Choosing the right job-search engine

With the Internet, we face an ever-expanding spectrum of choices. While the Internet has certainly served as an agent for globalization, even more fundamentally, the Internet is about facilitating choice. It is a choice engine. A seemingly infinite landscape upon which anyone can build virtually anything, the Internet is an open platform, which spurs competition and innovation. With regard to searching for a job, the Internet has spurred the invention of innumerable new and technologically savvy job search sites, each offering something different and unique to job seekers. With so many choices available, however, how is one to choose? Although the age of CareerBuilder and Monster are far from gone (each has something great to offer job seekers), other sites, such as the jobs aggregator Indeed.com, which trolls online job boards for information, have become a staple of the job seeker’s toolbox.

Mashable contributor Sharlyn Lauby recently observed that “job boards have become more than just job search sites—many now offer additional resources and functionalities to job seekers.” Realizing this, Lauby sought to stake out the Top 9 Job Sites to Bookmark for your Career Search. Each site Lauby lists offers unique programs and services to users, and one or two are new even to me! Lauby’s top six include:

1. TweetMyJobs. Lauby ranks TweetMyJobs first, and observes that this site not only enables users to search for jobs and allows job-seekers “access to thousands of JobChannels that allow you to receive targeted information about the jobs that fit your profile,” but offers specialized career-related services to both “students and veterans.”
2. LinkUp. One of my favorite job search tools, LinkUp allows users to browse its over 20,000 job postings. Tired of job search engines that return outdated or expired results? LinkUp automatically removes expired postings from its catalogue of available jobs.
3.  Indeed. As I mention above, Indeed.com is a job aggregator; that is, a tool which collects, compiles, and systematizes information. Indeed is another favorite of mine, particularly because of its reach: Indeed scours “thousands of company career sites and job boards” for positions that fit your search criteria, says Lauby.
4. Simply Hired. Simply Hired, like Indeed, is a jobs aggregator, which provides users with analysis of employment trends and salary information. In addition to this, Simply Hired allows you to program job alerts, has an excellent regularly updated career blog, and contains a plug-in, which allows you to search for jobs using data collected from your Facebook account.
5. CareerBuilder. CareerBuilder’s multiple facets, from the career services it offers job seekers, including a resume writing service and an “enhanced profile service” says Lauby, to  associated sites, like CareerRookie, have made CareerBuilder an institution. Although it now has to compete with an ever-growing field of job search sites, many employers still rely on CareerBuilder’s powerful algorithm to find qualified job candidates.
6. Monster. Monster allows jobs seekers to post their resume, browse salary information, connect to sites in the “Monster Network” (like finaid.org, military.com, and usajobs.gov), and boasts a host of different career services, from a resume writing service to career-related advice.

At the bottom of Lauby’s list are SmartBrief, LinkedIn, and Mashable’s own job page, each of which offers job seekers something unique and essential. While Lauby observes she would be “remiss” not to mention Mashable’s own job page, SmartBrief is an excellent site for the job seeker interested in select specialized fields and delivers newsletters containing industry information to over 3 million readers; and, of course, LinkedIn is essential for the job seeker interested in building his or her professional network. Although looking for a job can be quite burdensome, as Lauby rightly observes, the above listed sites should help lighten the load.