Online job boards can be an important part of a job search, especially in the digital world. Although the old line that 80+% of available jobs are never advertised is not as true as it once was, the job market is still far from transparent and largely functions on who you know. In a 2014 LinkedIn article, Richard Grant noted that “The job market can be compared to a gated community where you need to know someone to get through the gate. In the “gated” job market, you need to know the right code to get through.” That “code” according to Grant is all about the people; those already working for those employers that you are targeting who can give you the code or get you past the gate. So… while online job postings can – and do – produce results, if you limit your job search to responding to ads, you will absolutely miss important opportunities.

A further complication is that there are countless job boards, some that are very industry or career specific others, that are more generic. Although many employers post their jobs on multiple job boards, others will have a single favourite. So, it is important for you to do your research to find job search sites that are likely to work for you, recognizing that a laser focus on a specific job board may help you target your efforts, but may also mean you miss out on other opportunities.

This is where job search engines can be incredibly useful as they aggregate listings from thousands of job boards, career sites, and recruiter postings. These engines act like Google, scouring the Internet for relevant postings that exist almost anywhere, and presenting them to you – the job seeker – in one place. The most popular one is Indeed.ca.