On the other hand, there are dozens, if not hundreds of productivity tools. But that doesn’t mean job search tools don’t exist. There are, in fact, many available in the online marketplace, specially designed to give you an edge over your competition in the job market. Here are 10 powerful tools that will help accelerate your job search efforts:
1. Sokanu
Not sure what career paths to focus on? Sokanu can help. Think of it as a career discovery platform to help you know more about yourself and, thus, what would be the most suitable vocational profile for you. They do this by having the user undergo an RIASEC tests and match that against the huge career database they have (over 3000 careers). You definitely can find a career in there that fits your profile.
2. branded.me
Beyond a standardresume, it is also important to have a good online presence. Think of branded.me as a WordPress, but they only do personal websites with which users brand themselves effectively. To make it really simple, the platform automatically extracts data from your LinkedIN and uses that to populate your personal website. There are different designs you could choose from to best reflect your personal branding and each of them would look equally beautiful on mobile devices. It’s the best platform to showcase your work experience, personality, skills and, importantly, your portfolio.
3. Resume Genius
Writing a resume can be ridiculously hard. Enter Resume Genius to make it as simple as putting together a childrens jigsaw puzzle. On the back end, they have a team of Certified Professional Resume Writers who ensures the information provided are updated and effective with HRs and recruiters. It begins with their easy-to-use resume builder that walks you through the resume writing process. All you have to do is follow the simple steps to begin professionally creating/formatting your new resume. Ever have writer’s block on what to write under the Work Experience heading? Resume Genius carries a list of over 30,000 pre-written bullet points which you could simply pick-and-paste into your new resume.
4. Jobscan
Many companies are using the applicant tracking system to filter out job seekers that don’t meet their criteria. Given that your resume is the only item up for digital review, what you write on it will make it or break it. Using the same technology that resume screeners are built on, Jobscan analyzes any job description keywords against your resume and tells you what is missing. It even breaks them up into hard and soft skills, matching not just the existence of a keyword but also the number of occurrences for each of them. Knowing these keywords allows you to optimize your resume with the right number and type of keywords and ensures you rank high in any applicant tracking system.
5. Jobma
What if you wish or need to go beyond a resume to highlight your qualities? You could check out JobMa, a simple platform that allows you to build and view video resumes online. Videos make it really easy for hiring managers and recruiters to gauge if you are the right fit for the job. Not only will you be able to articulate your skills and work experience, your personality and creativity will shine through as well. For inspiration on what makes good video resumes, check out this collection of video resumes reference.
6. JobHero
Job boards have made it so easy to apply for multiple jobs with a single click. And it is even easier to lose track of what you have applied for. JobHero solves this problem by provding you with both a mobile and web based dashboard so you can track and optimize your job search. Think of it as your personal Salesforce.com but meant purely for job searching. Just like a CRM, you can easily save job opportunities from your browser, track your application progress and set reminders and due dates so you know when to follow-up on certain applications.
7. Email Tracking by HubSpot Sales
Not sure if your application was received or opened? Email Tracking by HubSpot Sales adds a pixel to every outgoing email. The pixel allows you to know when someone opens your emails and when they opened it. It keeps tracking as long as the email remains in the recipients inbox. It’s like having a CCTV behind their workstation. Scary but effective(for you)!
8. Rapportive
Most interviewers are not professionally trained. If you know what they have in common with you, you have an advantage. Rapportive will show you everything about your contacts. This is achieved by pulling their social media data from all around the web and presenting it in a simple easy-to-read column. From there, you can see how what they look like and what they do (or like to do). Review their profiles to see what they have been posting about and impress them with your knowledge of these topics during the interview.
9. Big Interview
So, what if actually you get invited for the interview? Many people screw that up. Big Interview takes a different approach to interview training. With their software, it actually allows users to practice their interview right in front of the computer. Your answers are recorded and you can review it to see how to improve them. The questions and structure were developed by top interview coach Pamela Skillings. This will help put you at ease and be more confident when tackling the actual interview.
10. Salary Fairy
Salary negotiation is always a tough one. But know that the interview can be best time to ask for more money. Once you are with the company, they will give you 100 reasons they can’t pay you more. Salary Fairy can help you find out how much you should be making. This isn’t your typical data collected from a survey. It is done by creating an anonymous profile of you and reaching out to fellow Salary Fairy members who would be asked to predict your salary. The reviewers are people in the same field and function as you, so you can be assured of the accuracy of the numbers given. Well, that raps up the list. We hope these job search tools help you launch a successful career or land that job you have always wanted. Best of luck! Featured photo credit: kate hiscock via flic.kr
