How to Land the Right Position With These HR Job Boards

Perhaps you’re recently unemployed, or your current job doesn’t offer enough opportunity for you to progress up the ladder in your career. In the digital age we live in now, it’s too easy for job seekers to discover new job opportunities in HR and People Operations. In fact, during the Great Resignation, there may be too many job postings. But you have an easy advantage: You know the system.

As a human resources professional, you likely already know how a job board works for hiring managers. In your previous role, you may have filtered through qualified candidates before, posted openings on multiple job boards, tracked applicants, and onboarded your new hire. HR job seekers understand when a job description may be perfect or lacking, how an applicant tracking system reviews information, and how to navigate the general hiring process.

The problem? There are too many job opportunities to shuffle through.

That’s where this article comes in. These are the best job sites for finding your next HR position, and some best practices to keep in mind.

5 job boards for HR positions

Even though job boards shouldn’t be your only way to look for a new job, they can be a massive help in your search. Sites like Indeed and LinkedIn are often updated with new job postings from a wide range of companies. From niche job boards to very general aggregators, they can be useful for professionals from all kinds of backgrounds.

Sites like Indeed and LinkedIn are often updated with new job postings from a wide range of companies. From niche job boards to very general aggregators, they can be useful for professionals from all kinds of backgrounds.

While this concept seems simple, there are definitely right and wrong ways to utilize job boards, and not every job board is what they claim to be. Here are 5 great job boards you should be prioritizing in your search, and how to best use these sites to your personal advantage.

HRJobs.com

Founded as early as 1993 when the internet was young, HRJobs remains one of the best sites for Human Resource professionals to look for their next career. You can browse industries for the right kind of job that suits your background and needs, and the website even offers insights into your career based on occupation, education, and more.

SHRM’s HR Jobs

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is an international organization for people who work in HR. SHRM’s main goal is to improve the field of HR management, and offers certifications as well as a thriving job board.

HRCrossing

Started in 2006, this niche board is part of the EmploymentCrossing network and is beloved by corporate giants such as Google, Apple, and Walmart. Millions of job seekers frequent this site, and aforementioned companies use it to find talented HR professionals from both inside and outside the USA.

LinkedIn

Despite being primarily a source of networking for professionals, LinkedIn has also become a major source for finding new employees. That’s why when it comes to expanding your professional network, finding new jobs, and advancing your career, there are few platforms more popular than LinkedIn. With the emphasis being on networking instead of job listings, it’s a great way to reach out and get in touch with prospective employers.

Indeed

At the moment, not only is Indeed the most popular U.S. job board, it also has an impressive international reach; over 60 countries offer access to its services. Every month, the website has more than 250 million unique visits, and that makes it a great place to frequently scour for new work.

Job board best practices

Now that we have an idea of what places are best to start looking for work, it’s time to check our methods. There’s more to finding a great next step in your career beyond typing keywords into a search bar and spending hours scrolling.

Complete your profile

In order for recruiters to find and contact you for an interview, your profile needs to be fully set up and ready to go. If you haven’t updated your resume or social media profiles in a while, you should also make sure that all of the language and industry-specific programs you use are up-to-date.

Also, make sure that your profile and resume use the same language as job postings that you’re interested in. This is a crucial important step to take if you’re going to make your resume public on a job board. Employers are going to take note if you’re truly matching what they need, and you want to make sure they give you a chance. This also goes for your CV; the more “keyword rich” your resume is, the more likely that it’ll get past any automatic electronic filters. You want to make sure your application will be seen by actual living recruiters who are looking for people like you.

Reach out to hiring managers directly

you want to stand out from other candidates, so don’t be afraid to give it a shot and reach out.

Most job board listings won’t have direct contact information about the people who work in human resources at the companies you’re aiming to apply for. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to find out how to get in touch with them yourself. Try to find the company’s website or look for them on LinkedIn. From there, you can send a follow-up email about your application and create a personal connection with recruiters. Remember, you want to stand out from other candidates, so don’t be afraid to give it a shot and reach out.

Don’t forget that if you’re currently employed, it may be best to keep it discreet. Turn off that option on LinkedIn that says you’re looking for work; you don’t want your current employer to know you’re thinking about jumping ship.

Set up job alerts

Scrolling through job ad after job ad, is more than simply emotionally draining; it can be a valuable waste of your personal time and resources. While it may not seem appealing to have yet another thing clogging your inbox, it can be a major help to have jobs that truly seem like a good fit sent to you directly. By cutting down on the amount of time you have to spend scrolling through job postings, you can instead use that time to do more personal and active job search tasks, like making professional connections. Set up specific search parameters in the job alert functions so as to receive more personalized email alerts when roles that match what you are looking for come up.

From interviews to onboarding

Once you’ve been hired, it’s time for the onboarding process to begin. Even if you have a lot of experience in your industry, each office’s culture is unique. Ask plenty of questions, even if it seems like you know many of the answers. You’ll either confirm what you know or learn something new in the process. Take some time to review what the advertisement on the job listing said they were looking for, and write down some questions before entering the office on the first day. If your job training answers these questions, wonderful! You’ll always have fascinating questions if you don’t.

During your training period, you can show your new supervisor and coworkers you’re a valuable teammate by arriving early, taking initiative, and building relationships. A little goes a long way; you don’t need to be an irritating go-getter that makes everyone quietly vacate the break room. However, putting in the work early will establish a positive first impression that will stay beyond the onboarding process. Remember to think back to the ad you responded to; that window into the company can be a great guide for what kind of attitude to bring in. Try to mirror what companies are looking for while also being yourself and letting your skills shine. You’ve got this!

Start off on the right foot

Once you’ve been hired and onboarded, you know the drill — it’s time to get to work! To make your life in human resources even easier, we’ve designed a number of free resources and templates:

• 9 Steps to Starting People Operations
• The Ultimate ZIP File for HR Managers
• The Ultimate ZIP File for People Operations
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for HR Leaders