12 Best Job Search Engines to Help You Launch Your Job Search

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July 25, 2023
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19
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3 key takeaways

  • What makes these 12 platforms some of the best for job searching
  • Pros and cons of using each Job Board
  • Discover the tools that will make these job search engines even more effective for you, like Teal’s Job Application Tracker and Chrome Extension

Searching for a new job can be both exciting and overwhelming, especially if you’re new to the job market (or you’ve been out of the game for a few years). A new generation of digital tools is reshaping how candidates find job openings. 

And the landscape has changed significantly: Remote and flexible jobs are here to stay, even in traditionally hands-on departments like human resources and industries like healthcare. 

No matter your experience level, specific industry, or job type, the first step in your search is finding the right job at the right time. To do this, most job seekers start with one or more job search engines.

Below, we’ve rounded up 12 of the best job search websites to help you get started.

Best job search websites

1. Indeed 

Indeed takes the top spot for best job search engine due to its sheer size. Indeed has over 300 million monthly users and more than 245 million uploaded resumes. In other words, there is no shortage of job listings for job seekers to look through. 

On top of that, Indeed covers a wide range of industries and types of jobs. You can find jobs ranging from entry-level opportunities to executive jobs, part-time or full-time, internships, or contract work

You can filter job postings by location, job role, company, keywords, and more. Plus, you can check out listings for free without an account. If you do create an account, you can receive job alerts catered to you. 

Indeed Pros

Indeed Cons

  • Can be slow to update, listing many jobs that are outdated or already filled
  • Popularity of the site can make it hard to get noticed amongst other job seekers
  • Fake postings with scam or spam jobs are common

2. Monster 

One of the best job search engines with a long history is Monster.com. The company has been around for over two decades, starting in 1999, and still has many options for job seekers. In fact, 29 resumes a minute are uploaded to the site. 

Monster also has a huge range of job opportunities and allows you to search by location, job, or position type (identifying remote, work-from-home, and hybrid employment opportunities). You can filter job opportunities based on the date posted, the company, and more. A notable exception is that you can’t filter by your desired salary. The site also offers career advice and tips to get the most out of your search. 

To get started, job seekers need to create an account with the site. Once that’s taken care of, it’s possible to check out job boards, save job listings, and get alerts for new jobs on the market. 

One drawback with Monster is that the site doesn’t require job posts to include salary information. If you need details you aren’t finding on Monster, check out 30 of the best salary information websites.

If you’re ready to invest a bit more in your job search, Monster has resume writers on hand to help you land your next interview. 

Monster Pros

  • Widely known and used
  • Free for candidates
  • Extremely wide range of job types, job levels, and industries
  • Provides a score that indicates how well you fit for a job
  • Allows you to block your current employer from seeing your resume

Monster Cons

  • Many jobs omit salary information
  • Relatively low rating on Trustpilot, potentially due to the prevalence of spam and scam job posts
  • Search filtering weaker than some newer job search sites

3. Glassdoor 

Glassdoor is a sister company to Indeed—both are owned by Recruit HR. While the two sites offer an overlapping set of capabilities, Glassdoor is better known for its company reviews.

Glassdoor has a whopping 2.5 million employer clients and over 55 million monthly users on the site, plus more than 150 million reviews, salaries, and insights (per Glassdoor’s reporting). You can get up-to-date information about a company’s culture, salary information, and more so that you can thoroughly check out prospective employers before you apply. 

The best part is checking out reviews and getting info on the interview experience. This can make the prep easier and a bit less daunting, so you know what you’re getting into. 

You can sign up for Glassdoor, upload your resume, and get jobs tailored to you straight to your inbox. You can also search directly on the site and see what job listings are out there. 

Glassdoor Pros

  • Strong solution for researching employers and company culture
  • Free for job seekers
  • Provides an inside view of a company via real reviews from current and former employees

Glassdoor Cons

  • Employee reviews can be misleading (disgruntled employees may lie to paint employers in a bad light; current employees could be incentivized to do the opposite)
  • User-reported salary data isn’t always accurate
  • Not as effective for finding specific jobs

4. FlexJobs

Since 2007, FlexJobs has been one of the best job search engines for those looking for, well, flexible jobs. As the site’s name suggests, FlexJobs focuses specifically on jobs that are:

  • Remote
  • Work-from-home
  • Hybrid
  • Flexible in some way 

Demand for these types of remote jobs and flexible opportunities is higher than ever, and employers that can do so are growing more and more flexible about remote and hybrid work. 

On FlexJobs you can review over 20,000 opportunities from more than 5,000 employers. FlexJobs comes at a cost, though. At the time of writing, you can sign up for one week for $9.95, one month for $24.95, three months for $39.95, and a year for $59.95.

That subscription price opens up all the opportunities for you with alerts and resources sent directly to you. Plus, you get exclusive discounts as a member from Dell, Grammarly, QuickBooks, Costco, and more. 

FlexJobs Pros

  • Great source for legitimate, professional-track remote jobs
  • Jobs are hand-screened and verified, virtually eliminating scam and junk posts
  • Customer support and in-house career experts available

Cons

  • Not a free service
  • Many listed jobs also listed elsewhere (i.e., on sites that don’t cost you anything)
  • Many jobs, while legit, are part-time or freelance

5. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the original professional networking site with over 930 million LinkedIn members across more than 200 countries. On top of connecting with colleagues and former employers, it’s a place to showcase your resume and network with recruiters and employers. 

With a LinkedIn account, you can have a public resume so people can easily find you. You can also search for the latest job listings and new opportunities. Want to make it easier? Mark yourself as #OpenToWork, then go to the “Jobs” tab to see suggested job searches and recommendations or sign up for job alerts. 

LinkedIn jobs cover the gamut and include contract or freelance work, part-time or full-time positions, and every level of experience you can imagine. 

Learn how to leverage Teal’s LinkedIn Profile Review Tool to unlock personalized recommendations that help you stand out to recruiters!

LinkedIn Pros

  • Reach larger audiences on the largest professional social network
  • Connect directly with recruiters and hiring managers
  • Keep your presence in professional contacts’ feeds through regular posts

LinkedIn Cons

  • Curated jobs tend to include some significant fit mismatches
  • Most jobs don’t indicate clear salary ranges
  • Spam InMail (private messages) is common

6. ZipRecruiter

ZipRecruiter’s mission is “actively connecting people to their next great opportunity.” The site has over 110 million job seekers, and over 2.8 million businesses have used the site. It also stands out as one of the best job search engines, as it ranks in the top spot for job search apps on both iOS and Android. 

You can search for jobs for free using their site and posting by job title and location. To make the job search streamlined, you can set up alerts about new opportunities. 

Additionally, you can filter by distance, salary, and employment type. 

What does this look like in practice? Let’s say you want to find a full-time hybrid job within five miles of you, earning over $65k. ZipRecruiter gives you the filters to find exactly those results. You can even check jobs posted within the last day or by title or company. 

Pros

  • User-friendly interface for recruiters and job seekers alike
  • Smart filters so you can narrow your search
  • Expected pay range indicated for most job titles

Cons

  • Some reports of fake content (affecting both job seekers and recruiters
  • Doesn’t pull in job posts from larger sites
  • High client costs keep some small businesses away

7. CareerBuilder 

CareerBuilder started as Netstart in 1995 and rebranded as CareerBuilder a few years later. It quickly became one of the best and most well-known job search engines of the ‘90s and 2000s. 

You can search CareerBuilder for jobs based on your desired career field. Once you get your results, you can be more specific and filter even further using desired salary, job posted date, type of employment, and work arrangement (remote, hybrid, in-person). 

The site attracts over 41 million active job seekers who can easily set up job alerts or search using the CareerBuilder mobile app. You can also post your resume, search for salaries, and get tailored career advice. 

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Search by title, skills, or military code
  • Toggle for location or remote

Cons

  • Very low score on TrustRadius (4.4/10)
  • Limited integration with applicant tracking systems (ATS)
  • Seems to be lagging behind newer companies

8. SimplyHired 

SimplyHired works with over 3 million employers and allows those searching for jobs tools to make the process easier. You can put the desired job title, name of the company, or skills plus location to see results. These come up for free without an account. But if you want to save jobs or access expanded resources, you’ll want to sign up for an account. 

You can also check out company reviews and get intel on the company before deciding to apply or going for an interview. Plus, the site has a salary estimator tool to see what you could be earning based on title and location. 

If you’re stuck with a resume that feels more “blah” than “wow,” SimplyHired has a resume builder that can help. 

Pros

  • Very simple tool for finding and applying for jobs online
  • Resume builder improves your impression and relevance
  • Millions of real jobs with few scammy or spammy results

Cons

  • Less capable than the more complex job search services
  • Smaller pool of employer users
  • Fewer jobs listed compared to competitors

9. Ladders 

If you're a more experienced professional looking to earn a six-figure salary, Ladders is a great option. The tagline for the site is “The Home of $100k+ Careers,” so there’s no doubt about who this site caters to!

Over 25,000 verified recruiters use Ladders to offer jobs that can range from $100k to $500k in compensation. If you’re worried about how many job listings would fit the bill, the site notes that there are over 250,000 screened jobs. 

It’s possible to create an account at no cost. There’s also an Apply4Me option, so the site can do the heavy lifting and apply on your behalf. However, it’s worth noting that Ladders’ paid services come with a high price tag of $300 per year.

Pros

  • Tight focus on verified high-earning positions
  • Strong vetting of all job listings
  • Helps high earners weed out jobs that don’t match their pay requirements

Cons

  • Not useful for many workers   
  • Cannot apply to some jobs without a paid account

10. USAJOBS

Want to find a job that may help you get federal student loan forgiveness or score sweet government benefits? Turn to USAJOBS.gov

This is the go-to job search board for the federal government. You can search job listings based on the agency, job title, keyword, or location. From there, you’ll see all of the listings available that match and see the description, hours, and salary range. 

It’s important to note that some positions may be exclusively available to current employees, whereas others are available to the public. 

You must create an account to move forward with an application. With an account, you can upload your relevant documents, like a resume and cover letter. Plus, you can make your resume publicly available so recruiters can reach out to you directly. 

This could be one route to get your federal loans forgiven after being employed in the public sector for 10 years. If you’ve made your monthly payments, the rest of your federal loans can be forgiven after your years of qualifying service thanks to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). 

Pros

  • The definitive source for posted government jobs
  • Powerful search shows you all relevant jobs across numerous agencies and divisions
  • Clear pay banding information on every job

Cons

  • Clunky, sometimes confusing interface
  • Job application process can be confusing
  • Most jobs strictly limited to specific location

11. Google Jobs Search Engine

Did you know you can search for jobs directly on Google? Type in your desired job title, and Google will display job listings from across the web in its own job search engine.

You can filter by the following information:

  • Category (industry/field)
  • Title
  • Location
  • Date posted
  • Requirements
  • Employment type (full-time, part-time, remote, etc.)
  • Company type
  • Employer

You won't apply directly on Google; each job listing shows you where you can apply, including the company's site and other job aggregator sites.

Similar to others on this list, Google lets you save jobs and set up job alerts to be sent to your email.

Pros

  • Brings the power of Google to the job search
  • Pulls in jobs from across the entire web
  • Increases organic visibility for jobs and recruiters

Cons

  • Still just an aggregator
  • Search results vary in quality and relevance
  • Not all search results are still open jobs

12. Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent)

Wellfound—known as AngelList Talent until recently—is a job search engine that helps tech startups and job seekers connect. Wellfound boasts over 130,000 tech jobs, 8 million candidates, and an impressive 6 million successful matches.

If you’re in the tech world and looking for the exciting, fast-paced, sometimes quirky environment that tech startups are known for, then Wellfound is an ideal place to start your next job search.

Pros

  • Simplified application process effortlessly pairs tech workers and ideal startups
  • Salary and stock options displayed for every job listing
  • Streamlined communication structure connects founders and applicants (no third party recruiters allowed)
  • Free for job seekers

Cons

  • Smaller selection of jobs than the big platforms
  • Few non-tech roles
  • Startup jobs can be less structured and more demanding

Level up your job search game with Teal

All these job search platforms can help you find right-fit job openings. But applying for each of those jobs is a whole different story. In a competitive job market, it's best to customize your resume for every job you apply to—or at least every job family. Not only that, you need a system for keeping track of those applications.

Teal offers both of these solutions. Teal’s Job Application Tracker is the best way to keep your details straight, and its AI Resume Builder helps you craft the perfect message for every opportunity.

Teal supports nearly 50 job boards, including many in this post (view the full up-to-date list of supported job boards). Best of all? It’s 100% free to get started.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do job search engines differ from company career pages in terms of job opportunities?

Job search engines aggregate listings from various sources, offering a broader range of opportunities and the convenience of exploring multiple companies in one place. Company career pages list vacancies directly from the employer, which may include exclusive listings not found on search engines, providing a more direct route to apply for jobs at specific companies.

Can I set up alerts on job search engines to notify me of new job postings in my field?

Yes, most job search engines offer alert features where you can set up customized notifications based on your job preferences, such as role, location, and industry. This ensures you receive timely updates and can apply to relevant positions as soon as they are posted.

Are there any strategies for using job search engines more effectively to increase my chances of finding a job?

To optimize your use of job search engines, use specific keywords that match your skills and desired position, filter results to hone in on suitable opportunities, and create a complete and compelling profile if the platform allows. Regularly update your resume, apply to jobs promptly, and leverage networking features if available to enhance your visibility to potential employers.

Dave Fano

Founder and CEO of Teal, Dave is a serial entrepreneur with 20+ years of experience building products & services to help people leverage technology and achieve more with less.

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