7 alternative job portals where you can find less common jobs from

Searching for a job can sometimes be akin to a trip to a dentist — long, drawn out, and sometimes very painful. Anyone who’ve had to go through the processes will know just how mentally exhausting it is. And it’s true what they say, searching for the perfect job is a full-time job on its own.

And while there are plenty of generalist job portals out there, what if your idea of a perfect job is something a little less… generic? If you’re keen on a specific job industry, and are tired of sifting through thousands of standard job listings, you might want to look outside of JobsDB or Jobs Street.

From jobs in fashion to tech startups, here are some alternative job portals that might help narrow your search a bit more.

1. Cult Jobs

In the past, if you wanted a job in the creative field, you had to sift through a bunch of generalist job sites or relied on a recommendation from someone.

Now with Cult Jobs, interested job seekers can look for positions such as graphic designers, curators, copywriters, fashion assistants etc. all on one job portal instead.

The portal has a mix of ads from both name brand companies as well as smaller, independent boutiques so creative job seekers will be pleased by the selection offered.

2. Business of Fashion

Fashion jobs are notoriously hard to get, given that it’s a niche industry that tends to favour word-of-mouth applicants. It’s glamorisation in popular culture have made it an increasingly fashionable (pun intended) and in-demand industry for many youths.

While in the past you might have to cold call companies or get a referral from a friend of a friend, now you can go to BOF Careers, a sub-division by The Business of Fashion, a fashion trade publication that reports on industry news from an analytical and business point of view.

As BOF Careers are global, you might be able to check out what are the available fashion careers in other countries as well if you’re willing to relocate.Last we checked, companies such as Charles & Keith, Cartier and Burberry all list job ads on the site within Singapore.

3. Telum Media Alert 

If you’re already a working journalist or in the marketing/PR field, you should be familiar with Telum’s weekly media alerts. But if you’re not, and are looking to break into these fields, then this is an incredible resource to know.

Not only does Telum send out weekly blasts to update the comings and goings of the media field, but they also send out updates on journalist jobs within Singapore and Southeast Asia.

As many industry professionals use Telum as a way to update their peers on job designation changes, new publications as well as vacancies, signing up for their alerts is one of the fastest ways to see if your favourite publication has an opening.

They also spotlight freelancers if you’re in-between jobs and are open to commissions from magazines.

4. Tech In Asia 

As the world grows increasingly digital, especially with many offices still working remotely during the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, tech has been a popular industry for many fresh graduates.

If this is the field that you’re thinking of entering, you might want to head to Tech In Asia, the largest English-language technology media company that focuses on Asia.

Not only do they focus on the latest news and trends with tech and startups, they also have a job portal that exclusively features jobs within tech companies. The jobs aren’t exclusively tech-related though as we chanced upon HR and finance positions.

Each job ad also features a salary range as well, which is super helpful if you ever had to negotiate a job offer.

5. StartUp Jobs Asia

If climbing the corporate ladder and a structured hierarchal system isn’t for you, then you might want to look for a job within a startup.

Startup Jobs Asia was created when companies realised the challenges behind finding suitable talent for startups in Asia, therefore the platform was established to link the two groups together.

If you love hustle culture, and want to work for a company that aligns with your own personal vision, this is a great place to start your job search.

6. Halfthesky Asia

Trying to make it in the corporate world is tough enough. Now add being a woman to that equation and you’ve got yourself a whole extra set of issues.

With a commitment to create a more level playing field in the office for female professionals, Halfthesky Asia is an online career platform that has a strong belief in encouraging gender diversity in the workplace and to increase female representation at every level.

The platform works exclusively with companies who have polices and initiatives needed for female employees to succeed such as flexible working arrangements, equal pay initiatives, female leadership, mentorship programs, paid parental leave, childcare facilities and more.

The company looks at themselves as more than just a career platform and once connected, you’ll be linked to HTS Circle, the platform’s community and mentors.

7. LinkedIn

Now this might be an obvious one, but LinkedIn as a social platform and job portal is a lot more important than you think. As a job seeker, if you’re interested in a particular company, all the information you require (such as available positions and relevant skill matches), are all readily available on the company’s profile.

And if you activate to a premium account (which LinkedIn occasionally gives out free monthly trials), you can even see where you stand amongst other applicants within jobs you apply for.

But the best part about LinkedIn is that almost every working professional has one.

So if you’re looking to raise your chances at being noticed (as opposed to just using the Easy Apply function), you can always look for the hiring manager or talent acquisitions team of the company that you are applying at and connect with them directly.

This article was first published in CLEO Singapore.