When I first got assaulted by the buzz around the mobile job search, I was skeptical. My first thought was, “Okay, so what can I do on my phone that I can’t do on my laptop faster?”
But after researching some of these innovations, I realized there are indeed things that a mobile device has over a computer:
- Your mobile device is always with you (convenience).
- Your mobile device is location-aware (thanks to GPS).
- Your mobile device was built to record video and images from your everyday life.
These features make it possible to do certain things, like scan business cards, read flashcards in line (or on the can) and even locate possible networking connections based on where you’re standing.
My advice, then, is to not simply use these mobile apps to replace things you can do better on a laptop, like format a resume or type an email. Rather, use them for their strengths.
Below, I outline some of the more useful apps I’ve found. (This is not a complete list; rather, it’s a recommendation list.) (Tweet this list.)
1. Location-Enabled Services
One of the coolest features of your mobile device is that it knows where you are. This information can help you identify nearby opportunities, apply to them on the spot and even find nearby people to network with.
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Apploi
This innovation threatens the very nature of job applications. Would you rather ask someone if they can make a mojito, or have them show you a video of their skill? Apploi lets employers customize their questions so they can get to the important stuff, without wasting time on filling out the same old work experience sections over and over.
Apploi allows job seekers to save basic information to a Passport so they don’t need to fill out personal details, including education, work details and portfolio. Apploi also helps job seekers find jobs nearby and reveals the best applicants for employers through multimedia application questions.
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JobCompass
JobCompass uses GPS to tell you where job board openings are near you. It’s one of the first applications to search millions of job postings, then locate and plot them on a map to show you exactly where the jobs are in relation to a specific address or zip code.
Finding a job with JobCompass is simple. When you find a job you’re interested in, you can email it to yourself or to a friend and even apply online! So what are you waiting for? Find that dream job near you today!
Download on Google Play
2. Business Card Management
How do you handle paper business cards after a networking event? Piles of them seem to fall off of your desk, and the new people never seem to make it into your LinkedIn network. Lo and behold the following solutions:
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CardMunch
I use LinkedIn’s CardMunch all the time. After I get a ton of business cards, I take a picture of them with my phone using this app. A few hours later, they’re transcribed into contact records by actual human beings (I wouldn’t want that job!). And with one touch, I invite these new folks to connect with me on LinkedIn.
Download on iTunes
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Hello
With Evernote Hello, you can scan someone’s card into the app, then leave comments on how you met or some defining characteristic of their face. This app uses GPS so you can see where you met the person. And, naturally, there’s a connection to LinkedIn where you can invite them to join you.
Download on Google Play
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CardDrop
With CardDrop, you can create a digital business card and hand it out in multiple ways. Just open the app and “drop” your business card; the app uses your phone’s GPS sensor to determine the location where you dropped your card.
The app also allows you to trade digital business cards with people you haven’t met in person, and even helps you connect to new contacts via social media channels such as LinkedIn and Twitter.
Download on iTunes
3. Networking Support
If you’re an extrovert, then you love meeting new people and growing your network. If you’re an introvert, like me, then maybe one of these apps will kick you into gear!
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LinkedIn
LinkedIn’s mobile interfaces are really slick. Actually, I prefer them over the desktop version. This app does a great job with news and updates. It tells you who in your phone’s contact record is on LinkedIn if you’re not connected to yet. It also allows you to use LinkedIn’s new contact management tools, where you can add notes, reminders and tags.
I know very nerdy people moving away from Twitter for updates and onto LinkedIn’s mobile platform. That should tell you something!
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Broadli
Want to maximize a large LinkedIn network? By organizing your network in a meaningful way and allowing you to tap into the right people when you have career needs, Broadli aims to to make LinkedIn way more useful than it is now.
Unless you enforce a strict selectivity policy, there’s a good chance your LinkedIn network has some significant percentage of complete strangers who may never be able to help you professionally — or who may, and you’d never know it. Broadli aims to rein in the perpetual disorganization of professional social networks, helping you find those connections, or connections of connections, who can help you the most, and vice versa.
4. Advice
Whether you like to read while on the toilet or standing in line, there are many moments throughout the day where you can be learning new things rather than looking at Grumpy Cat.
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JobJuice
JobJuice offers job interview prep flashcards (including one for social media job search skills). JobJuice has been around for a decade — in fact, thousands of MBA students at the top MBA programs in over 35 countries use Jobjuice for interview preparation and as a handy business reference tool. (Myself included, by the way…way back when these were paper flash cards and I rode a dinosaur to class.)
JobJuice has a handful of mobile apps that emphasize extreme practicality and efficiency for business reference and interview preparation, including one for social media job search skills.
Download on Google Play
5. Job Board Apps
Most job boards have a mobile version, so pick your favorite job board and see if there’s an app for that. Some of the more popular ones are here, as well as a few that bend the rules.
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Craigster
As you probably know, the sooner you reply to a job posted on Craigslist, the better chance you have of actually getting considered. So having a mobile alert for new jobs that appeal to you could increase your chances of responding faster.
Craigster lets you quickly and easily search all of Craigslist’s classifieds, even across states and countries. Contact sellers from Craigslist right from your phone, and save your favorite searches so you don’t waste time.
Download on iTunes
Download on Google Play
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Linkup
Looking to find unlisted jobs from company’s websites? LinkUp’s app brings the Web’s highest quality, fastest growing job search engine to your phone. Its unique search engine, updated daily, lists only jobs that are found on company and employer websites. As a result, LinkUp’s jobs are always current, often unadvertised and never fake.
Download on iTunes
Download on Google Play
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Glassdoor
Different from the standard job board, Glassdoor also tells you how much you can expect to make at that job, or in certain industries based on location. This can help you prioritize your activities.
Each submission is manually reviewed by a team at Glassdoor to make sure the entry is “genuine.” Apart from reviews, users are also able to submit information regarding interview questions they faced, as well as reporting salary information.
With the release of its Facebook application last year, usage has grown dramatically, and the site continuously attracts new users from around the world.
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CareerBuilder
More than 24 million unique visitors a month visit CareerBuilder to find new jobs, obtain career advice and work with employers around the world, including 92% of the Fortune 1000.
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Indeed
Indeed is the most comprehensive search engine for jobs. In a single search, it offers free access to millions of jobs from thousands of company websites and job boards. From search to application, Indeed’s job search app helps you through the entire process of finding a new job.
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Simply Hired
One of the largest and highest ranked job boards in the world, Simply Hired can offer you job results you can’t find anywhere else.
Download on iTunes
Download on Google Play
Do you know of a great job search app that’s not on this list? Tweet it to us!
This post originally appeared on Career Enlightenment.
Image: Flickr
