Internet Job Hunting Tips For Product Mangers

Which Job Boards Work Best For Product Managers?
Which Job Boards Work Best For Product Managers?

In these tough times, even  Product Mangers may find themselves out on the street looking for a new job. Over at the Cranky Product Manager blog, there has been a fast moving discussion about what to do when you find yourself “between jobs”. One topic that has not been dealt with has been what Internet job boards work best for product mangers?

It turns out that there are currently over 60,000 different job boards on the Internet. What this means is that there are way too many for you to search all of them. Looks like you are going to need some help in narrowing down your search.

The Big Boys

Let’s start out with the ones that everyone knows (because of Superbowl ads): Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com. The job search experts pretty much all agree on these ones: they are actually a good place to go looking if you are are a young person looking for an entry level job. The older you are and the more experience you have, then you’ll want to look elsewhere.

What Job Boards Should I Be Looking At?

Here’s a quick list:

  • Jobbing.com – good for local employment, covers 41 metro areas, has staff that physically goes and meet with professional associations to talk about how to get hired.
  • Jobcentral.com – passes you right through to the web site of the firm that is posting the job so you know that your information will get to the right people.
  • Craigslist.com – you know it, you love it. Surprisingly enough this is one of the most open / transparent sites out there. Be careful though, it’s easy to start a scam and so don’t reveal too much too early.
  • Execunet.com – it’s a serious job site that really does a good job of cutting down on the noise and focusing on the jobs that are available.

Should You Pay To Get Access To Job Postings?

Some sites, like TheLadders.com and Execunet.com charge a fee if you want to respond to a job posting. Are they worth it? The answer seems to be yes. You don’t really have to pay too much and you seem to get access to good solid job postings. You will need to be careful because once you have paid to access the sites, they will keep trying to see you upgrades and more features.

Any Final Words?

You already know what I’m going to say – job boards of any type are not the ideal way for you to find your next job. The key is to get out there and network like there is no tomorrow. Remember, they say that 70% of jobs that get filled were never advertised!

When you go looking for  a product manager job, do you include online job boards in your search? Which sites do you use and why? Have you ever gotten a job this way? Leave me a comment and let me know what you are thinking.