This article is going to look at five of the most popular mobile job search apps.
1. LinkedIn
The LinkedIn app provides a simplified version of LinkedIn.com. All of the base components appear at the bottom of the app screen: Home, My Network, Messaging, Notifications, and Me. LinkedIn’s Home screen looks like a Facebook-like newsfeed. People here post stuff like their new jobs, marketing tips, non-professional Instagram pics (see image above), and sometimes a job posting or two! In the “My Network” screen, you can create new connections with people on LinkedIn without having to actually know them! You also get to see who got a new job and if it’s someone’s birthday today. And you can respond to people’s LinkedIn connection requests – especially from recruiters. Tip: look people up who are working in the companies that you want to work for and try to connect with them using pretexts like having attended the same college or mutual contacts. These connections will prove exceptionally valuable when targeting your next company. Most people want to help others out – especially when they get a referral bonus! “Messaging” and “Notifications” are self-explanatory. However, you should have your phone’s notifications set to show LinkedIn missives on your lock screen. Simply go to your iPhone’s “Settings” > “Notifications” > scroll to LinkedIn, and then set your notifications for “Show on Lock Screen.” Finally, the “Me” component takes you to your LinkedIn profile. Here you can edit/update your job history, education, accomplishments/honors/awards, activities like volunteer work, contact info, and most importantly your professional headline and executive summary. Don’t scrimp on maxing out your LinkedIn profile, and be sure to include a professional-looking headshot!
Tip: Using the LinkedIn.com web-interface allows you to create a quick and clean online portfolio (which can be a real hassle to create on your own) where you can upload writing samples, links, projects, media, etc. Also, make sure that you change your LinkedIn URL to your name. For example: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nickiandolo. It will look much more professional when giving that URL to hiring managers as the link to your online portfolio. Download for iOS | Android
2. LinkedIn Jobs
As versatile as the mobile LinkedIn app may be, the LinkedIn Jobs app is somewhat bare bones. The Home screen (as pictured below) doubles as the Search screen. There are only very basic searching parameters you can put in here: “Job title or keyword” and “Location.” It’ll default to whatever location you have set as yours from your LinkedIn member account. Below the Search section are your most recent job searches. In the app there is a “Discover” component that can pull up a lot good job leads. You can’t filter out criteria such as commuting distance, industry, keywords, or salary range using the app. (You have to set that up as job search agents on the LinkedIn.com web-interface.) But you can track your job applications and get notifications as to who’s viewing the jobs you’ve applied to.
The best feature of this app (and the next one) is “Easy Apply,” meaning using your LinkedIn profile to quickly apply for a position instead of having to fill out those insufferable online Applicant Tracking System job applications. However, to ensure that your job application doesn’t disappear into a “black hole,” you still have to use the main LinkedIn app to make contacts in those targeted companies to push the process along. Don’t wait for them to call you! Download for iOS | Android
3. Monster
Monster functions more like a simplified version of LinkedIn/LinkedIn Jobs but without the people network. Here you can do your job lead searches, track your job applications, update your resumé (no online portfolio like LinkedIn), receive messages (some legit, some not), and tweak your settings. The best advice here is to make sure that your current resumé is the same on all of your mobile job apps. This way when you’re blasting an Easy Apply resumé from whichever app you’re in at the time, you’ll know you’re sending the same one out. Download for iOS | Android
4. Indeed
The Indeed app is pretty bare bones as well, but in this case simpler is better. Indeed doesn’t come with all of the bells and whistles like LinkedIn, but since Indeed is a job lead aggregator, you’ll probably find many of the same job leads here that you’d find on the other job search apps. Once you update your resumé and set up your job search agents (via the web-interface), you’ll be taken to a ton of job leads under “Recommended Jobs” from the app’s home screen. Download for iOS | Android
5. Glassdoor
Glassdoor’s real power is not in finding job leads to respond to but in giving you “the 4-1-1 on the companies themselves.” This insider knowledge of whether a company is worth your time to apply (e.g. low pay, bad management, etc.) can be a true time-saver. Use the web-interface to set up your job search agents. Tip: make sure to review at least one company yourself (via the app or web). This will then give you full access to all company reviews! Glassdoor gives you tons of company information, e.g. number of employees, public or private, revenue per year, employee reviews with star ratings, and more. These employee reviews can include information about working at the company, salaries the company offers, an overview of the interview process, available jobs, and what the benefits packages are. This is a treasure trove of information! Download for iOS | Android
Conclusion
In conclusion, the real champions of these mobile job search apps are LinkedIn & LinkedIn Jobs (when used together) and Glassdoor. Monster and Indeed can be very powerful tools in the job search toolbox as well, but the trick here is to learn how harness the full power of all of them to make life a little bit easier for the under-employed and the unemployed!
