TechRadar Verdict
The Ladders is a well-designed and effective site for those who want a high-paying job as all of its job listings pay a salary in excess of $100,000. This job site isn't for everyone but for those looking for a higher salary or a position on the board, it may be the perfect place to start your next job search.
Pros
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Curated, targeted jobs database
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Well-designed site
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Loads of helpful features
Cons
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Not suitable for every job seeker
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Some features are locked behind paid plans
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The Ladders is not your usual job site. Ladders only lists high-paying jobs and executive positions instead of capturing millions of job listings from all industries and at all experience levels. Indeed, you’ll only find jobs on this site if they pay a salary in excess of $100,000.
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That does understandably restrict the number of jobs that are available on Ladders, but it does mean that every job on the site will be relevant if you’re at the point in your career where you’re searching for a higher salary or a position on the board.
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Features
The big-ticket jobs on Ladders are often found at big companies – the site boasts that Amazon, Apple and PepsiCo regularly advertise jobs on this particular board, and dozens of other notable companies are frequent users.
It’s easy to start. When you sign up you tell Ladders your current industry and salary alongside the job title and salary you’d like to attain, and then you’re ready to go – the site will immediately start to match you with relevant listings.
Ladders has free and paid accounts, and the free account delivers solid functionality. Like many sites, if you search for a job you’ll get results on the left and in-depth information on the right. It’s laid out well, with straightforward information presented clearly, and you can quickly see job titles, locations and descriptions alongside the salary and how much experience each position needs.
Head into each job advert and you’ll get more information, from the job description and other jobs available at each company to the number of jobs at each company, the breakdown of employee education and other similar positions.
Applying on Ladders is as simple as uploading your CV and clicking a button, and elsewhere on the site you can use a free resume review tool, access free resume templates and read articles about professional concerns. Ladders also acts as a small social network – you can access the profiles of experts in all kinds of fields, send messages, and see their job history.
It’s very similar to LinkedIn Jobs in this regard, although Ladders’ concentration on $100,000 salaries does mean that its networks and database of job listings are necessarily smaller.
Pricing
Ladders might have a free option that allows you to see and apply for jobs, but you’ll get far more out of this site if you pay for its premium tier.
We’ll say this immediately: Ladders is one of the more expensive paid job sites on the market. If you want to buy a one-month subscription it’ll cost you $29.99, and if you sign up for a year you’ll have to pay $155.88 – effectively $12.99 per month. Most people opt for the three-month package, which costs $74.97.
You do get loads of extra benefits, though. You get access to the Apply4Me module, which allows you to fill in a quiz, upload a CV, and allow Ladders to apply to jobs on your behalf. It’s an incredible time-saving feature, and you get daily email updates about your applications. The Ladders team also reviews each application before it’s sent, so you’ll avoid any silly mistakes.
Ladders’ paid tier includes more job listings, with some positions only open to premium members, and you can see more information when applying. You can also see the salaries, qualifications and years of experience of people who have applied to the same roles as you.
A paid subscription means you can submit in-depth interview answers that recruiters can access, and your profile will also be promoted to recruiters.
Final verdict
There’s no doubt that the Ladders is a niche product thanks to its $100,000 salary requirement, but its exclusivity is one of its greatest strengths.
If you’re at the point in your career where you’re searching for six-figure salaries then a job site that only lists those positions is a boon – it makes it easier to see suitable openings because you won’t have to sift through loads of irrelevant adverts. There are no spam or scam listings here, either, and the site is slick, well-designed, and easy-to-use. It’s certainly more straightforward and intuitive than many other job sites.
While Ladders is technically free, we’d recommend paying for its premium options. The Apply4Me feature is a huge timesaver, and you’ll see more job listings and get in front of more recruiters. Ultimately, it’s an investment that’s likely to pay off, and that’s important when you’re trying to make the most out of your working life.
Ladders’ $100,000 entry point and expensive paid options mean it’s not suitable for everyone, and this site does have a clear bias towards finance, software, engineering and marketing jobs – often fields where you’ll find the biggest salaries. But if you’re chasing that money, Ladders is a must-use option.
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