The reason they are so successful is because they are really trying to revolutionise the job search space. For example, it is possible for companies to get their jobs posted on Indeed for FREE meaning not only do companies avoid the 20% overhead that agencies charge, they also don't even have to pay job-board listing costs. Finally, they have most of the of the jobs of the other job boards on there too, so if you're a regular user of Monster then you can still use Indeed instead since all Monster jobs are listed on Indeed.

There is one downside that I can think of which is really an upside. Since Indeed link you directly to the companies job application page this will mean there may be additional job related questions at the target companies site. This means you will be able to apply to fewer positions since you will have to seriously consider each role and company you are applying to and you won't be able to just spam your CV out to multiple jobs. CV spamming is such a bad idea anyway that you should actually be pleased about this. Be prepared to investigate the company you are interested in, try and find someone you know who works there (this will often bypass the application process getting you an interview immediately) and if that fails fill out their application form.

I am not suggesting that you stop using the other job sites - some of the others still have their plus points. JobServe has the market well covered when it comes to IT or financial positions and their jobs are not listed on Indeed so if you're in one of these markets I'd still search the other sites too.

If you have found a job through another job board but you can't find the company name who is hiring, why not try searching for similar text through Indeed? Chances are high that you'll be able to apply directly to the company giving yourself a much better chance of getting an interview.

Here's a summary of the data I used in part 1 of this review and links to the various job sites - good luck in your search!

Number of jobs found in London, UK on the 3rd May 2011

Indeed job search often links you straight to the hiring company

Recruitment agencies charge the companies they represent 15 - 20% of the salary of the person they employ. That means, if they successfully place someone in a £40,000 salary position the recruitment agent will receive £8,000. Here's what they do for that money:

1. They search through their CV database for suitable candidates using a keyword filter. The keyword filter is normally supplied by the employer. 
2. They post an advert on multiple job sites - e.g. JobServe, Monster and Reed. This will cost them less than £500 total.
3. They receive hundreds of CV applications and then use the keyword filter again on these CVs whilst adding all these new CVs to their CV database and adding the candidate to their mailing list.
4. They perform manual filtering using an unqualified professional. This may involve them giving you a call to get a feel for whether you're qualified or not.
5. They normally then submit the 3 CVs they have expertly selected to the company to review.

So, if you apply to your job through a recruitment agent (please don't!) you immediately give yourself three penalties:

1. You might get unfairly filtered out by their keyword filter.
2. You might get unfairly filtered out by their unqualified manual filter. 
3. You cost your future employer a 20% overhead.  This immediately makes you less attractive than a comparible applicant who applied directly through the company's website and it kills your salary negotiation chances.
4. You may actually know someone at the company that are hiring. Get your linkedin account booted up and check - this could be the foot in the door you need, which you simply will not get with an agent.

Why allow the recruitment agent 20% for a job badly done when some of that money could be in your pocket through good salary negotiation?

UK Job Site Review Summary

I have measured them firstly on the number of the jobs they have available for various job roles to give you a flavour of where they succeed or let themselves down. I have also measured their usefulness in terms of how often they provide links directly to the company who is offering the job or if you have to go through an agency to apply for the job.

UK job site comparison - number of jobs at each site

Woah! What's going on here? Monster is probably the job site that you have heard of the most and yet it has the fewest number of jobs. Why do people waste their time searching for jobs through Monster lists? Why does indeed have so many jobs? Note that in order for jobs listed by Monster, Reed and the others to be visible I had to limit the scale of this chart.  Indeed, for example, has over 100,000 jobs for managerial positions in the UK which totally dwarves the rest of the job boards and ruined the chart.

The reason why Indeed has so many jobs is that it includes all of the jobs from most of the other job sites listed (one notable absence is jobserve) but also, criticically, they index jobs directly from company career and jobs pages. What does this mean for you the job seeker? Well, if you apply to a job directly through the companies job pages you give yourself two key benefits in your job application vastly increasing your chances of success.

Full disclosure: I am an affiliate of indeed meaning that if you click on any of the Google adverts on the right hand side of their page then I'll earn some pennies. I am also an affiliate of most of the other job sites (who charge money for listing) and would earn more money if I promoted them instead but Indeed really are the best in my opinion.

UK job site review part 2 - the death of the recruitment agent