When you need to fill a job, you do what everyone else does when they need to solve a problem—you turn to the internet. And the internet has no shortage of solutions. Your query will return dozens of job platforms, and they all insist that they can connect you with the perfect candidate. Many of them say that they will do it for free.
It’s a tall claim that is worthy of your skepticism. But not all of these claims are lies. Some of them can connect you with the employee of your dreams and you won’t have to pay a dime. However, in some cases, the platform’s free plan is so limited that it’d be foolish to expect that you’ll fill the role without putting some money behind it or the type of candidate that you are looking for is a small demographic on the platform.
Knowing where to look for talent is a difficult decision. Forbes Advisor is here to help point you in the direction that’s best for you.
Featured Partners
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BambooHR
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ATS
2
Pinpoint ATS
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24/7 customer support, easy-to-use interface, fast and flexible workflows, hundreds of integrations
3
ClearCompany
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Employee engagement
Popular Free Résumé Databases
We should dispel the notion that there is a “best” free résumé search database for employers. It’s not about finding the best platform. It’s about finding the platform (or platforms) that work best for you. You don’t want to limit your search to one platform. If you’re filling a wide range of roles (such as accountants, truck drivers and salespeople, for example), it’ll be difficult to find all that talent in one place.
The “right” résumé database is a function of your needs. Variables, such as the types of jobs you’re trying to place, your budget and the time frame for filling these roles, will make one database better than another. Because there is no single right answer, let’s examine some of the most popular résumé databases, highlighting their benefits and drawbacks, and identifying the ideal users for each platform.
PostJobFree
PostJobFree enables employers to search résumés and post jobs for free. At the time of writing, the company boasted that users posted over 1.5 million job entries and 3,280 résumés in the past seven days.
Cost: Free to search and post jobs; premium subscriptions start at $29 per month.
Benefits
PostJobFree eliminates some biases in the equation. Without contact information, you’re more focused on the merits of each candidate, especially since you have to pay to see the identity of that candidate.
Drawbacks
While searching is free, you have to pay to unlock contact information. In addition, you must purchase promoted job listings as part of your premium subscription, even if you don’t intend on listing jobs on this platform.
Who Is It For?
PostJobFree is for businesses of all sizes that don’t want to spend a lot on recruiting or have a low turnover. With that said, the solution is affordable for businesses that have to place high volumes of jobs—the top-tier subscription comes with 100 promoted job posts and 1,000 résumé contacts.
Jobvertise
Jobvertise is a free job site where employers and employees can post job listings and résumés.
Cost: Free, Starter ($29 per month), Standard ($59 per month), Pro Plan ($89 per month)
Benefits
Unlike other sites that allow users to search résumés for free, but lock contact information behind a paywall, Jobvertise doesn’t.
Drawbacks
The UI isn’t the most appealing, and many of the useful features are locked behind a paywall. With that said, paid subscriptions for Jobvertise are also less than competing platforms.
Who Is It For?
Since you can view three résumés for free every day, the solution is great for cash-strapped HR departments that don’t place a lot of jobs frequently, or in instances where you don’t need to place a candidate immediately.
LinkedIn is the most popular social media platform for professionals, with 810 million members spread out across over 200 countries. Quantity is a quality of its own. LinkedIn is a behemoth.
Cost: Basic (Free), Premium Essentials (starting at $39.99 per month), Recruiter Lite (starting at $1,439.88 per year), Premium Pro (starting at $669 per year)
Free trial: One month
Discount: Up to 33% off if you pay for the year upfront (discount varies by product)
Benefits
The platform is the largest professional network, so employers can cast wide nets without using multiple platforms. The site also enables users to list jobs, and premium subscriptions unlock 20 search filters and automated recommendations to find the perfect candidate.
Drawbacks
The free version of LinkedIn caps some features and doesn’t support others, which limits its efficacy as a reliable résumé search tool. And licenses for the platform can get quite expensive. Recruiter Lite plans start at $1,499, but that’s only if you pay for the year upfront. And even then, you’re still subject to caps, such as 30 InMail messages a month.
Who Is It For?
LinkedIn is for everyone, but you might have better luck placing some jobs over others on this platform. Nearly half of all LinkedIn users earn over $75,000 a year, so it’s not the best place for filling lower-wage jobs, especially when you’re paying thousands of dollars a year for a license.
Global businesses will also benefit from LinkedIn. More than 75% of LinkedIn users reside outside of the United States, which means recruiters who need to place similar jobs in Singapore, Rome and Sydney can still connect with each local labor market easily through one platform.
To get applications directly to your inbox learn how to post a job on LinkedIn for free.
Learn more about what it has to offer with our LinkedIn review.
Indeed
Cost: Free, Sponsored Posts (starting at $5 per day), Hiring Campaign (varies), Indeed Resume Standard ($100 per 30 contacts per month), Indeed Resume Professional ($250 per 100 contacts per month)
Free trial: Not available
Discount: 20% for those who pay for a year upfront
Benefits
Indeed boasts over 200 million résumés in its database, which means you have a large pool to draw from. It also provides employers with low-cost options for promoting job listings on the platform, and a hiring campaign service to integrate Indeed into your existing HR platforms.
Drawbacks
Indeed can get pricey for businesses that are trying to place large volumes of jobs. Indeed Resume subscriptions are based on the number of times you make contact with users on the platform in a month. The more users you contact, the higher your bill.
Who Is It For?
Indeed is ideal for SMBs that don’t have a big recruiting budget and employers who need to fill generic, non-specific job roles, such as clerks at a store or cleaning staff at a hotel. According to Indeed, businesses that make up to 11 hires a year can benefit from Indeed Resume Standard, while those making a dozen or more would benefit from Indeed Resume Professional.
If you’re ready to get started, learn how to post a job on Indeed.
Learn more about what it has to offer with our Indeed review.
Ladders
Ladders serves one purpose: placing high-echelon jobs that pay six-figure salaries or higher. Ladders offers a free subscription, but it is very limited, capping recruiters at ten job postings, résumé views and emails through the platform each month. Monthly subscriptions enable you to post more jobs, view more résumés, contact more candidates each month and unlock access to advanced features.
Cost: Basic (Free), Lite Access ($199 per month), Full Access ($597 per month), Enterprise (varies)
Free trial: Not available
Discount: 20% when you pay for a year upfront
Benefits
Ladders offers an extensive database of over 10 million blue-chip professionals. In other words, there is a lot of big fish in a vast sea to choose from. Ladders also provides subscribers with a robust toolkit for refining results and contacting candidates directly from within the platform.
Drawbacks
Access to high-value candidates doesn’t come cheap. You can try your luck with the free version if you’re not in a rush to find the right match. You probably want to look at more than ten people when searching for the next President of Sales.
If you are tasked with placing both highly technical jobs and less exclusive roles, then you’re going to have to use Ladders plus another service, a redundancy that will make your HR budget appear bloated.
Who Is It For?
If you’re looking to place executive and managerial positions, attorneys, chemists, IT professionals and the like, then Ladders is an excellent choice.
Featured Partners
1
BambooHR
Yes
Yes
ATS
2
Pinpoint ATS
Yes
Yes
24/7 customer support, easy-to-use interface, fast and flexible workflows, hundreds of integrations
3
ClearCompany
Yes
Yes
Employee engagement
JobSpider
JobSpider is a free résumé database and job posting board. Employers can search résumés and post job listings.
Cost: Free
Benefits
JobSpider is totally free. You don’t have to pay to post jobs or contact users, regardless of how much attention you get or whether you place the position or not.
Drawbacks
JobSpider has a limited feature set. While it can integrate with your applicant tracking system (ATS), JobSpider doesn’t allow users to do anything besides post jobs and search résumés. In addition, the database isn’t as large as others on this list.
Who Is It For?
JobSpider is for everyone. There are thousands of résumés from candidates representing all job levels from dozens of fields. But the platform is also ideal for those with a small recruiting budget, as you can use it to supplement other paid résumé databases.
MightyRecruiter
MightyRecruiter offers free access to a database of over 21 million résumés.
Cost: MightyRecruiter accounts are free, but there are paid plans with added features.
Benefits
Not only do you have access to millions of résumés for free, but MightyRecruiter also enables users to post jobs across 29 different platforms through a single platform. The platform also has a lot of helpful tips to help employers find the best candidate possible.
Drawbacks
MightyRecruiter might be free, but it lacks some of the advanced features you’d find on similar platforms.
Who Is It For?
MightyRecruiter is for HR departments in businesses of all sizes in a wide range of industries that want to take advantage of an applicant tracking system but have a limited budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best site for posting a job listing?
As with résumé databases, there is no “best” place to list a job. The best platform comes down to the one that fits your budget and has an ample supply of users who are looking for the job you want to place. However, there are a number of leading job boards, such as Indeed, LinkedIn, and Google Jobs. Learn more about the best places to post a job listing.
What should I look for in a résumé when selecting which candidate to interview?
There are some superficial components of a résumé that might help you decide which candidates to steer clear of—for example, a five-page résumé rife with spelling and grammar errors. But outside of that, the “perfect” résumé is a function of your needs. If the résumé checks the boxes that you put in the job description, then you should take the next step with that candidate.
What kind of software helps with talent acquisition?
Recruiting software and human resources software are terrific resources that you can use to help to find employees for your business or organization. Read our article on the best recruiting software of 2024, which can help make your hiring process easier. Our guide on how to hire employees can also help.
What is the best site to post jobs?
There are many sites where you can post job listings. LinkedIn, Indeed and Monster are some of the most popular nonspecialized job websites, boasting hundreds of millions of users.
