Niche Job Sites

Industry-specific sites help filter options

Job search sites that cater to niche markets are rapidly gaining in popularity. Online job sites have always served technical professions better than others, and reviews continue to recommend Dice.com, which appeals directly to tech-minded people with its intelligent, no-nonsense interface. There are more tech jobs at Dice.com than at any other site -- currently more than 60,000 listings. The site claims that many who post their resume receive a job offer within 48 hours.

Dice also has an extensive section of links to training courses and certification exams, many of which are offered at a discount. As a supplement to this there is DiceTV, which airs videos about career advice and trends specific to the tech industry. Dice has also recently added a section called DicePlay. In this section users can link to Facebook, upload videos of themselves discussing the pitfalls of their current jobs in the "rant room," play tech career related video games, and more.

In addition to niche market sites that cater to specific industries there are some new sites that cater to specific classes or levels of workers. Forbes published an article in September 2008 reviewing NotchUp.com, a site for executives grossing $80,000 to $120,000 annually. Notchup says it only features the best and brightest professionals, forcing companies to compete over the job candidates. To promote this, job candidates get to set a price for an interview -- between $250 to $1,000, according to the website. It's no surprise that membership to this site is by invitation or screened application. NotchUp.com's founder says that the site was started because "stellar people usually aren't in the job market."

Another site that serves the executive market is TheLadders.com. The site prescreens all jobs to be sure they pay more than $100,000 annually. The site does not require an invitation to join, but does require a fee. Star Reviews likes the site's easy-to-use interface and large number of executive career postings. The main downside noted is that users cannot fully access the site during the free trial.

College students and recent grads are best served by MonsterTrak, the most visited site for college-age job seekers. Monster owns this site, which has a focus on entry-level, part time or seasonal jobs. Reviews say that this is the best place to start looking for summer employment, an internship or your first job, with listings searchable by state and industry.

CareerJournal.com is part of The Wall Street Journal, a must-read for business types. Most of the 125,000 job listings are for senior executives in a variety of fields. Its career content is also informative and updated daily. Extras include information about creating a great resume and interviewing strategies, but other job-hunting tips are also discussed, such as tactics for switching careers. One caveat is that the site has so much information that it appears cluttered, and it may be difficult to find what you want.