When I quit my job in October, my heart was pumping with energy, and sinking with self-doubt at the same time. Was my career path about to burn out, or soar to the top? With a stagnant job market, I knew I had to be aggressive to find my dream job.
So I went beyond the usual job searching tactics, and I turned to my smartphone. If you’re on a job hunt of your own, check out these apps that helped me network, find great jobs, and prepare for interviews—and eventually land a great new gig.
Networking
1. LunchMeet
This app connects to your LinkedIn account and uses geo-targeting to find industry-specific contacts who are interested in networking. Inspired by the best-selling book Never Eat Alone, LunchMeet allows for meaningful, face-to-face networking wherever you are, whenever you’re available.
The best part about attending networking events and conferences is all the business cards you collect—the dilemma, of course, is keeping those cards organized! But now, you can easily store all of that information in your phone. Simply snap a photo of the business card, and the app will instantly enter the information into your contacts list.
3. MeetMe
This app is great for meeting up with colleagues, friends, and potential employers. Instead of emailing back and forth to figure out the best place to meet, MeetMe does the heavy lifting. You input two locations, and it locates venues in the middle. Even better—it allows you to email directions to yourself and your colleague!
Keep track of all those relationships you’re building with this iPhone compatible app. It helps you keep detailed notes on all of your interactions with each person, set follow-up meetings, and attach important documents to each of your contacts.
Finding Jobs
5. BeKnown
This Monster-affiliated app provides an easy way to search for and apply to jobs by taking advantage of Facebook. Although the app is fully integrated with Facebook, your personal information stays private. After you set up a profile, you can view and apply for jobs, see company information, get endorsed, and apply for jobs directly from the app. Best of all, BeKnown will automatically match you with jobs based on the information in your profile.
6. HireADroid
If you’re a die-hard Android user, try HireADroid, a job search aggregator which compiles results from eight different career search engines in over 18 different countries. In addition to browsing, you can mark jobs you love as “favorite,” or ones you’ve already viewed as “read,” just like in your inbox.
7. Indeed Jobs
Browse jobs on the go with Indeed, which scours company websites, recruitment agencies, and job boards in order to give you one of the most comprehensive job searches around. (It’s also one of the highest-rated job search apps, with an average 4.4 star review.)
8. Job Compass
If you’re searching for jobs in the surrounding area, whether you’re in your backyard or on a trip to the opposite coast, then Job Compass is the app for you. Job Compass searches millions of jobs, locating and plotting them on a map showing you exactly where the jobs are in relation to your location.
Interview Prep
Some of the best job interviews happen on the fly—like when you randomly meet someone at a conference and don’t have your computer (with your well-polished resume saved on it) on hand. If you have a limited amount of time and need to give someone a resume, use this app, which lets you build a surprisingly impressive looking document on your phone (based on the information from your LinkedIn profile—though you can edit and add to it), then exports it as a PDF or to Dropbox.
Getting ready for that big interview? Be prepared for any question that comes your way with this app, which lets you browse commonly asked interview questions by category (e.g. “teamwork” or “personal development”) and provides step-by-step tips for answering them with ease.
Looking for a new gig? Check out these companies that are hiring now!
