Interview prep

20 Tech Job Boards Nobody Told You About

New decade, new strategy - are you equipped for your job search?

If you're in the middle of a job search, you might be spending time on platforms like LinkedIn and Dice. I have some bad news for you: Traditional job sites like this are full of job postings that do not exist. 

Yes, you are wasting your time. A lot of your time. Ditch your ATS- keyword strategy. These jobs don't even exist.

How do I know this? Candor tracks over 8,000 companies in real time and we talk to recruiters every single day to negotiate salaries for tech employees. At any given moment, we know what's happening on the market and what's NOT happening on the job boards.

The market in 2020 is brutal, and if you're not applying for work the right way, you will spend 6+ months with no results. The right formula for this decade is:

Find open jobs + Warm Intro / Get Sourced + Intensive Prep = Profit

1. Make Friends in Venture Capital

The best job boards are in VCs' heads. If you never want to apply for a job again, make some friends in venture capital. Seriously- there are few more straightforward ways to find job opportunities that no one else has even heard of. Many of the most exciting jobs in tech are filled through people's networks and never posted. I've seen many tech positions get filled this way, from data science to operations roles. 

How to Make Friends in Venture Capital...

✔️ Get on Twitter

If you want to access the VC underground job market, you will have to hang out on Twitter, not LinkedIn. Twitter is more than social media, it's a chance to meet some of the most interesting people in tech. Strike up interesting conversations, engage in people's posts, and be consistent in making a good impression. Over time, as you become a familiar face- asking for an intro to a portfolio company won't be that hard.

While this may feel more intimidating than passively applying on platforms like ZipRecruiter or Glassdoor, this strategy will pay off.

One of the hottest startups right now, Fast, held a hiring event - did you even know about this? Oh, right - you're not on Twitter.

✔️ Send Cold Emails

Good news: VCs LOVE cold emails! Much of their business comes through cold emails, so they religiously open and read every message-- a much higher open rate than what you'd get from a busy hiring manager. Still, this is not a place to pray and spray. Be deliberate, targeted, and thoughtful in your emails.

An example email template you can use (it's cover letter-esque):

2. Start Exploring VC Job Boards

Posting a job on LinkedIn, Monster, Dice, and even Craigslist costs money. Tech companies are frugal, especially early on. And later on, when they're big, they tend to lose sight of taking down jobs they've posted on these platforms, or they keep them posted for other legal reasons (like immigration). More than anything, if you do exceptionally well in a VC's portfolio company (even if the startup folds), a good VC is better than any job board - they'll likely hook you up with your next job. I've seen it happen so many times.

The best VC job boards to find your next job (full-time roles)...

3. Find Hidden Job Boards in Online Communities

Many platforms have job boards that are either not advertised, or not well known. 

For Software Engineers and Data Scientists...

Some of the platforms you know already have job boards you might not be using:

  • StackOverflow - Filter jobs by salary range, technologies, remote work, relocation benefits, and more. You can also set job alerts to get notified of fresh jobs matching your search criteria.
  • Github Jobs - Dust off your profile. Many of you don't use the job feature of this platform. Fresh jobs are posted all the time all over the world and removed all the time when they become stale or fill up.

For Designers and Creatives...

  • AIGA Job - Jobs at companies like Facebook, Google, and other heavy-hitters.
  • Behance Job Board - I like this more than Dribble because you can see when jobs are posted. There are also jobs for other creatives in Marketing/Content.
  • Krop- This started as an email list and now it's a full-blown job search platform where you can find all sorts of creative jobs.

For Everyone: Full Time and Part Time Roles... 

  • Candor Hiring list - Live updating status on who's hiring with job site links
  • Candor LinkedIn Group - You can ask other members for referrals and advice 
  • AngelList - Predominantly startup roles, salaries are listed for most. 
  • Crunchboard - TechCrunch's job board shows when jobs are posted, includes remote jobs and job alerts.

4. Where Else Should You Look?

Stop thinking of LinkedIn as the "job place." There are many job-focused communities out there where you can have career conversations and find job opportunities.

Facebook Groups where you can often find job openings...

This is just a starting list of places you might want to check out - in the end, nothing beats having a strong network. If you invest some time into building this now, it will pay dividends for the rest of your career and give you access to the best tech jobs.

The information provided herein is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to provide tax, legal, or investment advice and should not be construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation of any security by Candor, its employees and affiliates, or any third-party. Any expressions of opinion or assumptions are for illustrative purposes only and are subject to change without notice. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results and the opinions presented herein should not be viewed as an indicator of future performance. Investing in securities involves risk. Loss of principal is possible.

Third-party data has been obtained from sources we believe to be reliable; however, its accuracy, completeness, or reliability cannot be guaranteed. Candor does not receive compensation to promote or discuss any particular Company; however, Candor, its employees and affiliates, and/or its clients may hold positions in securities of the Companies discussed.