How to Know Which Job Boards to Avoid

How to Know Which Job Boards to Avoid If you Google the term “job boards” you come up with more than 15 million results. Not surprisingly, each job board claims to be the “#1 place to find your next job”. Obviously not every job board can be #1, so we compiled a list of job board “behaviors” to help you know which job boards to avoid.We will also offer some small advice on choosing the right job boards. If you see some of these job board behaviors, be sure to stop using it immediately.1. Job Boards Charging Money to See the Company NameEvery website needs a revenue stream, but think about this for a moment: You are not allowed to know the company name and who you might work for unless you pay a fee. It makes one wonder how the interview question will be answered.Interviewer: “Why do you want to work here?”You: “I didn’t. I just wanted to do the work. I found out who you were after I paid to apply.It simply does not make sense. Why pay money for something when you have no idea what you are getting into ? If they allow for a free trial, they will benefit if you forget to cancel or shut off auto-renewal payments.2. Gateway Websites Asking for Data Before Redirecting You to the JobThis one seems to be fairly common. Unfortunately, when you give your data out it usually leads to endless spamming about education courses, webinars, or jobs on other websites. The reality is you can find any job worth its salt on LinkedIn, Google, or a company careers section. You do not need to give away your data to some random startup trying to build a new job board.Does this mean there is an abundance of jobs? No. It means the same job is shared everywhere. BUT...not all of them let you know if the job is still open. That job you tried to apply for by giving away your information to several gateway websites is now going to spam you with false opportunities. You will also find that if you do give your data away, magically a whole bunch of new websites suddenly start contacting you.Note: Never agree to let these job boards send you opportunities that “match your profile”. Why? These are typically promoted jobs that everyone else will be receiving.3. Job Boards That Do Not Appear in “How Did You Find Us?” SectionsIf you had filled out online job applications in the past, you know there is a section of the application that reads:“How did you find us?” “How did you hear about this position?”Within that list, you will see the most commonly used websites for employers to find their own candidates. Therefore, if the website you used to find the job is NOT on it, then you should stop using that service. The way you found the job is not currently on the radar of the employer posting jobs, which is a sign the job board is either new or not commonly used.It should be cause for concern anyway that a job you found on a job board does not appear in the list of “How did you find us?” companies or websites.Safe Job BoardsThese websites below do not do any of the following men tioned above. You are allowed to apply and job search without filling out profiles or paying money:1. LinkedIn2. Glassdoor3. Indeed4. ZipRecruiter5. Monster6. Dice7. Google JobsIn ConclusionTrust your gut feelings when it comes to using job boards. If they seem to “take before giving” or make demands of you that cause doubt, it is a sign you should avoid it or better, just go to the company’s career section to see if the job still exists.As of right now, LinkedIn is the best service for finding jobs largely because you can network easily with individuals at the company of interest. On top of this, 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to screen candidates.