"Whether you’re looking for more of a challenge in your career, desperate to get out of your current role, or simply interested in what new opportunities are out there, there are about 9 million job openings on the market right now, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job openings are everywhere (which is great!), but figuring out how to find jobs that are the right fit for you can be overwhelming, to say the least. Searching for the perfect new job doesn’t have to be a daunting task, though—there are so many resources, job boards, and websites you can explore that can make job hunting exciting!
For many professions, LinkedIn is a go-to source for exploring open roles. It’s an easy point of entry (mostly because it tees up jobs from our network and does some of the heavy lifting), but that doesn’t have to be the only place you start scouting. If you feel like you’ve exhausted your options on LinkedIn or you are interested in a different experience than what LinkedIn offers, there are plenty of other places to look for a new job. Whether you have a niche expertise, are just getting started in your career, or are ready to level up to a bigger role, there’s a platform and place for you to start exploring. Ahead, we are sharing 12 of our favorite resources if you’re curious about how to find jobs in the new year.
1. Upwork
Particularly useful for tech experts and design aficionados, Upwork can be a great place to build your portfolio and snag interesting freelance opportunities. On this site, your profile and portfolio presentation are key to showing off your skills and landing opportunities, so you’ll want to spend some time building out work samples, a compelling bio, and a resume. All of these items will work together to create a polished proposal you can show off to potential clients. Since there are thousands of opportunities you can land through Upwork, defining your niche, focusing on a few key skills, and identifying your audience can make all the difference in getting the right work matches.
2. Ladders
Ladders is known for its high-paying roles—jobs listed here offer salaries of at least $100,000. Since jobs posted through Ladders are from high-paying firms that also have to pay to list their jobs on the site, you’re more likely to find quality employers who are serious about the roles they are offering. Ladders also boasts a rich set of content to support your search, like a free resume review, instant job applications (where they apply for you!), and career advice that can help you advance your job search and put your best self forward.
3. Indeed
A really rich search interface with several useful filters makes Indeed a seamless jumping-off point to start your job search. A wide variety of industries, job titles, ranks, and roles are posted on Indeed, allowing you to quickly scope and rescope your initial interests. If you search by salary, industry, or even experience level, you can get a good sense of what may be interesting to you. Another useful feature on Indeed is their “Company Reviews” where you can hear from others at popular companies and smaller ones alike what it’s like to work there. You can even use their “Compare” feature to see which companies rank higher than others in their reviews.
4. Glassdoor
Glassdoor is a great tool to make you a well-informed job seeker. It’s known for its company reviews, interview reviews, and salary information posted for certain roles, and you can use all of this information to get a very clear picture of your job possibilities at a company. Once you build a profile on the site, you can apply for roles with just a few clicks, which makes your entire application process quick and streamlined. In addition to job hunting, Glassdoor allows you to connect anonymously with professionals about work, pay, life, and more, so you can ask questions and become armed with all the information you need to decide your next move.
5. Recruiter
From startups to Fortune 100 companies, Recruiter uses AI recruiting software to automate the sourcing stage in the hiring process. This means that you’ll spend less time searching high and low for the jobs that are best suited for you and more time connecting with the ones that are actually worth your time. Recruiter prides themselves on “connecting people to people,” so whether you are looking for an in-person role or a virtual one, you can rest assured knowing that you’ll be able to build connections with potential managers and co-workers to get a better idea of each role and company as a whole. Recruiter also features interview coaching and resume writing to help you in your job search.
6. Monster
One of the original job-hunting platforms, Monster has come a long way in building out its career resources as well as its tools and opportunities. Most notably, its slick app is easy to navigate, meaning you’re more likely to frequently hop on and search around for new roles that are a fit for you. Years of being in the market with job hunters means that Monster has a wealth of insight into how people land new roles. Check out their sections of popular job titles, locations, and searches to get inspired for your own search, and count on their career advice articles and customized resume writing if you need a helping hand.
7. FlexJobs
FlexJobs manages to centralize what almost all of us are looking for—more location flexibility and interesting remote or freelance opportunities. Remote is their specialty, but they also post jobs that are flexible and hybrid if you like the option of an office day every now and then. If you’re really focused on the hunt, they do have a paid option, which is worth considering since it offers personalized support, guiding tools, and more resources from their trusted support staff. Plus, their content section is especially useful even if you’re just looking for ways to make your existing job a little more WFH-friendly.
8. Woman-Focused Boards
Platforms like Career Contessa, Girlboss, Where Women Work, reachHire, and more are seriously impressive job search platforms for women. Since they were created specifically with women in mind, they offer women-friendly features that you won’t find on traditional job search platforms. Special attention is paid to the gender pay gap, work-life balance, family-friendly benefits, advancement opportunities, and flexible scheduling before jobs are posted, which makes finding a job that not only is a good fit for your career advancement but also your lifestyle a total breeze. Many of these platforms also offer career coaching, Facebook groups, and even podcasts to help you learn and grow, no matter your industry.
9. Industry-Specific Boards
Sure, you could use a search filter on a job listing platform and find what you need, but if you really want to dig into what jobs are in your industry, you might as well go straight to the source by using an industry-specific job board. To find these, simply google “[Your Industry] Job Board” and see what comes up. You’ll be surprised how niche they get! A few of our favorites include MediaBistro for media and creative jobs, Dice for tech jobs, HCareers for hospitality jobs, School Spring for education jobs, and Marketing Hire for marketing jobs.
10. Alumni Associations
Whether you’ve just escaped campus life or it’s farther in the rearview mirror, our alma maters have a lot to offer on the job front. Start by checking to see if your school keeps a career portal or hosts any hiring events for alumni. Second, be sure you’re signed up for any local mixers—even if you’ve since relocated—and stay on top of online communities or networking events to connect with future employers. You never know who can connect you to your dream role, so don’t overlook your classmate’s or school’s ability to help you find a job—no matter how long it’s been since you got your degree.
11. A Search Firm
Working with recruiters may seem like something that’s just available to the most senior among us. But the help of new technologies and a hot job market has increasingly opened up this avenue for talent of all types to consider leveraging a recruiting resource. Recruiters or search firms work best, however, when you are at least at a mid-career level, have a good number of years under your belt, or have a highly specialized technical talent. Be prepared to go through some research and meet and greets to find the right fit. Most recruiters are paid by the company that hires you, so it just costs you your time and effort to explore this path and see what’s out there.
12. Your Network
You know a lot more people who can help in your job hunt than you may think. The most useful networks are those that span a lot of industries, demographics, and interests because that diverse set of expertise and capabilities gives you the widest range for exploring new possibilities. And remember, your network doesn’t live on a specific platform—it is the collection of your connections, past managers, people in your community, and friend group that may be positioned to help you think about a new role. It’s also best practice to deeply build your network long before you want to hit people up for help regarding a new job, so it’s also worth considering what you can give to your contacts (even a new introduction!) as you make the rounds.
