,   |  December 20, 2012

The best free apps for job seekers

There are apps for everything these days – almost anything you can imagine.  Lucky for us, there are also great apps for job seekers – and they are free!  As part of launching this site and thinking about what tools job seekers already have (and what tools they still need) I’ve downloaded lots of different job search and productivity apps.

Here’s my list of the best free apps for job seekers (and I use them all myself):

LinkedIn App – LinkedIn has an incredibly well-designed and user-friendly app so you can keep track of your professional network on the go.  I mostly use LinkedIn as a way to see what my professional contacts are up to.  The “updates” section of the app gives you a feed of people’s recent activities, anyone who has switched jobs, and lots of other handy info. You never know who will be a valuable contact to network with during your job search process (and who just joined your dream company), so stay connected with LinkedIn.

Indeed App – I think the Indeed website is one of the best places to search for jobs because it aggregates job postings from a zillion other sites.  Now you can search on the go if you have a little downtime in the airport, on the bus, or waiting for your friends at a restaurant – it will be more productive than checking your Instagram   There is a feature where you can save jobs for later and go back to them once you’re at your desk. I’d love to see a job alert feature on the Indeed app going forward so the app will automatically share job matches with you.

Asana App – This app is like a lifeline for me.  Use Asana for task management in your job search (and just for work in general).  This app keeps me incredibly organized and on top of my to-dos.  The great thing about it is that not only can you add things and use it on your iPhone but your info will automatically be updated on their web app (www.asana.com). And if you input something on the web app, it goes right to your phone.  On the go or at your desk, you’ll always have the opportunity to add something you don’t want to forget.  That reminds me, I have about 20 things to check off…

Evernote App – Another great free app that can be used during the job search but also definitely once you’re in a new role and organizing your work and life.  I think the most effective way to use this app in your job search is treating it like a “catch all” for any and all information you come across on a company of interest.  Take pictures of business cards, articles, web links, copies of emails, etc. and drop them into the app with the same tag.  That way when you are ready to interview with the company you can use pull up that tag and see all of the information you’ve gathered.

Dropbox App – This app makes it easy for you to have your most important job search documents (resume, cover letter, job tracking excel sheet etc.) by your side wherever you are.  If you’re on vacation, away for the weekend, or just away from your computer, you’ll never be stuck without these documents.  Sometimes opportunities pop up out of nowhere and it’s important to move fast.  Dropbox has saved me many times in past jobs!

The best part about these is that they are totally free so there’s no harm in giving them a try.  While a lot of apps have come and go for me throughout my iPhone years, these have stuck around and are true productivity staples for me.

Any apps that have helped you in your job search? Leave it in the comments!

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