73 Best Job Search Websites for 2023
Nearly everyone begins a job search by going to a job board or job search website. Everyone typically gravitates to major players such as LinkedIn, Indeed, or ZipRecruiter. Indeed, the largest player in the job search market boasts of having 225 million job hunters on their site.
Compared to the number of job listings on a site like Indeed, there is over 40 times the number of job seekers to job listings. Statistics indicate you have a 3% chance of finding a job on one of these major job search websites.
So what are we to do? How are we to find jobs when we need a job now and we don’t have relationships to leverage or the time to build new connections? Using niche job search websites or industry-specific job sites can make a huge difference in your success rate. Many of these niche job boards are run by very credible industry associations such as the Institute of Management Accountants or the Project Management Institute. You can gain certifications on these sites, but they also typically host their own careers page which are laser-focused on serving their niche.
To save you time, we’ve compiled a list of 66 best niche job search websites for 2023 - plus a few of the big ones that may be worth your time as well.
The Big Players - Major Job Boards and Our Review
Simply because there are hundreds of millions of job hunters on the big job boards, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use them. But using them exclusively is not a winning strategy. Before we dig into our niche job board list, let’s take a look at some of the popular job boards out there and which ones may be worth your time.
Employers can post 1 job on LinkedIn for free. Employers pay for LinkedIn job postings similarly to the Indeed.com model which is a daily bid. They set a daily budget and based on that budget and the competition, LinkedIn determines when to advertise that job.
If you are a professional, LinkedIn can be a very crowded place with some job openings receiving over 1,000 applicants within the first day. Just look at this Creative Director ad.
A good way to find out whether LinkedIn is a job site you should use is to look at how they break down job functions for employers posting jobs. Below is the list. If you see your job function here, this site could be a place you want to set up job alerts on and frequent every week.
LinkedIn Job Functions:
Accounting
Administrative
Arts & Design
Business Development
Community & Social Services
Consulting
Education
Engineering
Finance
Healthcare
Human Resources
Information Technology
Legal
Marketing
Media & Communications
Military
Operations
Product Management
Program & Project Management
Purchasing
Quality Assurance
Real Estate
Research
Sales
Support
Despite the odds, many professionals find jobs using LinkedIn. It’s critical to have a great resume and an updated LinkedIn profile for this site to work for you.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor has really been an up-and-coming job search website especially because of its company reviews feature. Like anything you have to take reviews with a grain of salt, but they could help you get to know your next future employer before you decide to apply with them.
Glassdoor also shows salaries for positions similar to what you are looking for and many people use this site to research salaries. We’ve found that there are better sites for more accurate salary information. The issue we have with glassdoor is that everyone enters their company and salary when they sign up and because you can enter anything you want, it has very little credibility when it comes to accuracy. I could put in my VP title and state I’m making $30 an hour or $300,000 a year. No one is going to verify it. If you’re looking for salary information, sites such as Payscale.com offer much better information.
Using sites that require the entry of, what we consider, confidential information such as salary and a host of other personal information before you can even view job openings makes us nervous. It’s very intrusive and if you read the terms and conditions on the sites, you give them all rights to the information that you share with them. We prefer job search websites that let you view jobs first and then you can determine if it’s worth revealing your personal information.
Monster
Monster.com was a leading job board when we were early career job hunters. It’s changed dynamically since Randstad purchased it in 2016. Unlike LinkedIn and Indeed which require employers to bid for advertisement space, Monster has a flat rate and will run a job for 30 days.
You’ll find a good blend of openings that are directly posted by companies and some with staffing agencies or recruiters on this site. Randstad has done a great job in revitalizing this job search website and acquiring new clients so you may find a good variety of companies on this job board.
CareerBuilder
CareerBuilder used to be a robust site with thousands of companies posting their jobs here. They were one of the pioneers when job boards on the internet came into existence. Today, this job search website is filled mostly with job listings of staffing agencies and recruitment firms. If you’re looking for contract (temporary) work, this could be a gold mine of opportunity for you. However, if you’re searching for openings where you can apply directly to companies, you may find your time better spent on alternative sites like Indeed or ZipRecruiter.
Indeed
Indeed has become the largest job search website in the world, boasting over 225 million job seeker resumes and over 300 million unique visitors every month. Indeed is unique because it is a job aggregator which means it finds postings all over the internet and lists them on its site. This is how they have built the largest job website in the world. Employers can post jobs directly on Indeed for free, but they will also act like a Google search engine pulling jobs from virtually every corner of the internet. Because of this, you can find almost anything with ease and quickly. The downside of course is that because of that ease, everyone uses the site. We personally find it difficult to envision a job search that doesn’t make use of this website at least once a week.
Another great thing about Indeed is that you can very easily set targeted search parameters into a job alert that will email you new listings so you don’t have to go and crawl the website every day. We used this all the time in our job transitions and as recruiters looking for new client leads. You can set your parameters in the search and then ask it to show you all new jobs within the last 24 hours. Then set up an alert and every day, you’ll be shown the latest and greatest jobs to apply to without lifting a finger. Ok, well you’ll have to use some of those fingers, but not as much!
ZipRecruiter
ZipRecruiter is arguably the second most popular job board employers use to find talent next to Indeed. Their model is similar to Monster in that employers pay a flat fee to post job openings rather than the bid model of Indeed. This makes it very appealing to employers who want certainty in what their investment will produce for them - 30 days of advertisement.
Today, there are approximately 9 million active jobs posted on ZipRecruiter which makes it hard to ignore as part of an effective job search.
Classifieds
Other sites that may contain large numbers of jobs also include classifieds such as Craigslist or Geebo. Many smaller organizations post their job openings on sites like these.
Major Job Board Recommendations
While every job search is unique, for the vast majority of our readers, we recommend using Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and LinkedIn from this list and incorporating a strategy that makes use of job alerts.
Now that we’ve got the big players out of the way, let’s take a look at the niche job search websites that you could utilize to find openings that have less competition.
67 Best Niche Job Search Websites for 2023
Why use niche job search websites? Employers that use these niche websites know that they are more likely to get qualified candidates. You may not find as many job leads on these niche job boards, but you also won’t find as much competition from your peers either. Rather than being 1 of 1,000 applicants for the day, it’s very likely that you are 1 out of 10 and those are the odds you’re looking for. So without further ado, here are the best niche job boards for 2023 by category.
Professional Niche Job Search Websites
We wouldn’t be doing you justice if we didn’t ensure you already knew about Optim Careers’ niche job board. This job board is unique in the fact that although employers can pay to feature their job ads, the majority of our job ads are sourced directly from company websites by our jobs team. This means we determine what jobs make it to the page and not based on who is throwing dollars at us. This niche job search website is filled with all the jobs you want. They are professional-level jobs with salary information and pre-vetted by our team. In addition, it sends you straight to the company’s careers page to apply so you know your information makes it directly into their inbox.
Accounting & Finance Niche Job Search Websites
The Institute of Management Accountants is a professional association that serves managerial accountants and has a niche accounting job search website that spans a diverse range of industries. You can also obtain the coveted CMA certification through the IMA.
The CFA Institute which issues the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) distinction also has a job board with roles in accounting, audit, tax, banking, finance, hedge funds, and venture capital.
The Institute of Internal Auditors is the professional association for internal auditors and issues the CIA certification. It also has a job board that often has internal auditor jobs, IT auditor jobs, and others.
The National Association of Construction Auditors serves auditors, accountants, and project managers within the construction industry. You can find niche construction accounting jobs such as Senior Accountant jobs, Controller jobs, and more.
The Construction Financial Management Association serves CFMs with education, networking opportunities, and a job board. You can find construction niche jobs for Project Accountants, Controllers, and CFOs.
The Association of Nonprofit Accountants & Finance Professionals maintains a niche job search website for Finance Managers, CFOs, Staff Accountants, and COOs to name a few.
Architecture Niche Job Search Websites
The American Institute of Architects is a professional association that serves, you guessed it, architects. They offer continued education and licensing information, but they also have a job board full of architecture jobs.
The Association of Licensed Architects supports architects and professions related to architecture through education programs, events, and job listings.
Automotive Niche Job Search Websites
The Autocare Association is a global association of companies focused on improving the longevity and performance of vehicles. They also have a job board that typically averages 20+ job listings.
AutoJobs.com boasts of being one of the best niche automotive industry job boards where you can find automotive technician jobs, automotive sales jobs, and administrative roles.
Mechanics Hub is a niche job search website for fleet technicians, diesel mechanics, and similar job openings. They also have had a diversity of jobs in both Canada and the USA.
All Dealership Jobs is a niche job board where you can find sales roles at dealerships. They’re relatively new on the job search website stage and heavily concentrated in the New York area, but worth checking out if this is your location and niche.
Aviation Niche Job Search Websites
The American Association of Airport Executives is the largest professional organization for airport employees and has a unique job board with jobs specific to this niche.
AeroIndustry Jobs lists many openings for the aviation industry ranging from engineers, general counsel, IT, and project management openings. This is a well-rounded aviation job board.
Airlinejobs.com is a fast-growing niche job website with job listings for pilots, security, aviation technology, helicopter, and technical engineers.
Banking Niche Job Search Websites
Bank Talent HQ is a banking niche job search website with job openings for relationship managers, intelligence developers, and CFOs to name a few.
Brewery Niche Job Search Websites
There’s a niche job search website for everything, including the brewery industry with Brew Bound’s job site. You can find everything from QC Manager, Brewer, Sales Rep, and Director level jobs in the brewery industry on this job search site. With the rise of microbreweries, this job board is pretty robust with the number of jobs listed.
Cannabis Niche Job Search Websites
Leaf Buyer was founded in 2012 when Colorado became the first state to legalize recreational cannabis. They have a niche job search website with everything from laboratory testing to sales openings.
Casino & Gambling Niche Job Search Websites
Casino Careers is run by a team of former casino gaming/hospitality industry professionals. They tend to focus on operations, human resources, and marketing roles within this industry.
Communications & Public Relations Niche Job Search Websites
The International Association of Business Communicators is the professional association for individuals in business communications. They offer communication certifications and a niche communications job board.
The PR Council is a US-based association for agencies with public relations offerings and they also host a niche PR job board on their website.
Hoojobs is a specialty job search website for public relations, communication, and marketing jobs. You can find everything from VP roles to Account Executives, Communications Management, and Public Affairs openings on the site.
CPG - Consumer Packaged Goods Niche Job Search Websites
Force Brands is a recruiting firm that specializes in CPG jobs. They have several divisions that serve Food & Beverage, Beauty, Herbal, and Pet Food markets and their job board is filled with roles such as loyalty, sales representatives, enablement, and more within this space.
Construction Niche Job Search Websites
Construction Jobs has been around since 2000 and serves a diverse community within the construction space from estimators to engineers.
Lineman Central is a construction job search website for anyone in the electrical line working space. You can find journeyman roles and apprentice electrical jobs here.
There are also two niche construction job search websites that serve accounting and finance professionals within this space. You can find those in the accounting and finance category.
Engineering Niche Job Search Websites
The National Society of Professional Engineers is dedicated to creating an inclusive, nontechnical organization dedicated to licensed professional engineers and maintains a niche engineering job board.
The American Society of Civil Engineers serves the civil engineering profession in 177 countries and has a niche civil engineering job search website with openings for Innovation Directors, Project Managers, Quality Assurance, and Principals.
Forensics Niche Job Search Websites
The American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors maintains a job board with openings from public institutions associated with forensic science.
Graphic Design Niche Job Search Websites
The Professional Association for Design is the oldest membership organization for designers. They offer professional development opportunities and have a solid niche graphic design job board.
Healthcare Niche Job Search Websites
Healthcare JobSite is a niche healthcare job search website where you can find jobs such as Technologist, Credentialing Coordinator, Registered Nurse, and more.
The American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing maintains a niche nursing job board with jobs ranging from Clinical Assistant to Chief Medical Officer.
If you are looking for a job within a hospital, Hospital Careers may be on your list of niche healthcare job boards with a diversity of roles in IT, administration, laboratory, nursing, pharmacy, and technologists.
Nursing Job Cafe is a nursing niche job board that boasts over 40,000 nursing jobs.
Vivian is a digital platform for travel nursing and has over 240 unique employers that use it.
The American Association of Immunologists advances the field of immunology and fosters development opportunities for researchers. They maintain a niche immunology job search website with many research-based roles.
The American Academy of Dermatology Association has a niche dermatology job board with hundreds of job listings.
Human Resources Niche Job Search Websites
SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management is the leading professional organization in HR. They also have a niche HR job board with human resources openings.
PIHRA, Professionals in Human Resources is an affiliate of SHRM and also maintains their own separate job board for HR professionals.
Benefits Link is a niche job search website dedicated to the employee benefits space. If you are a benefits administrator, this could be a job board for you.
HR Crossing is a niche human resources job aggregation service. Similar to Indeed, they aggregate HR jobs on their niche job search website. When I checked it, they had aggregated and listed nearly 150,000 new jobs in one week.
IT - Information Technology Niche Job Search Websites
Dice is a well-known niche job board for IT professionals. You can find jobs for developers, support specialists, infrastructure engineers, business analysts, service desk, network operators, and more on this niche IT job search website.
Insurance Niche Job Search Websites
State Requirement Jobs is a niche insurance job search website where you can find all kinds of jobs in the insurance industry. Some jobs you may find include Director of Finance, Litigation Attorney, Marketing Representative, Claims Specialist, and Insurance Agent.
Manufacturing Niche Job Search Websites
The American Composite Manufacturers Association is the largest industry trade association for composite manufacturers and has a niche composite manufacturing job search website.
Factory Fix is a manufacturing niche job search website with over 300,000 manufacturing jobs listed on it. You can find jobs in CNC machining, assembly, forklift operations, injection molding, and operations management.
Marketing Niche Job Search Websites
The American Marketing Association is a professional association dedicated to marketing professionals. They offer continued education and house a niche marketing job board on their website.
Marketing Hire is a niche marketing job search website with hundreds of jobs running from marketing specialists up to Directors of Demand Generation and Vice President of Communications.
Mortgage Niche Job Search Websites
The Scotsman Guide not only ranks mortgage sales professionals, but it also hosts a niche mortgage job search website focused on mortgage sales.
The Board Network is a niche job search website for title insurance, escrow, real estate, and credit unions.
Non-Profit & NGO Niche Job Search Websites
Idealist is a niche non-profit job search website that boasts over 5,000 non-profit jobs along with hundreds of internships and graduate programs.
Exec Searches is another niche nonprofit job board for Executive Directors, CFOs, and Senior Director roles with non-profits and some municipalities.
Global Jobs is a niche job search website for NGOs, Think Tanks, Government, and Private Sector jobs. You can find policy jobs, accounting jobs, marketing jobs, humanitarian officer jobs, and more across the globe on this niche job board.
You can also find niche non-profit accounting job search websites in the accounting and finance category of this article.
Oil & Gas Niche Job Search Websites
Energy Job Shop is a niche job search website with jobs in energy and trades, specifically, you’ll find jobs in the oil and gas industry.
Rigzone is an online publication for the oil and gas industry which also features a niche energy job board. You can find jobs from companies such as Haliburton, Baker Hughes, and more.
Payroll Niche Job Search Websites
The American Payroll Association is more than the association that issues the Certified Payroll Professional designation. They also have a job board dedicated to supporting payroll professionals.
Pharmacy Niche Job Search Websites
The American College of Clinical Pharmacy has a niche pharmacy job board. Positions you can find on this niche site include administrator and clinical pharmacist.
Project Management Niche Job Search Websites
The Project Management Institute issues the coveted PMP certification and also has a niche project management job board where you can find hundreds of PM jobs.
Public Safety Dispatching Niche Job Search Websites
APCO is the largest organization of public safety communication professionals and maintains a niche dispatching job board on their site.
Retail Niche Job Search Websites
All Retail Jobs is a niche job search site for everything retail. If you’re looking for a job in retail, this is your niche job website.
Sales Niche Job Search Websites
The National Association of Sales Professionals is one of the largest online communities of sales professionals in the world and features a niche sales job board.
The National Business Development Association also serves sales professionals in continued education and mentorship as well as offering a Business Development Certification. In addition, you’ll find a niche sales job board on their site.
Sales Trax is an online job board exclusively for tech sales professionals. You’ll find Sales Development Representative, Account Executive, Partnership, Project Management, and Sales Management openings on this niche job board.
Tech Sales Jobs is another niche sales job search website serving the technology industry. Some of the companies that post on this job board include Zoom, Airtable, LinkedIn, and HP to name a few.
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Skilled Trades Niche Job Search Websites
Skilled Trade Jobs is a niche job search website that lists diverse trade job openings. Some of the openings you can find on this site include HVAC Technician, Welder, Carpenter, and Electrician.
Software Development Niche Job Search Websites
Authentic Jobs is a job board for designers, developers, and creative professionals. You’ll find jobs for UX Designers, Support Technicians, Product Designers, and Software Developers on this niche job search site.
Supply Chain Development Niche Job Search Websites
Formerly APICS, the Association for Supply Chain Management is the global leader and largest association for supply chain. Within their site, you can find a niche supply chain job board and a mentor program. On this niche job board, you can find jobs in Inventory, Materials, Procurement, Supply Chain, Demand Planner, Scheduling, and Warehouse Operations in addition to others.
Video Gaming Niche Job Search Websites
Creative Heads is a niche job search website for video game, animation, VFX, and software industry professionals.
GI Academy is another niche job board for video gaming careers.
How to Choose Job Search Websites for Your Job Search
Before you start applying to as many jobs as possible, it’s important to know who your audience is and where they hang out. Keep track of which sources produce the most leads and the quality of those leads. If a niche job search website only produced 5 job leads a week, but 4 of those 5 results in an interview, that is a good job search website to continue utilizing. In fact, you may want to utilize it more often. Rather than target volume, target quality.
Are the big career sites duping you?