The pros and cons of the most popular job search sites
Our Assessment
Indeed. Monster. CareerBuilder. They are considered the titans of the job search scene. If you’re applying online, chances are you’ve visited some of these sites. If you haven’t, you’ve been doing your job search game a huge disservice.
Each site has its own intricacies and “culture.” Meaning each site is different in its own unique way.
Still not quite sure what we mean? Here are the differences between the major job search websites so that you can choose the right one for you.
Indeed.com
Indeed, along with Monster, is one of the most frequently used job search websites. This is partly because it is both a job search engine (in that it lists jobs the website finds on its own) and a job board (meaning that companies can post their jobs to the site).
The great thing about Indeed is it provides job information for every industry under the sun, and even lists jobs you might not think of that use your skill set. It is the most varied of the job search platforms, and you can find everything from contract, volunteer, and internship work to full-time and professional positions. However, because of its popularity, job listings you find are sometimes unrelated to what you want and may clutter your search results.
Indeed also has a company review function, although the number of reviews varies depending on the company. Keep in mind that when it is used, it’s more likely to be used by those dissatisfied with the company, so you may get a more biased assessment.
There are also many “sponsored” job listings, where companies pay Indeed to feature their content. This, combined with the bare bones look of the site, can be frustrating after a few hours of job searching. On the bright side, the site has plenty of subsections and categories to narrow your search. There’s also a salary predictor so you can get some idea of what others are getting paid in your industry and similar positions.
Monster.com
Monster, one of the older job search engines on our list, was created in 1994. But that doesn’t make it any less useful. All those years of experience have paid off. Monster offers an incredible amount of filtering options, and customer service that responds in a quick and efficient manner. The website design is clean and pleasing to the eye, and sponsored posts are bolded or highlighted, making it less obvious this is a pay-to-play game.
Monster is also frequently a company’s go-to job search site because of the pricing options. A company pays a flat rate for a job posting of either 30 or 60 days. Discounts are available for multiple job postings. Monster also features more industrial and commercial jobs than Indeed.
CareerBuilder.com
CareerBuilder focuses on job searchers that have college degrees. As implied by the name, the site caters to those that have already been in the workforce for some amount of time and want to continue building their career, not those fresh to the workforce.
Many employers choose CareerBuilder because they want less, more qualified applicants. This means you won’t see as many entry-level job listings on the site.
CareerBuilder is purely a job board, not a job search engine. This means that companies can post jobs directly to the site, but the site won’t pull submitted job listings from elsewhere online. This once again ties into the more selective nature of the platform.
CareerBuilder also has something called “My Career Path.” This is a salary aggregator that can tell you the average, high, and low salary ranges for your position at both the national and state level.
Any other job search websites you want to hear about? Let us know in the comments and we’ll feature them in Part 2!
