Indeed

There aren’t many bigger names than Indeed when it comes to job websites. This site has been around since 2004, so it’s one of the oldest and most trusted names in the industry, and it’s not just a venerable name – it’s maintained its position of strength in the market, too. 

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The firm claims that it adds ten new jobs to the site every second, and it has more than 250 million eager users. For job-seekers and prospective employers that makes this site worth using, especially because few rivals manage to match the breadth and frequency of Indeed’s listings. Indeed does this by listing its own jobs and by pulling in job listings from company websites.

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Features

Biggest doesn’t always mean best, but Indeed’s huge user base and its vast number of job listings do bring some advantages to the fore. Few other job websites cover as many industries as Indeed, and you’ll find listings for all manner of different job types: it doesn’t matter if you’re searching for full- or part-time positions, contract work or remote roles, and Indeed has you covered no matter your level of experience or desired salary.

Creating an Indeed account is completely free though you can also sign in using your exiting Google, Apple or Facebook account (Image credit: Indeed)

There are other advantages to using Indeed beyond its huge job database. You don’t have to create an account to search for jobs on Indeed. If you do create an account, it’s free – you won’t find features locked behind paid tiers, which can be the case on plenty of other job sites. You get an impressive number of features if you register for a free account: you can save your CV to the site for easier applications, and you can also upload your resume for an instant review, which is perfect for avoiding common job-hunting pitfalls.

Elsewhere, your Indeed account has a toggle that indicates if you’re ready to start work immediately, which is useful for getting the jump on the competition. As with any good job site, Indeed can send you job alerts for certain industries, keywords, jobs or locations, and registering for an account means you can message prospective employers.

Indeed also allows you to search for jobs by salary to help you find a new, high-paying career (Image credit: Indeed)

Indeed has a reputation as a relatively simple job site, but if you assume that it’s just a list of openings, you’re missing out on some of its more advanced features. The site has dozens of short assessment tests that can demonstrate your strengths to potential employers. There’s a salary comparison tool, too, which lets you see what kind of salaries are on offer in your field.

You can get an idea for whether or not a company might be a good fit with Indeed's company review section (Image credit: Indeed)

The final impressive feature is the company review section, which publishes comments from real employees at companies that list jobs on the site. That’s a crucial part of the job-searching process – because it allows you to get a flavor of a potential workplace before you apply.

Continue your job search on the go as Indeed offers mobile apps for both iOS and Android (Image credit: Apple)

Indeed also has an app that uses the same straightforward blueprint as the website, so you don’t have to be at your PC or laptop to keep up with your job search.

Indeed keeps things simple with a clear and clean user inteface (Image credit: Indeed)

Ease of use

Indeed has loads of handy features alongside one of the world’s biggest job databases, but it’s not daunting – it’s also one of the most straightforward job sites when it comes to its design, with a three-pronged approach that keeps the key options in focus.

The first section, Find Jobs, looks like a search engine: you’ll see a couple of search boxes on a white background. Just enter the job title, keyword or company and your desired location, and you’ll be ready to go. Hit the search button, and you’ll see two columns: your results appear on the left-hand side, and the right-hand side has the job description, location, salary and all the other relevant information for the job you’ve selected.

Indeed's Advanced Job Search lets you filter by specific keywords (Image credit: Indeed)

At the top of the results screen you’ll find options to filter your jobs list. You can drill down by date, location, salary estimate and the skills and experience required, and Indeed’s advanced search options allow you to filter by specific words.

Indeed’s second module focuses on Company Reviews and allows you to search for any company or browse popular employers, and the third section features the salary comparison tool, so you can easily find out what you should be earning and which jobs offer the best and worst compensation.

Head over to your profile and you’ll find easy options for uploading and reviewing your resume, reviewing your saved jobs and updating your contact information. The whole site is very easy to use and navigate, although the design is undoubtedly a bit plain.

Final verdict

Indeed has never been the flashiest website, but that hardly matters when it’s got so much else going for it. There aren’t many other sites that offer the sheer number of job listings as Indeed, and it pairs its huge catalog with some handy features.

There are plenty of other websites with similar features, but few sites pair those features with a clean design and a huge database. It’s certainly not the only job site you should use, but Indeed should be right at the top of your list.

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