Image via Unsplash by Markus Spiske

January seems to be synonymous with fresh starts, clean slates and carpe diem attitudes. When that clock strikes midnight, people are already harnessing their ‘new year, new me’ mentality – and for a lot of folks, that means searching for a new job. It’s no surprise that job search engines get a lot of love around this time of the year. According to CNN’s Jeanne Sahadi, “at least half of the top 10 highest job search days for the year fall in January for Monster. And typically January is the busiest month for other job search sites, such as Glassdoor.”

While I’m happily employed with no plans of of joining the job searching party, the FOMO is real for me and I can’t help but scroll through job postings just for the sake of staying in the loop within the industry. What are companies looking for in applicants? Are there any new technology skills that are popping up on postings? What jobs are declining, and what positions are gaining popularity? It wasn’t too terribly long ago that I was sifting through job sites, changing filter settings and trying to figure out how to hit as many birds with one stone as possible. Personally, I based my preferences on location, keywords and company reviews – and it took me plenty of trial and error to figure out which sites were worth my hours of scrolling time, and which ones I shouldn’t even bother opening.

So, without further ado, I present to you…the ultimate job search engine cheat sheet: The Best Job Sites for 2017

Image via The Best Job Sites for 2017

This beautiful piece of literature combines a few of my favorite things: thorough research, organized lists, quick facts and a categorized layout for the skim readers among us. One of the often forgotten challenges of job searching is the fact that what works for one applicant won’t necessarily work for another. Even though your pal Sally might have loved Indeed’s search filters, you might find yourself gravitating toward Glassdoor’s extensive collection of company pay data. I’ve also struggled with an inner fear that I have to search all of the job sites – I mean, what if that HR guy only posted my dream position to one site? This is an incredible resource that any job seeker, especially a soon-to-be college graduate, can benefit from reading. The Best Job Sites for 2017 is motivational for folks struggling with where to even start as well. The research is pretty extensive and nicely done, and the 30-Second Review is the icing on the cake for those of you who just want a quick point in the right direction.

If you’ve been putting off that resolution to change up your work life, this is the perfect time (and the perfect tool) to boost your productivity. Unsure of how to organize your job search once you’ve narrowed down positions worth applying for? Check out #3 from one of my earlier posts about job searching. Plus, stay tuned for an upcoming post with free spreadsheet templates I’ve used to help organize my own personal job searches and applications.

This post is part of my Monday Motivation series, where I share what’s been getting me pumped up and ready to work every week. From inspiring quotes and noteworthy articles, to new organizational tools and worthwhile books – if it’s motivating me, you’ll find it here.