Where To Start

Top Web Sites For Job-Hunters 

Just a few years ago, online jobs search sites were primarily for those looking for technical professions. Today, businesses of all types look for their next hire online. It's not only programmers and engineers who are finding positions; accountants, graphic designers, salespeople, construction managers, travel agents, and people in just about any profession are finding exactly what they want online.

Online job search sites offer many advantages to job-seekers and employers alike. Their great reach results in a larger pool of both openings and applicants, bringing about better matches more quickly than with traditional job-hunting methods. The ability to search for specific industries, job titles, and keywords means less time wasted scanning ad after ad.

But one way in which online job-hunting suffers in comparison to more traditional job-hunting techniques is that a strictly Internet-based search doesn't allow the opportunities for networking. Good networking requires building relationships, which you cannot do through resumes and cover letters you send via E-mail. If, however, you combine traditional interpersonal networking with job-hunting on the Internet then your job search will be as effective as possible.

Job Sites. There are now dozens of online job search sites available. Companies may even register openings with more than one site and they may routinely search the databases of several sites in search of resumes. The following, however, are a few of our favorite job sites.

A number of the databases allow you to use a Personal Search Agent (PSA). To do this, you register with the database by filling out a form much like the one you use to initiate a database search. Then, when a site posts a new job that matches your search criteria, the database will send you an E-mail message that includes information about the job.

Almost all the sites reviewed offer more than just a database of jobs. Most allow you to post your resume so potential employers can find you. Before you use resume posting features, however, you need to consider how confidential you need to keep your job search. Some sites use open postings where any employer with access to the site can find your resume - perhaps even your present employer. Others keep your resume confidential until you choose to release it to a specific employers. Still others fall somewhere in-between. We've made an effort to let you know about these options where appropriate.

A large majority of these sites also offer links to other job-hunting articles, information on job fairs, guides to relocating, indexes of salary information, and other information.. Space restraints kept us from dealing with much more than the search and resume posting features, but be aware that these other options are available.

Our Top Picks

These are some of the biggest and best-known job-related databases. These brief reviews help you decide which sites to explore in more detail.

The CareerBuilder

You can search for job leads here by region, industry, salary range, and by whether the opening is h temporary, or contract w extensive. This site also provides users with optional use of a search agent.

CareerMosaic

This is a popular site with employers seeking executives, technical staff, and financial professionals. You can post your resume here but be aware that it will be available for search by any member company, which may include your current employer. Perform your job search at this site by searching a job title, description/keyword, or location. There are also links to thousands of more job postings on newsgroups.

CareerPath.com

This is actually two databases in one. You have the option of searching the job listings from the want ads of more than 80 newspapers in the United States and United Kingdom or the listings posted by employers. Use the Saved Job Search feature to store your Search criteria so you can start searching quickly each time you log on. You can also post a resume at this Site.

CareerBank.com

CareerBank.com is the premier career site for Accounting, Finance and Banking jobs. CareerBank.com features a nation-wide database of job opportunities, an extensive resume database, useful articles, career tips and up-to-date industry news.

HeadHunter.NET

This site runs on a classified ad model, meaning you can post your resume for free, but you can get an enhanced display for a fee. At this site, you can search by job category, location, education required, pay, and whether the job is employee or contract.

HotJobs

HotJobs.com offers good privacy control for you resume. It enables you to block any member company from viewing your posted resume. The search engine lets you look for jobs by city or region, keywords, and job type. There is also an option for an international search.

JobTrak

This site, which boasts 3,000 new jobs per day, serves the students and alumni of member colleges and universities. You will need a password from your school's placement office to access the jobs listed at this Web site.

Monster.com

This site tends to attract those still in the first 10 years or so of their careers, as well as those seeking to hire fairly recent graduates. However, you will also find a large number of senior jobs posted at this site. You can openly post your resume or password-protect it so only those you authorize can view it. Registered users also have the option of setting up a search agent.

NationJob Network

The general job search engine lets you seek listings by career field, geographic region, education, or salary. What makes this site a standout, though, is its many specialty and custom job pages. There is a search agent available at this site.

Net-Temps

The name indicates a previous specialty in helping place temporary workers, but that is now just a small part of this database. It also offers a high grade of permanent positions. The main search criteria are industry, location, and keyword. The database boasts more than 70,000 positions offered by more than 1,500 staffing firms. The listings are never more than 30 days old.

Wall Street Journal Careers

As The Wall Street Journal name indicates, this database is strongest in executive and professional positions. The basic search is by company, industry, job function, and location. An advanced search option lets you add educational degree, salary range, experience level, and keywords. The Job Alert features lets you know by E-mail when a new employer has posted openings or when Wall Street Journal Careers adds a new feature to the site.

Other Leading Job Sites

The following sites didn't make our top list, but these are no slouches either. It's possible that one or two of these may even suit you better than those sites described above. Which will be best for you depends on your career of choice, level of experience, work-seeking style, and other factors. All of the sites listed in this section, however, are at least worthy of a look.

America's Job Bank

You can tell by the official look of this site that it's a government-related site. In fact it's run as a partnership among the U.S. Department of Labor and various state-run employment services. It may be a little overwhelming, but it has an excellent selection of jobs available and a diverse assortment of ways to search for them. The basic job search form allows you to search by geographic location, education, salary, and/or experience. American's Job Bank gives Veterans an especially nice search feature: they can enter their Military Occupational Specialty codes and find similar civilian jobs. You must register for free if you want such additional features as the ability to post a resume and use of the Job Scout personal search agent. Once you find a job listing, you can click for information about what comparable positions tend to pay
throughout the United States.

American Jobs

This site prides itself on the thousands of high-tech jobs listed by many of America's largest companies, including several Fortune 500 companies. If that leads you to suspect that American Jobs is largely a resource for those seeking computer-oriented and engineering jobs, then you are right. But that doesn't mean that non-technical people should ignore the possibilities here. You will find listings for a variety of professionals, including accountants, architects, psychologists, drivers, and human resource professionals. We didn't find a way to restrict access to resumes posted here, so they are probably available for all member companies to read. The resume posting form enables you to state whether you're willing to relocate and whether you'll consider a permanent position, contract work, or both.

Best Jobs USA

This is the online service of Recourse Communications Inc., which publishes Employment Review magazine as well as the recruitment sections for such publications as Sales and Marketing Management and USA Today. All the jobs appearing in Employment Review are in this site's database, as are many others.

Wherever you go on this site, the basic search engine remains at the top of the page, ready for you to mount a search by industry, state, or keyword. One click takes you to the advanced search page, which adds a little more versatility to the keywords search function.

This site invites users to post their resumes online, but the resume database appears to be open to all seeking employees.