TheLadders is an exclusive online job search service. It was founded in 2003 and Marc Cenedella is the current CEO. Initially, only job seekers who earned more than $100,000 per annum were allowed use the site. However, this was changed in September 2011 with the minimum salary requirement removed to allow thousands of employment hunters on to the site in the hope of finding a lucrative job. TheLadders has its headquarters in New York but also has offices in London.

Pricing
When TheLadders was first formed, there was no charge for employers to post jobs. This soon changed however and prospective employees are also required to pay a fee to browse for jobs on the site. TheLadders defends this move, claiming that each job posted on the site is authentic and of the highest quality.

Pricing For Candidates

• Free Membership – Allows you to look at job titles only
• 1 month  –    $25
• 3 months –   $49
• 6 months –   $89
• 12 months – $149

Employers

• Free Passport – Enables you to post one job at a time and search for candidates by keyword and location
• Premier $699 – You can search for candidates with no restrictions for a week
• Recruiter License – The most exclusive package that allows unlimited use of the site. You need to contact TheLadders for more information.

Features
The site is organized by industry with a total of 12 different headings such as Finance and Technology. There are newsletters which contain job postings with approximately 25,000 new posts added monthly. The site claims to be ultra-exclusive and only accepts the very best job openings on its site.

Job seekers have access to around 12,000 employers and can use the expert help of the site’s team who will help prospective employees fix up their resume and improve their chances of gaining employment. As the site is divided up into different sections, you can quickly sift through irrelevant job openings and find ones perfectly suited to you. TheLadders also offers ‘Signature’, a special option for those looking for personalized assistance. You will meet the site’s career advisors who will give you one-to-one attention in a bid to get you a job. The package costs $2,495 and guarantees that you will find a suitable job within 6 months or else you will receive your money back. The site claims that 90% of users have received an offer to date.

Recruiters have access to over 5 million candidates in all 12 sectors. You are handed over to a dedicated account manager and have full access to the site’s Knowledge Center which is filled with important information.

Verdict
TheLadders seems to have a lot of bells and whistles but the problem is, you can’t see them unless you become a member! The site really needs to make a decision regarding its pricing. Hardly any other job seeking website charges job hunters for the privilege of looking for employment. At the very least, TheLadders should offer a trial membership. Hiding behind an ‘exclusive’ tag doesn’t cut it either. No one can tell if it’s exclusive unless they pay.