The new style of job applications
MOVING up the career ladder doesn’t just depend on getting good results – it’s about getting good contacts too. Managing your network is the best way to find new openings, and there are iPhone tools to help you do it. Firstly, if you aren’t already signed up to LinkedIn, you really should be. The professional networking website, which has a free iPhone app, is not just a key tool for networking, but also for head hunters and recruiters looking for people to fill positions. It stores and manages your contacts, can show you who in your network is connected to companies and people that you want to get introduced to, and gives you a platform to display your personal brand.
In the past, a rolodex bursting with business cards was the sign of the avid networker. Unsurprisingly, smart phone technology is making the old cards seem rather quaint and limited by comparison. BeamME is a virtual business card (or “vCard”) service, allowing you to send your information to any mobile device or computer, where it can be stored in address books as well as LinkedIn and other databases. You can also beam your info directly to the user IDs of your Twitter followers. There’s also Bump (free), which allows you to exchange contact details with other iPhone users simply by bumping phones (or hands holding them) together – perhaps this will replace handshakes as a way of rounding off meetings. Meanwhile, the ABContacts app (£2.99) is an extremely nifty contacts manager for the keen networker. You can use it to filter your contacts into “smart groups” based on characteristics like job title, company and location, and you can also send your network messages through it.
If your networking alone isn’t throwing up the job opportunities you’re looking for, there are apps giving you further options. There are a number of recruitment websites with apps, though it’s a irritating that the sector-specific FinancialJobBank app currently only lists US jobs – still, if you fancy heading to Wall Street, it’s your baby. For UK jobs, the Monster.co.uk app can be useful, as can Jobs by CB (also free) from CareerBuilder.co.uk, which has some good interactive functions. The Indeed.com app is one of the simplest job search services, with other similar tools including Jobsite, Jobserve and Total Jobs (all free).
Finally, there are the apps that can help give you a little extra edge as you go after your next job. Great Career (£5.99), designed by UK career training company Franklin Covey, is designed to help you manage the recruitment process, guiding you through different steps in job hunting, setting goals, linking up with people who can support you and helping with CV creation and the interview process.
On the latter two points, Resumé Pro (£1.79) can also help with the CV, while Interview Guru (59p) has some useful tips to help you prepare for the big event.
Perhaps more useful still are the recruitment advice podcasts, on subjects such as “how to resign”, “negotiating your salary” and “assessing a job offer” by City recruitment firm Badenoch & Clark, which you can download from iTunes for free.