Top 6 Best Free Job Search Apps
1) Indeed Job Search
Indeed is the best app of the massive desktop job boards. Indeed allows you to upload your resume and apply rather easily. This app can feel too much like a mobile extension of the desktop platform. It is search-based, making it harder to passively discover new positions. The app also requires you to fill in some job-specific information in order to apply to some positions, including items like cover letters, portfolios and samples. That can be an anxious process when you’re doing all that from a handheld device.
2) CareerBuilder
CareerBuilder’s app provides job seekers with tools for every step of a job search and beyond. Users can create and save a personalized resume with a few clicks. You can then use your resume to apply for jobs of interest. There are alerts that proactively inform you when your resume has been viewed and who is viewing it.
Job searching is simple and easy with the artificial intelligence and augmented reality powered app. Humair Ghauri, CareerBuilder’s Chief Product Officer, says, “We can tell you which jobs are in your immediate vicinity or any designated distance and provide an augmented reality view of job openings – and what they pay — as you walk by businesses. Our local targeting provides a map view and list view of jobs and serves up an entirely different experience for job seekers.”
In addition, the app sends notifications on new job openings based on the job seekers’ preferences and show higher paying jobs with information on acquiring the skills needed to get to the next level. Users can use the tools to start planning for the next stage of their career.
3) Glassdoor
Very similar to its much-heralded desktop experience, Glassdoor allows mobile users to both access thousands of up-to-date job listings while getting first-hand knowledge of companies from current and former employees. The app is segmented into different categories – jobs, companies, salaries and interviews – and can feel a little overwhelming to navigate. Much like the Glassdoor desktop experience, the company reviews and employee insights are the attraction here. Filling out full applications via your mobile device? Not so much.
4) SnagAJob
The premiere mobile job app for hourly employees, SnagAJob understands that the non-salary workforce needs to move fast. After importing your social profile from Facebook or Google and filling in personal details, browse hourly positions in your area and click to apply. Filter positions by Schedule (part-time, seasonal, summer jobs) and Type of Job (automotive, construction, food & restaurant) and Distance. The app also features a handy map function to show you the company’s location. Drawbacks? While SnagAJob has many jobs that need just a single click to apply, some require a longer application process, and the lack of skilled, salaried positions can feel limiting.
5) Good.Co
The job search is as much about self-discovery as it is job discovery, and Good.Co is a useful reminder of that fact. The app users find companies and careers that will benefit their overall well being, not just their bank account. Through personality quizzes like What Are Your Unique Strengths? and How Do You Come Across to Others?, Good.Co unlocks increasingly nuanced insights about yourself and offers you companies and jobs that might match your personality and working style. You cannot apply to these jobs within the app, but instead are redirected back to major job boards for that part of the process.
6) Simply Hired
Another job aggregator, Simply Hired has a continuously improving mobile app interface. Recently, they added features that allow job seekers to sort their job searches by date and relevance, in an attempt to relieve the crushing weight of endless job scrolling. Your homepage includes your recent searches and it is easy to save and share jobs. Like other search apps, though, Simply Hired seems to have one foot in mobile and the other on desktop. For example, some jobs allow one-touch mobile applications, while others require you to upload a resume and even a cover letter. The app is still search-based, requiring candidates to find relevant jobs rather than have them delivered, and the user experience can feel like the web platform shrunken down to a smartphone screen.
Tips for Using Job Search Apps
How can you get the most out of the apps you’re using to streamline your job search? These tips will help you search and apply for jobs and connect with hiring managers, with just a few taps on your phone or tablet.
Distill your resume to fit on a smartphone screen. Forget your traditional one-page CV. Mobile job apps require an even more succinct display of your skills and experience. If formulated correctly, less can be more. Be certain to prioritize your most marketable credentials to capture the hiring manager’s attention. Forcing yourself to distill your background in this way will help you have a better understanding of your professional self and eventually help you better market yourself in networking and interview situations.
Know the keywords. The best job apps use smart algorithms to match relevant candidates with open jobs and vice-versa. These algorithms rely on keywords that illustrate certain experiences and skills, those that candidates may possess and job listings may include as requirements for a position. If you’re a salesperson with expertise in channel sales, for example, ensure you’ve listed that under your skills. Clarity is vital. Save the nuance for after you connect with a hiring manager.
Polish your profile. A great photo, a compelling headline, and a clear outline of skills and experience can help separate you from the crowd and inject some much-needed personality into your professional profile. Stand out, but try to limit confusing or cute language and images.
Make the first move. Many job apps match candidates and employers in a one-on-one chat once they’ve shown mutual interest. At this stage, it’s important you be assertive and initiate the conversation. There’s no point in being passive here. Especially if it’s an attractive posting, hiring managers receive many applicants and an aggressive approach can set you apart from the pack. Why not use this first impression to paint yourself as a go-getter with the skills to boot?
Be attentive. Job search often rewards the timely and attentive, and this is especially true with job apps. Being more streamlined than traditional job boards and company websites, job apps require more consistent engagement and typically move rapidly. Keep track of your matches with employers and messages with hiring managers or recruiters. For apps with in-app chat, your response time should be quick. Hiring managers appreciate this kind of aggressive punctuality.
Be professional. Even if you’re using a job app on your phone. you still must abide by the rules of professionalism when corresponding with employers. Sure, the dialogue and environment feel refreshingly casual and stress-free, but you must remain vigilant about accuracy, proper grammar, attention to detail, and professional etiquette. You might be tapping to apply to jobs and ‘texting” with the hiring managers but always remember that this isn’t social media – our professional future is at stake!
