Find a Job

If you’re job-hunting in the UK, start with Indeed, LinkedIn and one or two UK-focused boards rather than trying every site. These are established, heavily used options—not a ranking of which site will get you the most interviews. Recent UK website-traffic data puts Indeed and Totaljobs among the most-visited employment sites. (similarweb.com)

Add a specialist site if it fits your field: NHS Jobs for NHS roles, Civil Service Jobs for central government, Tes Jobs for teaching, CharityJob for charities, or jobs.ac.uk for higher education and research. For a general search, the government’s Find a job service covers England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has a separate service. (jobhelp.campaign.gov.uk)

My practical shortlist: set alerts on Indeed + LinkedIn, then add CV-Library or Totaljobs. Use the relevant specialist site if you have a target sector.

Here are the job search sites most people in the UK use, starting with the biggest.

The main general job sites

1. Indeed (indeed.co.uk) is the biggest. Similarweb ranked it the most visited jobs and careers website in the UK in September 2026. It lists roughly 3.5 million UK jobs at any time. It's a good first stop for almost any role.
2. Totaljobs is the runner-up in UK traffic. It comes second, behind Indeed. It has over 21 million registered candidates and over 280,000 live job adverts.
3. Reed.co.uk is a long-established UK board. It's strongest for mid-market admin, finance and customer service roles. It has over 5 million UK users a month.
4. LinkedIn is best for professional and white-collar roles and for networking. It's the dominant platform for roles above £45,000. Recruiters also headhunt there, so keep your profile up to date.
5. CV-Library is a solid mainstream option. It's trusted by over 12,000 employers advertising over 220,000 vacancies, with about 4.2 million active users a month. Recruiters search its CV database.
6. Glassdoor ranks third in UK traffic. It sits behind Indeed and Totaljobs. It's most useful for company reviews and salary information.
7. Adzuna aggregates listings from many sources. One review picks it for hiring insights and salary data. It also has a CV-valuation tool.

Sector-specific sites

• NHS Jobs (jobs.nhs.uk) is essential for healthcare. It's among the five most popular UK jobs sites by traffic.
• Civil Service Jobs is essential for government roles. One guide calls it essential for government work.
• Find a Job (gov.uk) is the free government board. It does particularly well for warehouse, driver and care roles.
• CWJobs is for tech roles. One guide rates it best for tech hiring.
• Gradcracker is for STEM graduates. One guide rates it best for graduate recruitment.
• Guardian Jobs is for public and ethical sectors. It leads in the public and ethical sectors. The same source recommends Otta for tech startups.

Suggested approach

• Set up job alerts on Indeed, Totaljobs and Reed, and use LinkedIn for networking and mid-to-senior roles.
• Add the sector site for your field, such as NHS Jobs, Civil Service Jobs or Gradcracker.
• Check Glassdoor before applying or interviewing to see company reviews and pay.

Some of the "best of" rankings I found are from recruitment-industry blogs, and some of their statistics are dated. I'd trust the traffic rankings more than the market-share figures.

Whether you’re looking for a graduate role, a tech position, a trade job, or a career in the public sector, the UK job market relies heavily on a mix of major job aggregators, traditional UK job boards, and specialized sector portals.

The top job search sites and platforms that people in the UK actually use are broken down below by category:

1. The Big All-Rounders (Highest Volume)

• Indeed UK (indeed.co.uk)
  • Best for: Sheer volume across all industries and skill levels.
  • Why people use it: It’s the largest job site in the UK. Virtually every company or recruitment agency cross-posts here. It’s ideal for quickly searching local jobs, blue-collar roles, retail, hospitality, and entry- to mid-level office roles.
• Reed (reed.co.uk)
  • Best for: Traditional general job searching and agency postings.
  • Why people use it: Reed is a household name in the UK. It features a healthy mix of direct employer listings and recruitment agency posts, along with career advice and courses.
• Totaljobs (totaljobs.com)
  • Best for: Regional searches and mid-tier professional roles.
  • Why people use it: One of the UK’s longest-running job sites (which also powers other partner sites like Jobsite). It has a very strong presence outside London in regional UK hubs.
• CV-Library (cv-library.co.uk)
  • Best for: Getting headhunted by recruiters.
  • Why people use it: While you can search for jobs directly, its real power lies in uploading your CV to their database. UK recruitment agencies actively search CV-Library to source candidates for unadvertised roles.

2. Professional, Tech, & Startup Platforms

• LinkedIn
  • Best for: Corporate, white-collar, tech, management, and agency headhunting.
  • Why people use it: Essential in the UK for mid-to-senior level office roles, marketing, finance, tech, and HR. Setting your profile to "Open to Work" often yields direct messages from UK recruiters and internal talent acquisition teams.
• Otta (otta.com)
  • Best for: Tech companies, scale-ups, modern corporate roles, and remote work.
  • Why people use it: Extremely popular among tech workers, product managers, marketers, and young professionals. Otta curates high-quality roles, shows transparent salary ranges upfront, and matches jobs based on your specific criteria.

3. Public Sector & Essential Services (Must-Use for Specific Careers)

If you are looking for government, healthcare, or education jobs in the UK, you should apply directly through these dedicated portals rather than general job boards:

• Civil Service Jobs (civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk)
  • Best for: UK Government roles across various departments (Treasury, Home Office, DWP, etc.).
• NHS Jobs (jobs.nhs.uk or Trac)
  • Best for: Clinical and non-clinical positions within the National Health Service.
• TES (Times Educational Supplement) (tes.com/jobs)
  • Best for: Primary/secondary school teachers, teaching assistants, and school leadership roles.
• Guardian Jobs (jobs.theguardian.com)
  • Best for: Charities, NGOs, public sector, arts, media, and higher education.

4. Specialized Industry Sites

• eFinancialCareers (efinancialcareers.co.uk): The go-to site for investment banking, finance, fintech, and accounting roles, particularly in London and Edinburgh.
• CWJobs (cwjobs.co.uk): A leading UK job board specifically dedicated to IT and tech professionals.
• Caterer.com: The industry standard for UK hospitality, restaurant, hotel, and catering roles.

5. Research & Salary Verification

• Glassdoor UK (glassdoor.co.uk)
  • Best for: Researching salaries, interview processes, and employee reviews for UK employers while browsing job listings.

Top Tips for Job Hunters in the UK

1. Upload your CV to database boards: In the UK, recruitment agencies do a massive amount of the hiring legwork. Uploading your CV to CV-Library, Reed, and Totaljobs lets recruiters find you directly.
2. Beware of duplicate listings: UK recruitment agencies often post the exact same job on multiple boards. If possible, try to trace the job title/description back to the direct employer’s careers page and apply directly.
3. Keep your UK CV format sharp: Keep it to 2 pages maximum, focus on achievements/metrics, and omit personal details like age, marital status, or a headshot photo (photos are rarely used on UK CVs).

The best UK job-search sites are Indeed, LinkedIn, Reed, Totaljobs, CV-Library and the government’s Find a Job service. Most applicants get better coverage by using two or three rather than relying on one site.

Recommended combinations

• Most jobseekers: Indeed + LinkedIn + Reed.
• Administration, finance or education: Reed + Indeed + LinkedIn.
• Trades, logistics or engineering: CV-Library + Indeed + Totaljobs.
• Professional or senior roles: LinkedIn + targeted employer career pages + a specialist recruiter.
• Local or part-time work: Indeed + Find a Job + Gumtree.
• Charity and nonprofit work: Add CharityJob.
• Technology roles: Add CWJobs and specialist tech-recruitment sites.

Use employer career pages as well as job boards: vacancies posted directly by the employer may offer a clearer application route and less duplication. Check the advert’s employer identity, salary basis, location and application URL, especially on open marketplaces.

In the UK, I’d start with Indeed + LinkedIn + Reed, then add a specialist board for your sector. Most people don’t use just one site — the trick is 2–3 good ones plus direct employer career pages.

Best overall / most-used UK job sites

Best specialist UK sites

• Civil Service Jobs — civil service roles across the UK.
• NHS Jobs — NHS and healthcare roles.
• Teaching Vacancies — England teaching jobs; also check local authority/school sites.
• jobs.ac.uk — universities, research and academic roles.
• CharityJob — charity, NGO and social-impact roles.
• Guardian Jobs — media, charity, public sector, marketing and graduate roles.
• Prospects / Milkround / Gradcracker — graduates, internships and placements.
• Otta / Welcome to the Jungle — tech/startup roles.
• CWJobs — UK tech and IT roles.
• Gumtree / Facebook groups — local, part-time and trades work, but higher scam risk.

My practical recommendation: use Indeed for breadth, LinkedIn for professional visibility, Reed as a UK generalist, and one sector-specific site. Always check the employer’s own careers page before applying, and never pay a fee or share bank details for a job.

The top job search sites that people in the UK actually use are Indeed, Reed.co.uk, LinkedIn, Totaljobs, and CV-Library. These consistently rank highest for traffic, listings volume, recruiter activity, and real-world usage based on recent comparisons and data.

No single site covers everything—many roles appear on only one platform—so the smartest approach is to use 2–3 in combination (e.g., Indeed for volume + Reed or LinkedIn for quality/networking). Here's a breakdown of the leaders:

• Indeed — The clear #1 for most people. It has the broadest reach and highest volume of listings across all sectors (retail, logistics, admin, customer service, entry-level, and more). It acts as both a direct board and aggregator, pulling in jobs from company sites and elsewhere. It's the default starting point for quick searches and mobile apps, with features like salary estimates and instant applications. Many sources describe it as having the largest market share or candidate traffic in the UK.

• Reed.co.uk — A long-established UK favourite (since 1995) that's especially strong for professional, office, admin, logistics, and agency-listed roles. It offers good local filters, a salary checker, courses, and a large CV database that recruiters actively search. It's often praised for feeling more curated and UK-specific than pure aggregators.

• LinkedIn — Essential for networking, professional/senior roles, tech, corporate, marketing, finance, and graduate opportunities. Recruiters heavily use it for direct outreach and "Open to Work" signals. It's less about raw volume and more about visibility to hiring managers and passive opportunities. Keep your profile updated and active.

• Totaljobs — A solid all-rounder with strong coverage in office, industrial, engineering, hospitality, construction, healthcare, and trades. It often appears in employer comparisons for reliable volume and is part of broader networks (sometimes bundled with Jobsite or CWJobs).

• CV-Library — Popular for entry-level, apprenticeships, trades, manufacturing, driving, and volume hiring. It has a large searchable CV database that recruiters use, plus broad distribution through partner sites. Good for regional and early-career roles.

Other Strong Options Worth Considering

• Adzuna — Useful aggregator with salary transparency and market insights.
• Glassdoor — Best for researching companies, salaries, and reviews before applying (not primarily a high-volume board).
• gov.uk Find a Job — Free government service (run via Adzuna in some capacities) for broad reach, especially useful for certain employers or public-sector-adjacent roles.
• Sector specialists: NHS Jobs (healthcare), Civil Service Jobs (government/public sector), CharityJob (non-profits), or industry-specific boards.

Quick Tips for Job Hunting in the UK

Set up alerts on your main sites, upload a strong CV (many allow quick applications), and tailor applications where possible. Verify listings to avoid duplicates or outdated ads, which are more common on big aggregators. For professional roles, LinkedIn networking can give an edge beyond just applying.

Start with Indeed today for the widest net, add Reed or LinkedIn based on your sector/level, and check one or two others as needed. Good luck with your search!

The top UK job sites people actually use are Indeed, LinkedIn, Reed, Totaljobs, and CV‑Library, with NHS Jobs, Civil Service Jobs, CWJobs, and Guardian Jobs leading in specific sectors.

✅ The most widely used UK job sites (general boards)

These platforms dominate UK job searching and appear consistently across all three sources.

Indeed UK — The highest‑volume job platform in the UK, with ten new jobs added every second and ~77% market share among active job seekers. Best for broad searches across all sectors. CV‑Library — One of the UK’s largest dedicated job boards, strong across trades, engineering, healthcare, logistics, finance and admin. Great for being found by recruiters via its CV database. Reed — Over 24,000 employers posting roles yearly and nearly 300,000 live listings at any time. Strong for admin, customer service, marketing, education, and public sector. Totaljobs — Partnered with Jobsite, reaching 6 million job seekers monthly and hosting ~100,000 live adverts. Excellent filtering and career advice. Adzuna — Aggregates over 1 million UK listings and offers the ValueMyCV salary‑estimation tool. Useful for salary benchmarking.

✅ Professional network platforms

LinkedIn Jobs — Over 30 million UK users. The dominant platform for professional, white‑collar, and senior roles. Essential for roles above ~£45k.

✅ Best UK sector‑specific job boards

These appear consistently across sources and are essential depending on your field.

NHS Jobs — The official portal for NHS roles; most clinical and admin jobs post here first. Civil Service Jobs — The exclusive portal for UK government roles. CWJobs — The UK’s leading tech job board, strong for software, data, cybersecurity, and cloud roles. Guardian Jobs — High‑quality listings for public sector, charity, NGO, media, creative, and education roles. Prospects — The UK’s main graduate job portal, used by universities nationwide.

✅ Best remote‑friendly UK job boards

FlexJobs — Vetted remote listings; ~5,000 UK‑specific remote roles at any time. We Work Remotely — Strong for tech, design, and marketing remote roles. Remote.co — Broad industry coverage with 2,000+ new remote/hybrid roles daily. Remote OK — 129,000+ remote listings, strong for tech and startups.

📊 Quick comparison table — which site for which need

Situation | Best UK job sites | Sources Broadest coverage | Indeed, CV‑Library | 3 Professional / white‑collar | LinkedIn, Reed | 3 Admin / customer service | Reed, Totaljobs | 3 Tech / IT / engineering | CWJobs, LinkedIn | 3 NHS / healthcare | NHS Jobs | 2 Government / civil service | Civil Service Jobs | 1 Creative / media / charity | Guardian Jobs | 2 Graduate roles | Prospects, Milkround | 2 Remote work | FlexJobs, Remote.co, WWR | 1 3 Sources3

✅ Practical guidance: how many sites to use?

Using 2–3 active boards is optimal:

One general board (Indeed or CV‑Library) One professional network (LinkedIn) One sector‑specific board (e.g., NHS Jobs, CWJobs, Guardian Jobs)

✅ Which ones should most people start with?

If you want a simple, effective UK job search stack:

Indeed — maximum volume LinkedIn — professional visibility Reed or Totaljobs — strong mid‑market roles Add one sector board depending on your field

Would you like me to tailor a shortlist based on your industry, experience level, or whether you need remote or visa‑sponsoring roles?

The top job search sites and platforms widely used across the United Kingdom include:

Indeed UK: One of the largest general job search engines and aggregators in the UK, featuring a massive volume of local and national daily listings. LinkedIn: The leading professional networking and career platform used heavily by UK employers, recruiters, and job seekers for direct applications and networking. Reed.co.uk: A prominent UK-specific job board with a heavily downloaded mobile app, thousands of active vacancies, and an average salary checker. CV-Library: One of the UK's largest independent generalist job boards where candidates can upload CVs for proactive recruiter matching. Glassdoor: Widely used for job hunting combined with transparent company reviews, interview insights, and salary expectations from real employees. Totaljobs: A major UK-focused general job board covering a wide array of industries and permanent or contract roles.

If you let me know:Your target industry or job title Your desired location or remote preference I can recommend more specialized niche boards tailored to your field.

The United Kingdom job market relies on a mix of massive global search engines, robust homegrown UK job boards, and professional networking sites. The top platforms actively used by job seekers and recruiters across the UK include:

Indeed UK: One of the largest and most widely used job search engines in the UK. It aggregates millions of listings directly from company sites, recruitment agencies, and direct postings across virtually every industry and salary band. Indeed UK LinkedIn: Highly essential for professional, corporate, tech, and remote roles in the UK. Beyond applying to listings with "Easy Apply," it functions as a primary tool for direct networking with corporate recruiters and hiring managers. LinkedIn Totaljobs: One of the UK’s largest high-volume hiring platforms, consistently ranking near the top for monthly traffic. It covers a massive breadth of sectors from retail and hospitality to finance and construction. Totaljobs Reed.co.uk: One of the oldest and most trusted homegrown British employment platforms. It is heavily utilized for public sector, NHS, and recruitment agency listings, alongside offering career development courses and CV advice. Reed.co.uk CV-Library: A massive UK-specific job board boasting one of the largest searchable CV databases in the country. Job seekers upload their CVs to be actively discovered by thousands of registered UK recruiters. CV-Library Glassdoor UK: Ideal for researching a company before applying. In addition to standard job listings, it provides authentic employee reviews, interview insights, and crowdsourced salary data specific to the UK market. Glassdoor UK Adzuna: A powerful search engine that aggregates thousands of disparate job boards into a single index. It is well-regarded for providing deep data analytics on the UK job market, including regional salary trends and demand indexes. Adzuna

If you share your target industry or sector (e.g., tech, healthcare, hospitality, graduate roles), I can recommend which of these sites will give you the highest concentration of relevant openings.