So it would be great if you can keep an eye on the job-market while you are on the move, or give yourself chance to keep your name in people’s minds when you meet them while networking, etc. 

Well we’ve taken a look at some iPhone applications that should help you do just that!  Search for them on Apple’s App Store.

LinkedIn

 - LinkedIn is probably best described as the Facebook for business – it’s the place where your jobs are what is important.  Colleagues can give you recommendations, and vice versa, a process which can help when you connect with recruitment agencies online.  The iPhone app is however very limited, allowing you to see user updates for your network, view details of people both in and outside your network as well as update your own status.  This is a very basic subset of what you can do via LinkedIn.  However it is worth downloading to keep up-to-date with colleagues and agencies who may list available positions, and to let them know what you are doing/looking for.

Evernote

 - I love Evernote – it fulfills so many needs for me, despite really just being a place to store info.  The brilliant thing about it is that you can access and add or edit information via so many interfaces.  For job-hunting it is the perfect place to keep details of job applications, phonecalls with agents/potential employers.  Get the iPhone App and an Evernote account and start getting a handle on your multi-facted jobhunt. 

Now Hiring

 - While job sites are not necessarily that difficult to view or browse on an iPhones web browser, it’s much nicer to have everything quick and tidy without any extraneous information.  That is where Now Hiring comes in.  The app lets you choose from a number of countries to search in and then you can search based on job title, keywords or company name, along with a location.  The listings are quick and clear and then take you through to the original web listing.  It’s not a full-service app, you can’t easily apply or keep a list of what you have looked at/applied for, but it is well worth keeping on your iPhone.

JobFinder

 - In terms of what it is trying to do, JobFinder Lite is very similar to Now Hiring, but it lacks some of the smooth ease of use.  When you do a search the results are accessed via another menu button, and while the display of the job details is nicely sectioned you can get in a little scroll trouble if a description is larger than its box, requiring it’s own scrolling!  But for the price its worth a try.

Job Search Coach

 - This is mainly aimed at the US market (with the talk of Resumes for example) but the advice contained can be useful for most people.  The hints and tips for applying, interview technique and more is displayed quickly and cleanly without anything too fancy.  There is a community section where people can leave info about their application and interview experiences based on location and company – however it is purely US-based so isn’t as useful as it could be. 

Let us know what Apps you use for jobhunting in the comments section.

The last three or four times when I have kicked off a job-hunt, either through choice or necessity, I have had the exact same things happen every time.

It all starts when I put my CV live on a number of the online jobsites.  Within 24 hours I am being pretty much deluged with calls, I do not say that as a boast as I think it is much more to do with suddenly appearing at the top of searches made by recruitment agencies, marking me out as a new job-seeker.

So I can get 20-30 calls from agencies within a day, some of which I have answered, others which I miss and they leave voicemails.  Even when unemployed it is quite difficult to keep up with such a quantity, and when still employed it becomes completely unmanageable.

So things get missed out, I fail to call some people back, give up on others if I don’t get hold of them when returning their calls.  Basically potential jobs have slipped through my fingers.  And even the ones I speak to I lose track of where in the process I am (has my CV been sent? Are they waiting for the client? Has my CV been passed to someone else in the agency?)

So what I have done is created a simple page that can be printed out and used to keep track of these job calls.  It is a first draft and I appreciate your comments in fine-tuning it.  I have tried to focus on giving space for multiple contacts about jobs, over just listing all different agency contacts, as a reminder to work out what is next in that job app – and possible give a nudge to chase agencies if they haven’t gotten back to you in the time they suggested.

This form can also be useful for those receiving JSA as the data can be easily copied over to the form they use.

I hope it is useful for you and that it helps you keep track of your job-hunt.

Download the Application Record

But the sight of “Apply by Application Form” makes my heart sink. They are always long and tedious, require me to think back to my dim and distant schooldays, to answer questions about my experience that seem so vague, or infuriatingly precise. I find it difficult to “demonstrate an understanding of” without either finding myself being led down just describing how I did something, or beating myself up about being unable to find the right words.

Unfortunately application forms are the primary way of applying for the majority of public sector jobs and with the marketplace the way it is at the moment those jobs are going to grow in importance to the job-seeker.

So how best to handle these Application Form fears?

1. Calm down, it’s not all that scary. It is just a skill that needs mastering.
2. Practise before you need to do an application form. If none of the jobs you are applying for at the moment require application forms then take the opportunity to fill one or two out. http://jobsearch.about.com/od/jobappsamples/Sample_Job_Applications.htm has some example forms that you can try.
3. Save the results from point 2, or your last actual application form, so you don’t need to repeat the thinking part of the application form when it comes to history, education, etc.
4. Fully read the Job Description. What public sector employers usually look for in applications is for candidates to have understood the Job Description and be able to demonstrate both that and experience. Read the JD, then read it again. Try not to give it your own spin.
5. Give yourself enough time to answer – these aren’t quick things to do, though most people do tend to rush them off. Give yourself a better chance by spending the time.
6. Keep copies of all your Application Forms – if you feel you have nailed down a certain answer, why not have the opportunity to use it another time? Create a App Forms section of your Job Apps folder (of course you have one already don’t you?) so you can re-use your masterpieces.

Good luck!

This website is for that morning after, or the Monday after if like me you were let go on a friday.  And it’s for the days after that, and after that.  SurviveRedundancy.co.uk is about how you and I cope with the position we’ve been put into.

And coping can take many forms, and I hope to be able, with your help, to cover as many of them as possible. Whether you are looking at jumping right back into employment, changing career or deciding to work for yourself, we’ll try to cover them all.

For me this journey is more about the last item and making it work. I’m at a crossroads. 33 years old, with a baby on its way, having worked in similar roles for the past decade+ and very rarely felt comfortable that they were right for me. I’ve dallied with freelancing/contracting before but this time is, and has to be, different.

And if through SurviveRedundancy.co.uk I can learn a bit more about what I can and want to do, and in turn help/inspire others who may feel the same way, then that is perfect.

It can be a lonely road, and sometimes it can be difficult to see the “wood for the trees” but it’s potentially an exciting one.  Let’s see how it goes!

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For the site Twitter (lets you know when there are new articles, plus other bits and pieces) – @surviveredundan
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