Getting a Web Development Job For Dummies (2015)

Part V. The Part of Tens

Chapter 20. Ten Interesting Job Search Websites for Web Developers

Searching for a job online can be kind of fun — or kind of awful. You can do it playfully, dreaming of a job being great, or worriedly, feeling a bit desperate for something to come through and get you off of the unemployment rolls, or out of a difficult situation at your current job.

These sites, which are especially helpful for web developers, are interesting alternatives to the large sites — the large job search sites such as Monster (www.monster.com) and Indeed (www.indeed.com).

One great way to go through the large sites is to use SimplyHired.com, which aggregates results from most of the large sites. With SimplyHired, you avoid duplication and wasted effort.

Dice.com

Dice.com (www.dice.com) is an ideal site for technically oriented jobs. Easy to use, fast, and limited to technical jobs, Dice is the most time-efficient site we’ve found for finding a job — especially contract work — quickly, without a lot of muss and fuss.

Dice.com started in Silicon Valley, and it’s still strongest and deepest there, but it’s built up strength in many other locations as well.

Dice, as fans call it, is very specific and to the point. For most of the jobs listed, you need to match the specific skills, technologies, and tools listed. Most of the recruiters are just trying to find a quick fit. The jobs are often just average in pay.

However, if you’re in a hurry to get a decent, if not necessarily spectacular, job, or you want to quickly check what’s out there in your field, and in your region, Dice.com is a great place to go first.

Elance/Odesk

We’re kind of cheating by combing Elance (www.elance.com) and Odesk (www.odesk.com) into one entry. However, although the sites are different, they overlap in a lot of ways. Not least is the fact that Elance, the company, recently acquired Odesk, which at that time was a separate company, and made them into one big company.

We’re also cheating by listing Elance and Odesk at all. These are really not job search sites. What they are is project boards, where potential clients post jobs they want done. You bid on jobs, take them, manage the project through the site’s tools, and get paid through the site as well.

There are several different approaches to doing well on Elance and Odesk, and each site has its own feel. (These differences may erode, however, as Elance “rationalizes its operations” — that is, combines functions internally and lays people off as a result.)

Check out these sites. You can start building a reputation on one or both sites by doing a few small jobs while you’re employed. Then you can up your presence on either site, or both, and make it into a nearly full-time or full-time gig.

We Work Remotely

Many Web developers are frustrated because the dream of living wherever you want and choosing the best jobs from a wide geographic area hasn’t come true for most of us. A surprising number of jobs — the vast majority — still require you to come into the office most days.

We Work Remotely (www.weworkremotely.com) is an alternative. This site lists jobs where you aren’t required to come into the office much: in fact, in most cases, never.

Competition is stiff for We Work Remotely jobs, but the site is worth checking out if you’re talented, but live off the beaten path for web development jobs.

Startupers

Startupers (www.startupers.com) is specifically for finding jobs in startups. You’ll see a lot of jobs in Silicon Valley, but others in New York, Boston, and other tech hubs as well.

This site is engineering-heavy, but there are visual developer-related jobs as well. There are only a few listings per day; you’re not likely to find a job in a hurry here, but it’s fun to keep an eye open while you’re in a long-term job, and you could easily find something interesting for a friend or colleague.

If you’ve ever dreamed of working in a startup — and, if you don’t already live in a tech hub, you’re willing to relocate — Startupers is a great site to check out.

Angel List

Angel List (www.angellist.com) is another specialized job board for startups. This one contains angel-funded startups looking for people who are, in many cases, willing to take stock options in return for a lower-than-usual salary.

If you’re a star, some of these companies may be willing to consider part-time or full-time remote work as well.

Angel List is another place where you don’t necessarily spend a lot of time if you’re pounding the pavement, virtually speaking, looking for a job in a hurry. But, like Startupers, it’s another good site to keep an eye on over time.

Authentic Jobs

Authentic Jobs (www.authenticjobs.com) is for creative types who want to “make a better web” — which means you! It tends to be engineering-heavy. Take a look — if you have the kind of skills that companies that post on Authentic Jobs are looking for, this one is worth coming back to.

Krop

Krop (www.krop.com) is a creative job board with positions that lean more toward designers, although there are positions for software developers here too. As with Authentic Jobs, check it out. If you’re in its target demographic, you’ll keep coming back.

Stackoverflow Careers

A stack overflow is something that happens when you’re programming and you try to store more information in limited, temporary storage — the stack — than will fit. Stackoverflow is a site for programmers to ask each other questions and get answers. The Careers (www.careers.stackoverflow.com/) area is where these same people go to find jobs.

You’re more likely to find a job on Stackoverflow Careers if you first become a contributor in the main Q&A part of Stackoverflow.

Coroflot

Coroflot (www.coroflot.com) is great for visual designers and related creative roles, whether freelance or full-time. You can narrow your search using scores of check boxes for specialty areas, including 3D Modeling, Account Management, Advertising, and many, many more.

LinkedIn.com and Glassdoor.com are information-sharing sites of different types. Both have added job search capabilities, and LinkedIn has jobs posted on company pages and in the many, many LinkedIn groups related to web development.