The best job websites in the UK

These are strange times for the UK’s employment market.

Despite low unemployment and a healthy 74 per cent employment rate among 16 to 64 year olds, there are chronic shortages of personnel in many key industries.

This is partly due to soaring levels of people claiming benefits instead of working, partly due to post-Brexit rules on legal migration, and partly due to the reality of many roles.

Studying an ology at university has long been preferable to learning a trade. This has left us chronically short of builders, chefs, nursery staff, plumbers, care workers, broadband engineers…

In some industries, it’s a candidate’s market. In others, employers are tightening up where and when staff are allowed to work after years of pandemic-powered largesse.

Ironically, because the UK’s recruitment market is so volatile, now is potentially a great time to consider a new career.

If you’re reading this in a quiet moment at work, dreaming of a new career opportunity, these are the best job websites in the UK where your potential can be advertised – and realised…

The best job websites in the UK

1. LinkedIn.

This is a unique amalgam of shop window, job tool and social media platform. We recently discussed how and why 41 million UK adults have created LinkedIn profiles.

While exaggeration is par for the course, deception won’t hold up with most of your current and former colleagues and managers also on the site. Be proud and positive but also modest.

2. Indeed.

There’s nothing modest about Indeed’s boast to have filled 16 million vacancies, though it does reprise a number of the features which also underpin LinkedIn – not least an app.

You can upload a CV, develop a candidate profile and create customised searches. Employers are able to access analytics, obtain hiring insights and peruse a healthy resource library.

3. Glassdoor.

If LinkedIn and Indeed sometimes feel employer-focused, Glassdoor redresses the balance by offering detailed salary data and allowing former employees to rate their old places of work.

An intuitive user interface has drop-down options for working from home, salary ranges and how well the company is regarded by ex-staff. There’s also a thriving workplace community.

4. Monster.

Once renowned (or notorious) for both its tough recruitment policies and generous staff perks, Monster’s job-search interface remains a paragon of simplicity.

It’s possible to filter roles by title, category, shift pattern, remote working options or even by employer. There are 20 categories of sales jobs listed (advisor, associate, director, manager).

5. Reed.

While platforms like FlexJobs are really American sites with a few British vacancies, Reed is a UK-specific site listing hundreds of thousands of domestic vacancies.

Extensive search filters include unusual features like graduate roles and the ability to weed out agency ads. There are also profile pages, cover letter templates and a career advice hub.

6. TotalJobs.

Another site offering quirky features is TotalJobs, where you can search by commuting time and transport options, as well as filtering salaries by annual, daily or even hourly rates.

Its interface isn’t the most intuitive, but TotalJobs also has a six-figure collection of UK roles, while extensive careers advice includes quizzes aimed at unearthing new skillsets.

A few points worth noting

The recruitment sector is itself in a state of flux, with many agencies desperately short of candidates.

CareerBuilder’s UK website is no longer available, while Google Jobs merely scrapes known vacancies off other job boards – much to the latter’s displeasure.

Salaries may be rising to attract new workers, but the days of mouse clickers and mid-morning naps are drawing to a close as employers refocus on productivity and a return to the office.

A two-page CV and a one-page personal statement capable of being converted into a covering letter should represent every candidate’s starting point into the UK jobs market.

Don’t be embarrassed about career breaks, but do remain honest. In an increasingly cynical age, attempts at deception will undermine any future requests for autonomy and trust.