classifiedsEven if you’re gainfully employed right now, you’re probably keeping an eye on job listings in your field and news about your industry. It’s just good sense these days: while my grandparents might have been able to build their entire careers with just one employer, climbing the ladder these days often involves moving between companies at least a few times. That means you need resources. You need to be looking at the right job listings, reading relevant industry news and keeping your career-building skills honed.

The right job listings can be hard to find. There are thousands of sites offering job listings online, from Craigslist to Monster, but most of them wind up listing very similar (if not identical) opportunities. The sites listed here are a little more out of the way — but still worth spending some time on.

  1. LinkedIn
    LinkedIn isn’t an old-fashioned job board, even though it provides a way to search job listings posted by members. Instead, LinkedIn’s value lies in how easy it is to connect with other people working in your industry as well as professionals in general. Many job openings aren’t listed: recruiters would much rather build a network where they can search for the right hire. LinkedIn serves that purpose — but recruiters won’t find you if you aren’t on the site.
  2. USAJobs
    The entire U.S. federal government directs all of its job postings to USAJobs, many of which never make it to other job listing sites. While some of us may not have thought of working for ‘the man’ as an option, the U.S. government is usually hiring for tens of thousands of jobs at a time — in just about every career field. Writers, engineers, accountants: if it’s a job, the federal government is probably hiring.
  3. LinkUp
    Many employers skip placing job listings on external boards, keeping their job opportunities a little closer to home. LinkUp uses automatic tools to find jobs listed only on company websites, compiling listings for its users. There aren’t any duplicates — or scams — as you can often find on sites that accept listings from anybody.
  4. Idealist
    More and more job hunters are placing an emphasis on finding a job that offers some opportunity to give back. Idealist lists jobs from non-profits and idealist organizations. While the site does include volunteer work, it also includes paid positions as well as internships and consulting opportunities.
  5. RealMatch
    A good job interview isn’t that different from a blind date, and RealMatch takes that fact into account. It relies on a set of tests to match you with job opportunities that you’ve displayed a certain level of compatibility with — as well as sending your information to employers looking for someone who meets your profile.
  6. JobSerf
    While most job sites these days are free, JobSerf charges $98 per week. For that fee, you get 20 hours of personalized job searching: one of JobSerf’s professionals searches for jobs that meet your criteria and apply to those positions that meet your needs. The price may seem a little steep if you’re only casually looking, but it could be a better fit if you’re seriously job hunting.
  7. SimplyHired
    Rather than searching thousands of websites and sorting through job listings that ambitious recruiters have posted all over, I’d suggest checking out SimplyHired. It searches a long list of job listing sites, as well as specific companies’ hiring pages, providing you with a fairly complete picture of your options with just one search.
  8. SoloGig
    Just looking for something short-term? SoloGig provides listings of consulting, temporary, contract and freelance opportunities in a broad list of categories. It might not get you a long-term job, but the right project can often help you take your resume up a notch. Furthermore, some of the short-term projects listed on SoloGig are expected to last a year or more.
  9. Women for Hire
    While the jobs available through Women for Hire are available to men as well as women, the site provides a special level of support for women who are hunting for jobs. It offers up specialized advice on issues like finding positions that offer help with child care. Women for Hire goes far beyond the traditional job boards to offer specialized help for women looking for new jobs.
  10. Job-Hunt
    When you search for a job online, you’ll often get a good picture of the jobs that are available on a national — or even international level. Just because those jobs are available doesn’t mean that you’re ready to pick up and move for them, though. Job-Hunt has a long list of links to job hunting resources by state, giving you a head start on local job leads.

There are a couple of other sites worth keeping an eye on these days: Most state governments have centralized job listings like USAJobs. It might be worth signing up for the RSS feed or email alert on your state’s site. The same is true of your alumni career office. Most schools offer alumni career support indefinitely, and solicit job listings from other alumni. And don’t forget your local want ads — most newspapers make their classified ads available online. Many employers still list their job openings exclusively with their local newspaper, so it’s worth looking locally.

No matter which sites fit what you might be looking for, just about all of them (with the exception of JobSerf) allow you to either receive new job leads through RSS or email. Even if you’re only looking passively for any opportunities that might cross your computer screen, keeping an eye on these websites can help you get word of perfect fits that may not hit the standard job boards.