What’s the best job site for finding a job? You won’t like my answer, which is, there isn’t one.

"But can’t you just name one site that I should use?" people always press. No, and here’s why.

There are more than 40,000 sites operated by commercial firms, newspapers, radio and television stations, trade publications, professional associations, universities, alumni groups and others. New ones pop up every day. They do everything from providing listings of employers’ job in your home town to around the world, says the International Association of Employment Web Sites, the trade association for the global online employment industry.

Some send you an automatic notice when a job matches your objective. Others offer resume writing assistance and interview tips, links to other resources assessment tests, even discussion groups.

The best ones for you depend on:

• What type of work you want—full time, part time, contract or consulting.
• Who you are—an executive or a ecologist.
• Where you’re looking for work—Oregon or Ohio.
• What features you’re looking for—databases for employers to see your resume or receiving a notification that a job matches your objective.

It’s wise to visit a site and see how it compares to what you need, says the association. Besides evaluating the features you want, look to see if the site is well designed, well maintained and easy to use.

They also suggest you use at least five sites regularly. These include two general purpose employment sites, one that focuses on your particular career, one that specializes in your industry and another that serves the geographic area where you want to be.

Let’s also put employment Web sites in perspective. They do have their place in a job search. But they should not be the only thing you do to find your next position. You need an overall strategy--which includes job sites—but only ones most helpful to you.

A smart job search strategy is similar to a search for new friends when moving to a different place. In that case, you’d take advantage of all avenues. You’d contact people you already know, ask people to introduce you to people they know and put yourself in situations where you meet like-minded people. Or you’d interact with others by volunteering or attending classes. You might even join an on-line group.

A shrewd job search strategy includes the same activities: Contacting people in companies in which you are interested in working as well as asking people you know to introduce you to people they know who can tell you about companies and possible jobs in the area. You’d also put yourself in situations with like-minded people such as professional associations in your industry or job-search groups. And finally, you’d sign up on employment Web sites and utilize job boards and sites that list a company’s opportunities.

If you don’t expand your search methods, you’ll end up like so many people I hear from saying they only spend their time on-line sending out resumes and wonder why they’ve only had one or two bites in a year. They are the ones who also think there is one, perfect job site out there—if only they could find it.

The quest to find the one perfect job site echoes the hope that a new job will, without a doubt, be found by the touch of a button. You may not want to hear this either, but most jobs are still found through direct contact.

© by Andrea Kay