The Job App Is it the Answer for Your Job Search - Career Pivot

The Job App Is it the Answer for Your Job Search - Career Pivot Job App: Is it the answer? Copyright: georgejmclittle / 123RF Stock Photo In December, we published the results from a survey regarding how people usetheir smartphone: Career Pivot Smartphone Survey Results [Infographic]. One use that came up was using your smartphone to search for jobsâ€"in particular, using job search apps. To follow up on that finding, I recently spent some time reviewing job apps to evaluate their usefulness. The apps that I chose to review were: Indeed LinkedIn ZipRecruiter Glassdoor I used the following categories to rate each app: Ease of setting up an account Amount of job prospects offered, via email or notice on my mobile device Ease in applying for a position Overall impression Job App Setup In the job app profiles that I created, I set a broad range for the type of jobs I was looking for in order to see what was available. My list included entry-level marketing coordinator, social media coordinator, and marketing manager/director type positions. Indeed Job App I created an account using my personal computer and uploaded my resume to Indeed. After the resume was posted, I had the opportunity to edit the content as needed. Indeed asked for additional information such as salary requirements, list of certifications, licenses, military service, skills, and years of expertise. This information is what will be presented to prospective employers. After uploading my resume to Indeed via my computer, I logged into the Indeed app on my phone. You can access your resume and make simple edits to the text of the resume, if necessary. The app allows you to search by multiple job titles and locations and provides a list of recommended jobs for you to review. On the “My Jobs” tab in the app, it allows you to keep track of the saved jobs, jobs you’ve applied for, jobs you interviewed for, and jobs offered to you. It also keeps track of visited and archived jobs. The app has good tracking process to assist you in your job search. LinkedIn Jobs App I was able to log into the LinkedIn Jobs app using my current email and password for my LinkedIn Account. The app allows you to set your search parameters for jobs, which includes the ability to search for jobs anonymously by job title and location. You can use multiple job titles and locations in your search parameter. Listen to the most recent episode The app has a feature called “Discover” which provides you with recommended jobs for you to review. Another feature is that the app allows you to track the jobs you viewed, saved, and applied toâ€"for future reference. Each job listing will let you know if the posting is new or how long ago it was posted (1 week, 2 weeks, etc.). The app allows you to apply for jobs using your LinkedIn profile so there is no resume to upload. If you are active on LinkedIn and keep your profile current, you won’t have to regularly upload your resume to the app to ensure that the information is up-to-date. I like the one-stop quality of this app. Zip Recruiter Job App I also created a Zip Recruiter account on my personal computer. I uploaded and edited my resume. In addition to your personal resume, there is the Zip Recruiter Resume. The resume editing process for the Zip Recruiter Resume is not a neat process. I found it to be a little rough around the edges. When I uploaded my college information, it didn’t load properly. So I deleted the information and tried three more times, but was unable to get the information uploaded to Zip Recruiter. I never did figure out what the Zip Recruiter Resume will be used for but was able to determine that the personal resume I uploaded will be presented to prospective employers when I apply for a job. While accessing the app, I was able to adjust the job search parameters, such as title and location. Zip Recruiter also provides suggested jobs to review. It allows you to track your saved jobs and applied for jobs for your reference. Additional information about the company offering the job is available on the individual job post. Glassdoor Job App As with the other apps, I created my Glassdoor account using my personal computer and uploaded my resume. I was also able to edit my resume. Unfortunately, I was never able to sign in to Glassdoor via my phone to adjust my account profile. However, I was able to search for and apply for jobs on my phone. You can import your resume from Dropbox, Google Drive, and LinkedIn, or access your uploaded resume to their site to apply for jobs. The app allows you to follow companies for alerts about company happenings. It also lets you save your job search feed, apply filters such as distance, date posted, company rating, and job type (full time, part time and internship), and each posting includes some information about the salaries at the company. My Thoughts Copyright: stylephotographs / 123RF Stock Photo The apps are easy to set up and provide you with many options to use to look for jobs and monitor your job search activities. I like those features. I also appreciate that they provide you with a lot of information about companies that you can use in conjunction with your networking activities or other job search activities. In order to make the apps more effective, I think you need to rely on a Dropbox or Google Drive account to be able to store multiple resumes and cover letters to have available for the quick apply feature on your mobile device. However, if you want to tailor your resume and cover letter, you probably want to rely on a computer to help you with that process. I’m not talented enough to revise documents on my phone! Would I solely rely on an app to find a job? Probably not…but I would include job apps in my job search toolbox. Let me hear about your experience using job apps during your job search. This post was written by Elizabeth Rabaey, a Baby Boomer herself is a creative with a love for details. She has spent over 20 plus years working for environmental engineering and consulting companies providing project management and technical assistance on many innovative engineering projects. She has applied creative, literary and scientific skills to these projects to help the client maintain a profitable business operation and protect humans, health and the environment. Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter. Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...