There's an App for that Job Search

There are more than 500,000 apps available for the iPhone and the iPad tablet, and it turns out many of them can help you get a job. There are thousands of jobs available with companies that are producing and distributing the apps themselves, but for now I want to focus on those that can help you find a job. I decided to look among the free apps first to see which ones offered the best opportunities for jobs seekers, and also those that had the highest ratings among users.

Here’s what I found:

1) JobSearch has three-and-a-half stars and is described  as the app attached to “Indeed”, which is a fairly common online job search engine. It remembers your searches, will automatically show you the newest jobs added since your last logon, and covers not just the United States but shows you jobs available in 50 countries and 26 languages. Use it on the iPod, iPhone, or the iPad.

2) JobAware is another free application that has four-and-half stars. Full-time, part-time, freelance and/or contract work are listed here. This app uses the iPhone’s built-in GPS so it will target jobs closest to your location. It also compares salaries for different occupations in the 50 states across the United States.

3) JobCompass also uses the GPS function of your phone, but after you enter the criteria and the job you are looking for, it puts it together on a map for you. The app will let you email yourself the posting, send it to a friend, or let you apply online (most apps do this). It also comes with a video tutorial and email support if you run into problems or you have questions. A quick search in the comments section yielded the main reason it didn’t rate as high as the other free apps, as complaints about usability and the app crashing were fairly common.

4) DiceJobSearch is mainly geared towards jobs in the technology sector, but if you’ve seen my segment on FOX and Friends, you know there is a high concentration of jobs available in that sector of American business. The best way to use this app is to create a Dice account, then simply upload your existing resume and cover letter to the app. Job alerts can be setup and managed, and if something is sent your way, you can save it or email it to yourself. Among the top jobs found were software engineer, systems administrator and project manager. There is also a community forum where you can connect to others who are in the same field.

Another app I found that could be useful as you go on job interviews is the ScanBizCards app. It costs $6.99 to upload but is worth it; you scan a business card by taking a picture with your built-in camera and, voila. The contact information is loaded into your Contacts, and if you are signed up for iCloud it will automatically transfer over.

On Monday I had an executive on my show from Mattel, and the company is using the word “Apptivity” to describe children using their toys and connecting them to Mattel apps on the iPad. I like that word -- I just may steal it, or at least make an app about it!