Where are the best places to go online to jumpstart your job search? The good news is there are plenty of listings online- job boards, apps, and social media channels. But the flip side is that it is easy to become overwhelmed or spread your effort too thin.

We have some recommendations below organized into broad categories with some information on each. Many of the sites below have no or low-cost options. Most also have an app you can download. Some offer additional resources like career coaching, learning opportunities, and resume tailoring.

The Big Job Search Boards

CareerBuilder, Indeed, Monster are the big three online job boards. You might want to choose one of these to follow and set up job alerts. Further information on each:

CareerBuilder is one of the largest and oldest job boards. Their search function is run by Google AI and can include location and pay range. They also provide career advice and resources.

Indeed is a combination of employer-posted jobs and job postings aggregated from across the web. The jobs come from company career pages and professional associations. They have a free resume builder tool, career blog, and hosted email. With the hosted email, you can get an Indeed email address to use for communication with employers. (Just make sure you are checking it regularly). They have short 10 questions skills test you can take to post with your resume. This site has some employer reviews as well.

Monster was one of the first commercial job search sites. It is massive and has some extras, including a free resume review service, networking boards, and company profiles. The site is inter-active and includes a career blog too.

Next-Gen Job Search Boards

Following on the success of the big job boards, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, and Google for Jobs offer a little bit more specialized services.

ZipRecruiter began as a tool for small businesses to post job listings. The company now has partnerships with several leading job boards. What makes ZipRecruiter unique is the amount of personalized communication you get from the job board. You will get notification emails when jobs matching your search results are available and when an employer has viewed your resume. In fact, you will hear from ZipRecruiter almost every day-which can help you be pro-active.

Glassdoor lets you search for jobs, but most people use this site to read employer reviews. People who have worked for a company can share salary, benefits, and company culture information. People who have interviewed can let you know about the interview process. However, like any large, anonymous review site (think Yelp), treat the information here with some healthy skepticism.

Google for Jobs also pulls job listings from sites across the web, including several of the ones listed in this post. Go to the main Google search page and type in a search phrase that includes the word jobs. Like most Google searches, there are plenty of ways to narrow things down. This blog has useful tips on job searching with Google.

Social Media

LinkedIn is an excellent site to use for professional work and is known as the site to use to connect with recruiters. Your profile acts as a resume. Joining industry-specific groups is a good way to follow and start discussions with people and companies you find interesting. LinkedIn also has extensive training and interview preparation sections that are helpful.

Facebook has expanded its jobs section – there is the general Facebook Jobs site, and individual staffing companies (including Proper Solutions Staffing) have pages with updated job listings. Keep in mind that parts of your Facebook profile may be visible to a potential employer.

Government Jobs

If you are part of the California state unemployment process, you will need to register for their CalJOBs board and upload your resume. This service also has some training, career information, and a helpful Veterans section.

Check out your City’s or County’s human resources page. For instance, Riverside County has a regularly updated job portal, and you can set up job alerts. If you are interested in a university job, both UC Riverside and Cal State San Bernardino have job sites.

USAJobs is the federal government’s official job portal. It offers everything from entry-level opportunities to positions for experienced professionals within hundreds of agencies and organizations.

Company Websites

Always wanted to work at a top real estate firm? Most businesses have a Jobs or Careers section on their site. You may need to check back regularly or see if there is an option to set up job alerts. You can also find the major employers in your area by doing a little research on the Employment Development Department website. Then you can use this information to check out the individual company’s websites.

Freelance, Remote, and Specialized Sites

If you are interested in freelance work, Upwork, Fiverr, Guru, and Freelance.com are some of the larger sites. Do a little digging on these, though, as most are not free for the job seeker. These platforms also take some time commitment to build your profile and solicit work. Flexjobs is a good job board for remote work postings.

And, finally, there are quite a few specialized job search sites – some for specific industries. Fairygodboss is a site for women and includes company reviews and a social component. If you just finished your college education, check out College Recruiter for internships and entry-level positions. If you have always wanted to work at a high-energy Start-Up, AngelList is set up expressly for that. And Idealist is specifically designed for people interested in work and volunteer opportunities at non-profit and charitable organizations.

The above is not a complete list, but hopefully can serve as a starting point for your job search. As great as the above resources are, keep in mind that you ideally do not want to spend most of your job search time scrolling through online boards. Employer research, networking with friends and family, improving your skill set, even volunteering – are all excellent avenues to help you find your next great job.

Proper Solutions Staffing can help too. Whether you are looking for a career position or temporary work – give us a call at 760-862-1818 or email info@propersolutions.biz or fill out our CONTACT US form.