Free Online Job Search Tools

How To Find a Job Online

Job-hunting used to mean looking through newspaper help-wanted ads, and perhaps contacting an employment agency. But employers are eschewing those traditional advertising channels, leaving job-seekers with many more places to look.

Many employers post jobs on their own Web sites and on specialized employment service Web sites. Job-seekers have to touch more bases to find the jobs that are right for them.

Fortunately, there are lots of online job search tools to make it a little easier. Features vary widely from one job search site to another. Some of the options you should look for at a job search site include:

• The ability to search for jobs by title keyword, career level, department/function, full or part time, industry, location, pay range, and other pertinent factors.

• The option to post your qualifications, both in a standardized format that employers can search and as an upload of your resume. This should include the ability to block your profile from specified employers, if you don't want your current boss to find out you're looking.

• Create and save custom searches, so you don't have to specify all of your criteria every time you look for new job postings

• Job alerts that send you email or text messages whenever a new job meeting your needs is posted

There are different kinds of online job databases. Two of the most popular and user-friendly online job sites are CareerBuilder and Monster.com. Employers enter their job listings directly on these sites. But other job sites are aggregators; they scour the Web for job listings posted on other sites and aggregate them in one place for you to search.

An example is Indeed, which claims to be the number one job site worldwide, boasting over 1.5 billion job searches per month. And it's not just for people in the USA. Indeed has job listings in more than 50 countries, and supports both desktop and mobile users. One feature that I think is important here is that Indeed doesn't accept payment to include jobs in their database, or to artificially boost certain employers in their search results. Jobs are ranked only by relevance or date.

More Job Search Resources

Some of the best job opportunities will be local to you. The website for your state's department of labor will provide some good reources for job seekers. Also, find the website for the county where you live, and look for civil service job postings. You may have to take a civil service test to qualify for a job, but if you have the right skills or experience, this can be a good source. Also, you should look for local "job bank" websites which list job openings from many employers in the region.

If you're a student, or someone thinking about changing careers, try CareerPath's free Job Discovery Wizard to find jobs that match your skills and knowledge.

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USAJobs.gov is the official employment Web site of the United States government. Wade into this site to find government jobs and learn how to apply for them.

Dice.com focuses on technology jobs. If you are looking for work in software development, scientific research, or another technical area, try this one.

Snagajob.com focuses more on part-time jobs, temp jobs and student job opportunities. In addition to the job search engine, they've also got a free guide called "4 rules to rock your interview" and a bunch of other helpful job seeker tips.

LinkedIn.com is a business networking site that can be useful to job seekers (and recruiters). Here you can search for former co-workers who may help you find a job, or locate a manager in a particular company who you can approach.

Craigslist.com has many job openings in its local editions. While most Craigslist jobs tend to be lower level, it's always worth a shot.

All of the online job search tools mentioned here are free to job seekers. You should never pay an online job service a "registration fee." Some online job services may charge a fee for optional services, like resume' writing. And be wary of scam artists who make vague offers that sound too good to be true, those that try to sell you job search kits or services, and especially if they request your social security number or banking information.

Do you have any tips for online job searching? Post your comment or question below...