278: What Role Should Job Boards Play in Your Job Search - and Which Sites are Best?
What Role Should Job Boards Play in Your Job Search - and Which Sites are Best?
You’ve got your eye on the next promotion, landing eventually in the C-Suite, yet you have a sinking feeling you’re not promotable — or not as promotable as you could be. Maybe you’ve been passed over for a promotion, or your boss pointed out an area or skill you’ll need to improve before you can even raise your hand for a bigger role.
I’ve got something that will make THE difference in getting you there faster — learn about Highly Promotable now:
Today, we’re talking about the role that job boards should play in your job search, as well as the most used/best job sites.
As I have said repeatedly on this podcast, 1) job boards should NEVER be the only strategy you are using in your job search, and 2) the amount of time you should spend on job boards depends on the position you are seeking.
As a reminder:
Just out of college: 25% active, 75% job boards and other passive activities
Mid-career: 50%/50%
Senior/executive level: No more than 25% job boards (if any)
I’ve also frequently talked about my “+1” approach, meaning you should do one more thing in addition to just applying online.
Here’s why: When you apply online, you are going to the most crowded place possible and trying to get noticed. The analogy I use is you are in a large auditorium that is completely full, and you are trying to get the attention of the people on stage. It’s very difficult to be seen.
The +1 approach involves finding someone in your network who can advocate for you, reaching out to someone connected to the job and/or the company to let them know you’ve applied, or making direct contact with the hiring manager.
I covered the +1 approach in episode #132: https://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2022-02-02-212-the-1-approach-to-job-boards
As we talk about how to use job boards, keep in mind that there are general boards, niche job boards, and industry-specific job boards.
Here are my favorite sites:
General Job Boards
Niche Job Boards:
Behance.net (for creatives, by Adobe)
Idealist (for non-profits and social impact)
CrunchBoard (for startups and tech companies)
FlexJobs (for remote and flexible work)
USAJobs (for federal government jobs)
Dice (for IT professionals)
Industry-Specific Job Boards:
eFinancial Careers (finance and banking)
Mediabistro (media and publishing)
Oilandgasjobsearch (energy industry)
JournalismJobs (media and journalism)
To bottom-line it for you: Unless you are just out of college, your job search SHOULD NOT depend primarily on job boards, but rather a robust combination of active and passive strategies that are specifically chosen to achieve your career goals.
DIY vs. DFY
Welcome to Do It Yourself vs. Done For You!
DIY: For those of you who are managing your job search on your own, here is my #1 tip: Map out a strategy.
Decide which job search tactics you will engage in — you shouldn’t have just one tactic, nor should you be trying so many things that you’re not doing any of them well.
Once you’ve decided on the tactics you want to take, next map out your specific action steps and calendar them in. I talked about this in episode #258:
http://exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2023-01-25-258-how-to-organize-your-job-search-time-to-optimize-your-results
I talked about active vs. passive job search strategies in episode #30:
https://www.exclusivecareercoaching.com/posts/2019-01-16-030-active-vs-passive-job-search-strategies
DFY: If you would like help in planning and executing a targeted, proactive job search strategy that is customized to your career goals, timeline, and strengths, you can schedule a 1-hour coaching session with me. You’ll leave with a master plan for your job search that will get results!
The Job Search Strategy Hour is $450; email me at lesa@exclusivecareercoaching.com to schedule!