boards are overwhelmed with requests for salaried high-skills positions that are simply out-of-reach for many applicants. If you’re new to the workforce or looking for an hourly position that can adapt to your schedule, it can be hard to find what you’re looking for… but Snagajob makes it easier.
Robert Half
This staffing firm is another one of the best job search sites for temporary and hourly work. I am particularly fond of this site because they clearly label which jobs are temporary and which are permanent. Obviously, this is a great feature for applicants. Their jobs primarily focus on IT, clerical, office management and administrative assistant type jobs.
Allegis Group
I have personally used Allegis Group, also known as Thingamajob.com, for many years. It’s one of my favorite sites for the entry and junior level tech support work my husband used to do. At Allegis Group, you’ll find hourly work in information technology, industry, engineering, accounting, legal recruiting, sales, science, and more.
Compass Group North America
As a leading food service and support services company, Compass Group places employees in several industries and sectors. They specialize in restaurants and fine dining, as well as education, health care, entertainment, vending and more. You can search their hourly positions here.
Best Job Search Sites for Temporary & Flexible Jobs
Robert Half
This staffing firm is also one of the best job search sites for temporary and hourly work. I am particularly fond of this site because they clearly label which jobs are temporary and which are permanent. Obviously, this is a great feature for applicants. Their jobs primarily focus on IT, clerical, office management and administrative assistant type jobs.
FlexJobs
FlexJobs isn’t free but it’s the only premium job search board I recommend. Unlike the free online job boards, FlexJobs does not contain ads, scams or other misleading opportunities. They’re all vetted and legitimate. For $14.99 per month, you can access their list of remote, part-time, freelance, temporary and otherwise flexible job listings.
Best Job Search Sites for Government Jobs
Government jobs are generally known for their incredible benefits packages and their incredible job security. However, due to frequent and ongoing government shutdowns, the “security” appeal has been somewhat reduced. If you’re interested in a government job, though, here’s where to look:
Federal Government Jobs
The federal US government lists their employment opportunities at USAJobs.Gov. This website allows you to upload resumes and documentation to assist with your application. You can then use that saved data to apply for various jobs in their database.
Federal US government jobs include nurses, administrative professionals, scientists, IT professionals, auditors, civil and mechanical engineers, statisticians and more. You can search by the most needed positions, the various branches of the government, by job title and more.
State Jobs
Although individually these may not be the best job search sites, I always recommend checking out the state jobs available in your area because they usually have amazing benefits.
If you’re interested in a state government job, then select your state from the list below.
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida does not have a central job site. Opportunities are listed on individual department websites, like this FDOT page.
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington DC
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Save Money & Get Free Stuff!
Nicole Thelin
Nicole is the founder and lead researcher of Low Income Relief. After a personal experience with poverty and homelessness following her husband's sudden medical discharge from the U.S. Army, Nicole discovered the life-changing impact of community resources. This experience ignited her passion for empowering others to navigate similar crises. Nicole launched her writing career at age 16, working for various newspapers and publications. Her commitment to in-depth research and accessible content has been recognized by Google for Publishers and other industry leaders. For over 20 years, she has applied her investigative skills to uncover the most helpful, up-to-date information on benefits programs and community resources, ensuring Low Income Relief maintains the most extensive resource databases available.