I need a new job
What was that job board called?
I need a job..
What was that job board called?
I’ve always been critical of job boards, in over 20 years nothing much has ever really blown me away and to be honest why would it. Little or no innovation in the sector for years has had a detrimental effect. There are over 50,000 job boards online according to Google!
I went through today cleaning up links in my shortcuts folder and came across at least 20 job boards that are now defunct. It’s hard to keep up, I have even had a go at building one myself in the past!
With so many popping up to cater for every whimsical bandwagon that comes along I thought I would have a quick look at some of the offerings in the “remote work” space. Job boards specifically aimed at remote workers and as a remote worker myself offer up a quick review.
Just to clarify I am in no way associated with any of these sites any recommendations are merely anecdotal and from my own first look at what these specialist sites claim to offer. Viewed as a job seeker.
Often during my mentoring sessions people will ask, where would you suggest I look for a job, it’s good to know what’s out there.
First up. Remote.co
I don’t like it. Looks like someone had a recipe to get some SEO rankings and then tried to follow it without any user empathy. Some company logos spread around to give the illusion that they have many customers. When I look at remote I find it hard to believe that CNN, CNBC and PCWorld have any remote jobs. I could be wrong but it looks thin to me. I’m actually struggling to find somewhere to enter a search. I finally did a search for the word Talent Acquisition, nothing relevant came up. I'll pass on this one.
Flexjobs.com is next
Looks more promising, search bar right on top, claiming no scams, ads or junk. Some quotes. Some numbers, 22'225 jobs from 5160 companies. CNN and CNBC are here again along with Apple and SAP. It looks like an exercise in job scraping rather than a site dedicated to remote workers' needs. It looks way too cluttered and I did a quick search. The first TA job was 13 days old! I wouldn’t return here looking for work.
Weworkremotely.com
First thing that strikes me is “post a job for $299”, this is a red flag as a job seeker, next is a bunch of featured jobs, none relevant to me. Can’t find a search box and I will definitely not be subscribing. Pass
Virtualvocations.com
Quick Links and search box in prime space looking good. Search for a TA job produces many results. Oh dear, sign up to see results. This site is more interested in my email address than finding me a job. Pass
Workingnomads.com
Looked promising but the results were way off, the TA search bought up woeful results. Sadly looks like another email harvester and job scraper.
Skipthedrive.com
Same format as above really, some relevance in the TA search results but to be honest I don’t know why these kinds of job sites exist. Weak out of date blog.
Remotive.com
Not the prettiest site but the results were relevant even though I knew some of the jobs were old. I get it that you can scrape jobs from the big boys and the segmentation here for region and sector is pretty good. Some informative info on Visas, the best so far but I would probably not bother returning that often.
Jobspresso.co
Nothing stands out here. Another job scraper with no USP’s at all. Hard to work out how to search for a job. Old results. Pass on this one.
Ratracerebellion.com
This does not look like a site I would visit when looking for a job. Very cluttered, asking for an email address again. Looks geared up for people looking for side hustles, as a job seeker I would pass on this site. Couldn’t really see a job on here anywhere or even find a place to search for a TA job.
Conclusion & Linkedin
I take Linkedin as the gold standard in job boards, not because they look the best, they don't. I don’t really like their search box and they do throw up some terrible results, but the job adverts themselves look good, there is plenty of supporting information and links right there where you need them. And the database is huge.
They haven't quite nailed the remote thing although nobody really has when it comes to searching but they stand out for me.The only places other than Linkedin worth a visit from me are Goole jobs, Wellfound and Otta.
None of the above selection would really warrant a second visit from me, well maybe Remotive. I would imagine there are literally no exclusive jobs on any of those sites and without exclusive jobs why would you bother registering.
One thing that has always puzzled me is why the recruiting industry by way of some regulatory body didn’t build and own the mother of all job boards back in the 1990’s. They really could have collectively owned the gateway to the candidates they so desperately need to flourish. Instead they let other people build walls around their bread and butter. Makes you think…