It’s 2021—a full year into the COVID-19 pandemic. Needless to say, it has impacted the global economy negatively, and it’s likely that we’ll be feeling its effects for a little longer. While unemployment rates in the US are down to 6.3% compared to the spike experienced at the start of the pandemic, they’re still higher than pre-pandemic.
Perhaps you—or someone you know—are still out of work, recently unemployed, or have never been employed. No matter how long you’ve been unemployed, the job hunt process can be daunting, tiring, and tedious. If you don’t know where to start or have no connections, you’d probably turn to the best job search engines available when starting your job search.
And who wouldn’t? Many of them have thousands of open positions that are updated daily. Most have the option to set up job alerts, while some job search sites will even let you submit your own site profile instead of a resume when applying. But how can job seekers figure out which ones are worth their time?
We’ve compiled a list of the seven (7) best job search engines and websites to use this 2022, ranked by their features and ease of use. We’ve also listed a few that cater to niche demographics and industries.
1. Indeed
2. Glassdoor
3. LinkedIn
4. ZipRecruiter
5. Monster
6. CareerBuilder
7. LinkUp
Below, we’ve listed the selling points and additional features that these top job search engines bring to the table. For remote job hunters, each of these sites can filter for remote-only work unless stated otherwise.
1. Indeed
Indeed is currently the largest job search engine, boasting of an impressive 250 million unique monthly visitors and 175M resumes in its database. They confidently claim that ten (10) new job listings are added every second.
But aside from size, what draws in job seekers to Indeed?
Indeed’s job search doesn’t feature the most filters, but what it has gets the job done well. Notably, it has an easy-to-use salary slider filter along with different filters for permanently remote and temporarily remote jobs. If you’d like to browse remote listings, Indeed has a sister site for those specifically, Work From Anywhere.
If you’d like to research a company before applying, you can check Indeed’s company pages for reviews. However, Indeed can’t guarantee their accuracy because they were written by the community. Nonetheless, job seekers will surely gain insights on the companies where they intend to apply.
After finding an open position that interests you, you’ll want to apply. Indeed makes applying easy for job seekers with the Indeed Apply and Indeed Resume features, which streamline the application and resume building process. Having an Indeed Resume also makes your resume searchable by employers on their open resume search engine.
Lastly, Indeed offers resume review and rewriting services, a salary checker, and free skills assessment. With these features and easy-to-use interface, it’s no wonder they’re ranked as the best job search engine.
Pros:
- Size
- Remote-only filter
- Company Reviews
- Easy Apply
- Indeed Resume
- Free skills assessments
- Mobile app
Cons:
- With its size, you’ll unfortunately encounter a scam listing at least once during your job hunt.
- They can’t guarantee that their company reviews are 100% accurate.
2. Glassdoor
It is inevitable for a job seeker to encounter an open position from an unfamiliar company. If you’d like to get a glimpse into the company culture before applying, then Glassdoor is arguably the best job website to check out. Its company pages rate not only the company but also its CEO. In addition, current and former employees also rate how likely they are to recommend the company to a friend.
Glassdoor claims that these reviews are more accurate than most because of their “give to get” policy, which locks you out of viewing reviews until you contribute one of your own. Their own research shows that this policy reduces reviews from the extreme ends of the spectrum (1 and 5 star ratings) and encourages moderate opinions. One review gives you access to everything for one year.
However, because of this “give to get” policy, people who have never been employed might feel excluded. This is especially true for students, who might want to see if an internship at a company will end up worthwhile. Students don’t need to worry because they’ll be able to read reviews for a year if they sign up with a student email (ending in .edu).
Lastly, they have many filters to fully refine your search, one of the sites with the most on this list. One of these is company rating, which is exclusive to Glassdoor.
Pros:
- Company, CEO, and “Refer a Friend” Reviews
- “Give to get” policy for reviews
- Company comparison
- Easy Apply
- Glassdoor for Students
- Many search result filters
- Mobile app
Cons:
- The “give to get” policy is very restrictive to those without any job experience.
3. LinkedIn
Tommy Homegardner of Forbes notes that online working is important “now more than ever” as there’s little face-to-face interaction happening owing to the pandemic. He further emphasizes in the article that LinkedIn specifically is the solution.
A job search engine and social media site both at once, LinkedIn is the king of networking. It’s one of the most popular job sites for a reason: Networking yields results. In fact, their own research reports that in 2016, 70% of people were hired in companies in which they had a connection. A little over one-third (35%) also said that they gained a new business opportunity after a casual conversation on LinkedIn.
Because it’s also a social media site, LinkedIn allows company pages to describe themselves more freely.
On the job search side of things, LinkedIn has a good amount of filters and millions of opportunities. And like most other job websites, they have Easy Apply. You can also showcase your skills and abilities by taking their free skills assessment; they have nearly 90 courses divided into three categories: Technical, Business, and Design. You can add these to your LinkedIn profile, which doubles as your resume. You can even export your profile as a resume and use it for other sites.
For those who really want to unlock the site’s full potential, LinkedIn offers a Premium Career plan for $29.99. Among its many enticing features; the ability to message recruiters directly, compare yourself to other candidates, and find open positions you are the top applicant for are three of the most noteworthy.
If you want to take the plunge and create a standout LinkedIn profile, ArchList has a list of the best LinkedIn profile writing services.
Pros:
- Great for networking
- Size
- Easy Apply
- Mobile app
- Optional premium membership plan with many features
Cons:
- Without a membership, job seekers need to connect with a recruiter first before they can directly message them.
4. ZipRecruiter
A job search engine focused primarily on listings from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, ZipRecruiter prides itself for having nine (9) million jobs listed on their site. With the pandemic, they have a list of roles that are up for grabs, along with tens more COVID-19 job-seeking resources posted on their blog.
Although lacking in filters—“remote-only” being a glaring example—ZipRecruiter has some interesting features that seem exclusive to it. For one, it has a handy tool that takes a lot of the guesswork of making sure your skills and the job description match: the “Am I Qualified?” button. It gives an easy-to-read list of skills that employers consider integral to the job.
Another is Super Apply, which informs employers you are highly interested in their position. Pair this with a well-crafted cover letter (which ZipRecruiter lets you attach with your application), and you’ll definitely stand out to employers.
Lastly, they also have easy application features: 1-Click Apply and Quick Apply.
Pros:
- “Am I Qualified?”
- Easy Apply
- Super Apply
- Ability to attach cover letters to applications
- Size
- Mobile app
Cons:
- It lacks filters, such as remote-only.
5. Monster
If there’s one thing that it has a leg up on other best job search engines, it’s longevity. That it has survived for 22 years means this website must be doing something right. And they’re not only long-lived but also large: Monster has dedicated sites per country with at least a thousand job listings on each.
Each Monster site has a slightly different set of filters, but what makes the global Monster sites special are their sections for specific demographics. These include women, fresh graduates (“freshers”), remote workers, and those whose job security was affected by COVID-19. To add to that last category, job seekers can choose to inform employers that they were affected by COVID-19 layoffs and can work immediately.
Although you need an account to apply, setting up your account is a breeze if you upload your resume. Applying is also easier thanks to Monster’s Quick Apply. This will surely save time on your job hunt.
Pros:
- Size and longevity
- Dedicated sites per country
- Easy Apply
- Ability to set up profile using a resume
- Mobile app
Cons:
- Monster sites don’t have a standard layout and can vary depending on country.
6. CareerBuilder
CareerBuilder is quite large, with more than a million opportunities posted on their site, but their claim to fame is their use of Google AI to return relevant listings. The tech matches you with jobs that are related to your resume keywords. It also works with US military occupational specialty codes to help military veterans find civilian work opportunities with similar skill requirements as their old military roles.
This site also brings something new to the job hunting experience: their “Quick Apply All” feature. After applying to a job, CareerBuilder will show you a list of similar listings that you can apply to all at once (if you find them a good fit for you). Another feature CareerBuilder has is hireINSIDER, a free job competition report that shows how you stack up against other applicants.
Although their job search can give you relevant results, their filters are little lacking. There’s no option to search by experience level or roles, for example. Nonetheless, if you’d prefer a more niche selection of listings, CareerBuilder has several sister sites for the following industries and demographics: oil and gas, construction, UK healthcare, Singaporean jobs, bilingual and foreign language speakers, and several industries for French job seekers.
Lastly, CareerBuilder also has a salary checker.
Pros:
- Google AI-powered search results
- Quick Apply All
- hireINSIDER
- Salary checker
- Mobile App
Cons:
- Its filters are a little lacking.
7. LinkUp
Last on our list of the best job search engines is LinkUp. While their filters are severely limited, it makes up for it with its fresh listings; they claim to verify each open position to make sure that they’re all up-to-date, accurate, and unique. You can also refine these listings by filtering out certain words.
Job seekers don’t even have to create an account to apply. LinkUp wants to connect you and employers directly; clicking “Apply” will take you to the application page on the employer’s website. Of course, if you want to save listings and view your search history, you can create an account.
Pros:
- Fresh listings updated daily
- Ability to apply directly on the company site, even without an account
- Ability to filter out words
Cons:
- Severely lacking in filters, such as remote-only.
Niche Job Search Engines
Maybe you’re looking for the top job search engines for a specific industry or field. Here are a few quality sites, listed by niche.
Tech: Dice.com
Dice is one of the leading job sites for tech-related work. It has a few cool features, such as a salary predictor, career path explorer, and the ability to filter out remote opportunities.
Startups: AngelList
AngelList is the king of startup company job sites. It has 130,000+ listings, all directly posted by founders and hiring managers. Job seekers will also see salary and equity before applying.
Remote: Dynamite Jobs and FlexJobs
Dynamite Jobs is a smaller remote work site and only updates weekly, but all of its listings are of high quality and are vetted by the Dynamite Jobs staff. There are staff picks, which means they think that the opportunity is among the best of its kind, where applicants will have meaningful work. Dynamite Jobs also has exclusive listings from Dynamite Circle member companies. Each listing also features highlights that show the key features of the job.
FlexJobs is a paid job search engine for remote work, but it features thousands more opportunities. They claim to handpick each listing and most of their listings are 100% remote, and like Dynamite Jobs, they have some positions that are exclusive to their site. They have precise filters, most notably schedule and remote work level filters. FlexJobs members get several perks, including free skills assessment and third-party deals.
But if paying is not your taste, FlexJobs also has a free sister site—Remote.co—but its filters are less precise.
Hourly: Snagajob
This job website focuses on listings in the customer service, warehouse, retail, healthcare, and food delivery industries. It has listings numbering in the hundred thousand all over the US, and you can refine your search with unique filters such as “Urgently Hiring,” “Essential,” and “Teen.”
Government Jobs: USAJobs
USAJobs is the US Federal Government’s official job website. It boasts of different hiring paths for diverse demographics, such as military spouses, Native Americans, people with disabilities, students, and recent graduates. They also have a dedicated site for military veterans: Feds Hire Vets.
Nonprofit: Idealist
It has thousands of listings from all over the world from different kinds of organizations. It has a good number of search filters, including issue areas, organization type, job function, and listing language (currently only English, Spanish, and Portuguese).
You can also search for volunteering opportunities and graduate schools on this site.
Updating and Tailoring your Resume
Now that we’ve provided you with the best job search engines for 2021, you must want to start your job hunt already, right? Not so fast; there’s one more secret to a successful job hunt: your resume. More likely than not, job seekers already have a resume ready at their disposal, but how long has it been since they were last updated? Are they also tailored to suit the job you’re applying for?
Updating your resume to include new skills and remove outdated details allows employers to get a glimpse at the best of what you have to offer. Updating regularly also ensures that you don’t forget about any experience or certifications that you’ve earned. This is good practice regardless of your employment status.
But job seekers shouldn’t settle for just an updated resume. Employers recognize a general resume and will likely throw it out. It’s harsh, but if you haven’t tailored your resume for each employer, you’re not alone. In fact, not tailoring your resume is a mistake that 54% of job seekers make, according to a survey by CareerBuilder.
A tailored resume is even more important when applying online. Josh Hrala of Careerminds notes that 75% of resumes never reach human eyes. Tailoring your resume isn’t that hard either. You don’t need to start from scratch every time; take your general resume and edit it to remove the experience and skills irrelevant to the job you’re applying for.
Explore More on ArchList for Your Resume and Other Needs
Since reviewing your resume is key before sending it to the best job search engines, you better make sure that it’s already stellar on its own. If you don’t know how to craft a pleasing and easy-to-read resume, consider reaching out to these writing services, or check out our curated resume service listings on ArchList.
