Remember the old days, when you had to sit around and wait for the Sunday classifieds? How archaic. These days, the Internet is the best thing for job hunters since the telephone. From searching for vacancies to sizing up the value of an offer, going online can be one of the quickest ways to plot your next move. Unfortunately, it can also be frustrating — unless you begin with a few good sites.
Monster
monster.com
Monster really should be your first stop, particularly if you're applying for jobs that aren't too far up the totem pole. For one thing, it has some of the most extensive listings anywhere. A nationwide search for “financial advisor,” for example, turned up 1,168 listings in the last 30 days. The site also has a useful e-mail alert system, which lets you know when jobs that might interest you are posted, as well as a variety of career resources. However, you may want to pass by some of the more gimmicky interactive features, such as the “Virtual Interview” for finance.
Jobsinthemoney
Jobsinthemoney.com
Not as monstrous as Monster, jobsinthemoney.com is still worth a look, largely because its focus on the financial services sector makes for fast and manageable searching. The interviewing and resume advice seem reasonable, but are probably not especially useful for anyone who's done this more than once or twice — particularly someone who's had sales experience.
Closers.net
closers.net
If you're a telephonic ninja, you may want to put this site for financial advisors at the top of your list. Unlike the postings on many other job sites, postings at closers.net usually include contact names and numbers, which may make it much easier for you to land an interview than if you wait until someone, somewhere happens to read your e-mail.
JobHuntersBible
jobhuntersbible.com
Brought to you by job-hunting guru Richard Bolles, the author of What Color is Your Parachute?, JobHuntersBible offers one of the richest and clearest guides yet to finding and landing a job using the Internet. Designed as a supplement to Bolles' ubiquitous career advice book, the site is a solid beginner's guide to online job-hunting. If you don't mind his tendency toward upbeat sermons — reading Bolles when you're unemployed can sometimes be like taking a cold, wet hike with an overly cheerful scoutmaster — he does have a number of sensible suggestions both about how to tackle a job search and use specific online resources. Some of the Web advice seems a little dated now that most people know a thing or two about search engines, but he does offer a variety of annotated links both to job sites and online career-interest tests that should lead you on to something useful.
Financial Jobs
financial-jobs.com
As with many of the job sites specializing in the financial world, Financial Jobs doesn't have all that many postings at the moment. Still, it earns a place on the list simply because it's much easier to use than a number of its specialized competitors. The indexing is simple, and you don't have to register to find what jobs are there. The chief shortcoming is that the postings are not dated, which makes it harder to decide whether it's worth zapping someone a resume.
Consultants Period
privateclientpro.net
A new site, privateclientpro.com, provides a fast, anonymous and comprehensive listing of broker opportunities, though only in the Boston area for now. Consultants Period, a Vermont-based consultancy, plans to expand.