Best Sites For Job Seekers

The New Year is upon us!  Time to start fresh, eat better, lose some weight; then February 1st rolls around and it is the same thing, another broken resolution (and time to dive back into those tasty doughnuts for breakfast!).  Now if you are in the search for a new job or new career, you do not have the luxury of another broken resolution, what you need is a New Year’s commitment.  Believe me, I know how tough the job search is (in September 2006 I was laid off, with 3 kids and a wife to support, so I am not just blowing smoke here!)

Recently I conducted a survey of several national and international recruiting professionals  regarding their top sources talent.  Below is a compilation of their responses (in no particular order).

1. Overwhelming top response was LinkedIn.  If you don’t have a profile on here, get one.  If you do, beef it up.  If you are not a member of 10+ groups in your related field, become an active one —  TODAY!
2. Job seekers can go to Indeed.com or SimplyHired.com as a great aggregate tool.  They take jobs posted and pull them in a “one stop shop” place.  Totaljobs.com is a UK-based aggregate tool, and appears to work similar to Indeed and SimplyHired.
3. If you are a techie, then Dice.com is the job board that most recruiters say is a great source for finding talent.  Post your information today!
4. Glassdoor.com is a tool for researching companies, easy to find information on salary, company reviews (from insiders), interview feedback from interviewees and job postings.  You will get a free preview, but will be prompted to sign up and supply your anonymous information to continue utilizing.
5. Big dogs are still a factor and it is no surprise to find Monster.com on this list.  I recently spent some time with a Monster.com executive and was excited to learn of all the new tools they are working on.  They have a new search tool that makes it easier for recruiters to find resumes (I did a demo, really cool stuff.  as a job seeker this is a good thing).  They are making the site more “social” , thus staying ahead of everyone else!
6. Build a personal blog.  This allows you to showcase your knowledge and network within niche/key areas of your core competency. I recommend  WordPress or Blogger, they are both easy and free!  WordPress is my blog of choice, however if you use Google Tools, then Blogger may be the best choice for you.  This brings up the next tool.
7. You should have a Google Profile, it is easy to set up and free!  Google has tons of free tools and building your profile also makes it easy to find you on the web!
8. Target several companies you may want to work for and watch their site.
9. Build a relationship with a recruiter in your field.  Hint:  Go to LinkedIn and search the recruiting company and the recruiter, read their referrals.  If they are really good, several people will have written referrals.

I wish everyone the best on your New Year’s Commitments!  I understand how tough the current job market remains!  If I can be of any help, please reach out!

Cheers to the New Year!