Job Searching with Social Media For Dummies
Book image
Explore Book Buy On Amazon

In many ways, job seekers have to bend to the will of the companies they want to work for. “Fill in my long and ugly online application” or “Wear an uncomfortable suit so everyone in the office knows you’re the candidate.” Even our use of LinkedIn comes primarily from employer expectations. And for the most part, job seekers accommodate the employer.

With mobile devices, that has completely flipped around. Consider that recruiters know that 86 percent of job seekers have mobile devices, so websites need to look good on a smaller screen.

Sixty-eight percent of those mobile users use their device to search job boards, and 47 percent actually apply with their device, so job boards and job applications need to be redesigned to accommodate less screen real estate. Apps need to be developed to capture these intrepid candidates.

With smartphones outselling PCs two to one, a whole industry of vendors and app developers is ready to help employers enter the world of mobile and to help you master your job search.

Hundreds of apps are available for job seekers. The best list is on Jacob Share’s JobMob. In addition, here are some recommended essentials for the social media-aware job seeker:

  • LinkUp: LinkUp’s app allows you to search and apply for open positions found on company websites from your phone. The jobs found on this app are updated daily and contain no job-board listings! You can also set up e-mail alerts to be notified when new jobs become available. It also has a great user interface.

  • Craigster: Who says Craigslist is obsolete? It’s actually one of the best places to find entry-level or part-time work. This app lets you search Craigslist and e-mail job advertisers directly. So if you have your résumé loaded on your phone (with PocketResume for example), you may be one of the first candidates to apply to a Craigslist job.

  • PocketResume: This is a very robust mobile résumé-management app. Not only can you create a nice-looking résumé, but you can also customize sections on the fly, create PDF versions, and e-mail them right from your phone. So if you find a job on Craigster or a mobile job board, or even just bump into someone who says, “Send me your résumé,” you’ll be covered.

  • JobAware: JobAware consists of four main sections, which correspond to the four things most job seekers do anyways: Search job openings, track the status of those jobs applied for, discover connections you might have via LinkedIn or from your contact list, and research a company. E-mail yourself the job and apply via your desktop later.

  • Apploi: This location-aware app tells you what jobs are open based on where you are. By having an account with Apploi, you don’t need to fill out those annoying paper applications any more. Plus, many of the job application questions can be answered via video or audio recording from your phone.

    image0.jpg
  • CardMunch: This little-known LinkedIn app can be a real timesaver if you’re an avid networker. It scans business cards, parses them into a contact record, and shows you the relevant LinkedIn profile information.

  • Vizibility: This app gives you a mobile business card that you can exchange with other mobile devices using Near Field Communication (a technology on many phones but rarely used). You also get a QR code that you can print on an actual business card and then be able to track who scanned it and what they looked at.

  • JobJuice: This app helps you prepare for job interviews by reviewing vast amounts of business concepts in bullet-point summaries via interactive flashcards. Now, you can get them on your device and review marketing, finance and investment banking, strategy and consulting, salary negotiation, social media job search, and more.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book author:

Joshua Waldman, MBA, is an authority on leveraging social media to find employment. His writing has appeared in Forbes, Huffington Post, Mashable, and the International Business Times. Joshua's career blog, CareerEnlightenment.com, won the About.com Readers' Choice Award for Best Career Blog 2013. Joshua presents keynotes, trainings, and breakout sessions around the world for students, career advisors, and professional organizations.

This article can be found in the category: