Today we’re launching our first-ever list of 75 websites for your career. My colleague Jacquelyn Smith and I started with a list of almost 700 sites nominated by readers, and then combed through them, trying to zero in on those that offer the best tools and advice for job seekers and workers looking to advance their careers. Click here for the full list and short descriptions about each site.
Jun 11, 2008 Ten of the best career-related websites. Workhound is a UK-based job seekers’ site that allows users to search for jobs, check the salaries of a post in which they are interested,.
Gallery: The 10 Best Websites For Your Career
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We’ve also pulled out ten sites we think are the most useful places to spend your time online. We’re calling them the “best,” but we say that with some humility, since we know that every job seeker and worker has a different set of priorities and needs. Though we researched widely, we realize our picks could be a subject for debate. Please tell us your thoughts.
We’ve included the job aggregators Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com, where you can do a job listing search quickly and efficiently, Monster.com, because it’s packed with free advice about job search basics like résumé and cover letter writing, Idealist.org because it’s the best job board for non-profit jobs and volunteer opportunities and USAJobs, the massive listing of federal jobs. We’ve also referenced the careers site of our competitor, The Wall Street Journal, because it’s full of high-quality content (and even sometimes includes links to our stories). Our No. 10 recommendation is really a piece of advice: Find a site that is specific to your career area, like finance or technology or journalism, and check listings there.
In Pictures: The 10 Best Websites For Your Career
As we launch the lists, I feel compelled to say, as I’ve written numerous times before, that no job seeker should spend all day on the internet, reading career advice and sending résumés into the black hole of online postings. Rather, the web should be a place where you can get help and advice on job search basics like writing a résumé and LinkedIn profile, preparing for interviews and salary negotiations and researching and mulling over job options. If you’re in job search mode, coaches recommend you spend no more than 10% of your time online. The rest of the time should be devoted to pursuing leads, networking, researching companies where you want to work and getting out and meeting people in person.
Win At Work: An eBook From Forbes
Land a great job, handle your boss and get ahead today.
Land a great job, handle your boss and get ahead today.
That said, the web can also be a place where you find valuable leads on open positions and tell your network you are looking for work. In January I posted a story about David T. Stevens, who had worked in sales for two radio stations in San Jose, Calif. The day he left his job, he posted a status update on LinkedIn that said, simply, “I’m up for grabs. Who wants me?” One of his contacts got in touch immediately and recommended him for a program and events manager post at the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce. Less than two weeks later, he started a new job there.
Another story from real life: a New York City editor I know was looking to move back to Dallas where her parents lived and she had previously worked for six years. She had left in early 2007, and though she was in touch with some of her old colleagues, she hadn’t told anyone she was looking to move back. In a search on Indeed.com in August, she saw a posting at her former employer and noticed that the contact person was someone she knew. She emailed him and he got back to her within 10 minutes, eager to set up an interview. Within a month she had the job. “I think they evaluated me on my merits,” she says, “but it helped that I had the personal relationship.”
Her story is telling: Most people get jobs through people they know. Though a web search can alert you to opportunities and let other people know that you’re looking for work, it can’t replace personal relationships and the work of following up.
In Pictures: The 10 Best Websites For Your Career
'>Today we’re launching our first-ever list of 75 websites for your career. My colleague Jacquelyn Smith and I started with a list of almost 700 sites nominated by readers, and then combed through them, trying to zero in on those that offer the best tools and advice for job seekers and workers looking to advance their careers. Click here for the full list and short descriptions about each site.
We’ve also pulled out ten sites we think are the most useful places to spend your time online. We’re calling them the “best,” but we say that with some humility, since we know that every job seeker and worker has a different set of priorities and needs. Though we researched widely, we realize our picks could be a subject for debate. Please tell us your thoughts.
We’ve included the job aggregators Indeed.com and SimplyHired.com, where you can do a job listing search quickly and efficiently, Monster.com, because it’s packed with free advice about job search basics like résumé and cover letter writing, Idealist.org because it’s the best job board for non-profit jobs and volunteer opportunities and USAJobs, the massive listing of federal jobs. We’ve also referenced the careers site of our competitor, The Wall Street Journal, because it’s full of high-quality content (and even sometimes includes links to our stories). Our No. 10 recommendation is really a piece of advice: Find a site that is specific to your career area, like finance or technology or journalism, and check listings there.
As we launch the lists, I feel compelled to say, as I’ve written numerous times before, that no job seeker should spend all day on the internet, reading career advice and sending résumés into the black hole of online postings. Rather, the web should be a place where you can get help and advice on job search basics like writing a résumé and LinkedIn profile, preparing for interviews and salary negotiations and researching and mulling over job options. If you’re in job search mode, coaches recommend you spend no more than 10% of your time online. The rest of the time should be devoted to pursuing leads, networking, researching companies where you want to work and getting out and meeting people in person.
Win At Work: An eBook From Forbes
Land a great job, handle your boss and get ahead today.
Land a great job, handle your boss and get ahead today.
That said, the web can also be a place where you find valuable leads on open positions and tell your network you are looking for work. In January I posted a story about David T. Stevens, who had worked in sales for two radio stations in San Jose, Calif. The day he left his job, he posted a status update on LinkedIn that said, simply, “I’m up for grabs. Who wants me?” One of his contacts got in touch immediately and recommended him for a program and events manager post at the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce. Less than two weeks later, he started a new job there.
Another story from real life: a New York City editor I know was looking to move back to Dallas where her parents lived and she had previously worked for six years. She had left in early 2007, and though she was in touch with some of her old colleagues, she hadn’t told anyone she was looking to move back. In a search on Indeed.com in August, she saw a posting at her former employer and noticed that the contact person was someone she knew. She emailed him and he got back to her within 10 minutes, eager to set up an interview. Within a month she had the job. “I think they evaluated me on my merits,” she says, “but it helped that I had the personal relationship.”
Her story is telling: Most people get jobs through people they know. Though a web search can alert you to opportunities and let other people know that you’re looking for work, it can’t replace personal relationships and the work of following up.
1. Monster career tips
Monster’s pointers on job interviews are essential reading for anyone with an impending job interview. There are tips for relaxing, a section on what to do if you fancy your interviewer (“Discard any thoughts you may have of flirting with them”) and some fairly basic - but useful - advice, such as the importance of being aware of body language, smiling and dressing slightly more formally than the role would require day-to-day.
2. CV Masterclass
What separates this CV website from the myriad others is its excellent display of the CVs that don’t work, organised into categories such as the “functional overkill CV” and the “aggressive modernisation CV”. The full CV Masterclass isn’t free, but there is plenty of information and tips that are. In fact, just look at the examples of the four poor CVs and you should get a pretty good idea of what not to do.
3. Recruiter
This business-to-business site may be tailored towards the recruitment industry, but it offers a fascinating insight into the machinations of the employment middlemen. A quick tour of the site unearths a number of interesting features (“Are ultra-keen staff making or costing you money?”) and the online forums attract thoughtful, erudite postings. It’s a great way to find out what the “other side” is thinking.
4. Workhound
Workhound is a UK-based job seekers’ site that allows users to search for jobs, check the salaries of a post in which they are interested, and read about emerging career trends. The salary checker also allows you to enter your current position in a search field to discover the average yearly UK pay for your current role.
5. Directgov
This is a great site for public sector employees, with a comprehensive guide to workers’ rights, up-to-date information on rest breaks and employers’ responsibilities to their workers. It’s not the most exciting site to look at, but contains information that is well worth knowing. There’s also a handy list of links to organisations that assist workers embroiled in disputes with management.
6. Work-related blogs and news
This is an excellent compilation of work-related blogs from around the world. It’s essentially web-focused so there’s a list of the top 100 niche web jobs, as well as interesting stories from bloggers exposing, or celebrating, the inner workings of their respective companies. Don’t miss the list on the right-hand side, which breaks down some of the best work blogs according to industry.
7. Big Life Career
Big Life is the perfect inspiration portal for workers whose careers are languishing in the doldrums. It has a slight new age feel to it - “Learn how to listen to, and act on, your inner voice” - but that could be just what the doctor ordered when summoning up the courage to choose the career path less-travelled. There is also contact information for the site’s career counsellor, whom the Guardian hasn’t vetted, so use your own judgment.
8. Health & Safety Executive
Let’s face it, there are going to be times when some of us will need to take an extended break from work. The Health and Safety Executive’s site contains relevant links to the various acts covering leaves of absence. Most of the time, thankfully, employers will be accommodating towards staff, but it can’t hurt to know your rights. There’s also a section on how stress levels can build up in the workplace, with tips on how to manage your own anxiety levels.
9. Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs
OK, it may seem a tad prosaic but the HMRC website has handy information on the dull - but necessary - elements of the worker’s daily grind, ie how much national insurance you should be paying, what your tax rate should be, and what your responsibilities are at the end of the tax year. It’s essentially a one-stop shop for filling out those dreaded end-of-financial-year returns.
10. guardianjobs
Well, you didn’t expect us to miss a chance for an unabashed plug, did you? No list would be complete without a mention of guardian.co.uk’s own jobs site. Among its stellar multimedia features is a graduate recruiter index to locate suitable graduate schemes, an online brain training game and the latest in workplace news.