Top 20 Career-Enhancing iPhone Apps

Jeff Norman



These days, if you’re not implementing technology to help you be more productive, organized, and successful, you’re probably behind the curve. Never fear, the career-minded bloggers at Pounding the Pavement have developed a list of apps that will help you get more out of your smart phone than you previously thought possible. Here there are, the absolute finest of the latest career-boosting applications, ready for you to peruse and enjoy!

Apps for the Job Search

• JobFinder. One of the most highly-praised new applications is Job Finder; the easy-to-use system basically does all the work for you when it comes to finding fresh new
  job leads. The program scours the internet in order to bring all the latest job
  offers appropriate to your search easily to your reach.
• Job Compass. Lauded as “useful” and “intuitive,” Job Compass utilizes GPS technology in order to find prime career opportunities, literally, wherever you may travel.
• Indeed. The closest rival to Craigslist’s employment section, indeed.com now brings all
  of its prized functionality and convenience in the job hunt to your fingertips, in this sweet new application.
• TechCareers. Should you be wishing to tailor your search for employment to the fields of engineering and / or technology, look no further than TechCareers.com. To do such savvy searching on the go, grab the site’s fun application for your iPhone.
• High Paying Jobs. Those looking for a minimum-wage gig need look elsewhere. This
  app is only made for those looking to find the most lucrative positions available for them to chase, and hopefully land.
• Layoff News. Psst. Have you heard? Half of the staff is getting the boot today! News like this is always painful to hear. Layoff News will get it to you faster – so you can get a move on to your next job even more quickly.
• CareerBuilder. You want a new job – now. Let this ingenious new application do much of the work for you. It will automatically gauge your location and will let you easily search for a new post via any keyword you like. Yes, with CareerBuilder you can even search for something fresh, right under your boss man’s nose.

Apps for Doing the Job Right

 

• SalesForce Mobile. This application empowers your iPhone with cloud computing, which juggles a multitude of services and programs for you, in order to bring about the best information that will lead to your highest sales yet.
• Intelligent Investing by Forbes. The business whizzes and aficionados in the know at
  Forbes magazine compile and streamline their knowledge and tips for you, at your fingertips, in this exceptional and exciting application.
• Business Building Secrets. 100 such secret tips and more are ready and available for
  you on the spot with this app. It boasts that “you’ll never run out of ideas to make money online or off” when you use BBS.

Read Apps for Effortless Social Networking and Apps for Organizing Your Life @ 

The Undercover Recruiter

Remember discretion during job search

When I was head of human resources at TV Guide, I frequently met with candidates I was recruiting over breakfast at a restaurant near my office. One morning while I was having breakfast with a prospective candidate, in walks one of our employees and he sits down at a table with a recruiter I knew.
Up until that moment I had no idea he was looking at other opportunities. Moments like that are jokingly referred to as "career limiting moves." Now that I knew this employee was actively job hunting, I had to begin considering how I would fill his position if he left. Raises, promotional opportunities are off the table, reserved for employees expected to stay around for a while.

Even if you are unhappy in your job and are seeking a new one, it pays not to advertise that fact indiscriminately. How can you look for a new job without broadcasting the fact to your current employer? Here are some tips that might help you avoid the fate of that unlucky employee who I happened to run into that morning at breakfast.
Most of the experts I spoke with emphasized the importance of conducting your job search away from the office and not on work time. In that regard, the advice of Lavie Margolin, author of "Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers," was representative:
"Designate certain non-working hours during the day to source for jobs on the internet. This can be early morning or evening hours. Use the weekends to do your networking. Follow up with phone calls and in-person meetings during this time. Respond to employer messages during your lunch hour. Find a quiet place away from work to make calls and have your schedule handy. Try to set up interviews before working hours begin, during lunch hours and just after traditional work hours."
Do not use company e-mail addresses or phone numbers on your résumés. Nor should you use your office computer or a company-provided PDA. Your employer can track e-mail you are sending from their computer and can determine what phone numbers you are calling from work and who is calling you. If you are doing your job search on company time, not only do you risk getting fired but, as professional résumé writer Kathy Sweeney notes, "potential employers will wonder if you will be searching for work on their dime someday down the road."
While you can use the internet to further your job search, do so carefully. Use job boards to identify possible opportunities but avoid posting your résumé. It is not uncommon for companies to search job boards to see which of their employees have active résumés posted.
Krista Canfield of LinkedIn offers the following advice as to how you can use their website to conduct a "stealth job search." She advises you start by controlling your privacy settings. Most job seekers who are quietly looking will choose the "No" option to "Publishing profile updates, recommendations and companies you follow" and "Notifying your connections of status updates."
LinkedIn also has a feature that enables you to "follow" companies you’re interested in. This allows you to get updates on new hires, promotions, changes and even job opportunities at the companies you are interested in, so you can pursue opportunities as they arise. While you’re viewing the company’s profile, you can also see if anyone in your network either works at the company or knows someone who works there.

Most important, conducting a stealth job search requires that you be proactive and increase your visibility. Join discussion groups online, volunteer through professional associations and charitable organizations, assume leadership roles and seek out opportunities to speak and write in areas where you have expertise. This will not only facilitate building connections but will demonstrate your competence. By becoming more visible, job opportunities will come to you.
While you need to inform individuals in your network that you would be interested in other job opportunities, limit the people you tell to those you trust. Be especially cautious about talking to co-workers. Even your friends at work may feel they have a duty to the company to tell someone you are looking for a new job. That also goes for suppliers and clients.
Your trusted contacts, however, can act as additional eyes and ears, informing you of opportunities that come to their attention. Stay in touch with them directly through targeted e-mail messages and phone calls. Avoid using "blast" e-mail or postings on your LinkedIn profile that may end up in the hands of someone who you do not want to find out that you are looking for a new position.
A veteran human resources executive, Lee E. Miller is the author of "UP: Influence Power and the U Perspective — The Art of Getting What You Want." E-mail questions to Lee@YourCareerDoctors.com.


Original Article

How To Find a Job Before The Job Description is Written

- Jim Stroud

One sure way to get a jump on your job hunting competitors is to apply for work before the job description is even written.  How does one do that? Simple. Look for news stories that feature companies that are planning to make massive hires! More than likely if a company is going to hire hundreds of people at a time, they are not going to post those hundreds of jobs on job boards at once (especially in this economy).
What then? Network with people who work at those companies and send in your resume ahead of time to Recruiters. In this way, you get to be among the first in line.
Food for thought, check out the news stories below:
100+ Jobs pending in Cary, North Carolina

• To support its new $500 million, 5-year strategic engagement with Merck & Co., IT-services firm HCL Americas will be adding at least 100 new positions at its services-delivery center in Cary, North Carolina.

500+ Jobs pending in Dallas, TX

• A Dallas-based company owned by Xerox will open a call center in Oklahoma City and hire 500 people. Affiliated Computer Services will open the call center in December.

20+ Jobs pending in Saginaw, MI

• Saginaw-based ambulance company expansion to bring 20 new jobs

100+ Jobs pending in Orlando, FL

• Lockheed Martin Corp. wants to spend $2.4 million to renovate and equip a 64,000-square-foot industrial building in the city of West Melbourne and create 100 jobs.

240+ Jobs pending in VA

• Pulaski Co., VA – New jobs are coming to Pulaski County. Governor McDonnell has announced that Phoenex Packaging Operations is investing more than $20 million to open an operation in the county. The project will create more than 240 jobs.

Jobs pending in Costa Mesa, CA

• Costa Mesa CA, May 7, 2010 — UNITED ERRANDS EXPRESS is the world’s premier Open Online Market Place for 24/7 On Call Concierge Services and we are hiring.

80 Jobs pending in CA

• The Rancho Las Palmas in Rancho Mirage is hiring 80 people in anticipation of a very busy summer.

600 Jobs pending in Ohio

• When fully staffed, the Clayton Distribution Center could employ up to 600 people, depending on market demand.

See More Mass Job Openings and How Jim Found Them

The Top Six Ways to Ruin Your Job Search

During the deepest part of the recession, job seekers found it was easier to spot a unicorn hanging out with a leprechaun than to find an open position. With indicators pointing to a slow economic recovery, candidates know there's no room for error when searching for upcoming employment opportunities. Snelling Staffing - The Wyckoff Group (TWG) is reminding job contenders not to be "their own worst enemy" and is releasing the "Top Six Ways to Ruin Your Job Search."

"There are a lot of qualified candidates looking for work right now," says Frank Wyckoff, President of Snelling Staffing - TWG. "They need to be aware that every detail counts during their job seeking efforts."

Wyckoff states six of the most common areas where candidates are unknowingly sabotaging their own search:

1) What's LinkedIN? - LinkedIN is a powerful tool when seeking employment, so it's important to be signed up and actively using this networking site. Group discussions and job boards are effective ways to locate and connect with Hiring Managers. Make sure your profile is completely filled out, up to date and includes your resume, recommendations and samples of your work. Also, be sure to join groups related to your work.

2) Facebook Status Update: Look at my party pictures! If a Hiring Manager is interested in interviewing you, they are likely to do their homework. Make sure your Facebook profile portrays you in a professional light and doesn't include inappropriate pictures. Playing it safe and using a more conventional picture for your headshot and strict privacy settings is the smartest way to go.

3) There's no eror, oops I mean, error on my resume! - Having a strong resume that demonstrates and quantifies your professional capabilities and accomplishments is imperative to your job search. However, if you don't proofread your resume, even the tiniest error will stick out like a sore thumb. If you don't take your resume seriously, a Hiring Manger won't take you seriously.

4) I hate to network... - Every time you step out in public, there's an opportunity to meet someone who knows of an open position. Strike up conversations about employment wherever you go and have a 30-second elevator speech prepared stating what you're looking for and why you're a great candidate.

5) Please ignore my low-cut T-shirt. - If you are fortunate enough to make it to the interview stage, you better look the part of a professional. Make sure you dress conservatively and are well-groomed.

6) Interview Rehearsal - Get interviewed by at least three recruiters. Rehearse your answers to five good questions they asked to help prepare for the actual job interviews.

"As the economy improves and more positions become available, it's important to stay on top of your job-search skills," adds Wyckoff. "It's critical to recognize and improve all aspects of finding and chasing down employment opportunities."

Local businesses use Snelling Staffing to contract qualified people in a diverse range of positions, including Administrative, Clerical, Light Industrial, Accounting & Finance, Legal and Biopharmaceutical work. Businesses from almost every industry use Snelling to find talented and qualified employees for both temporary and career positions. The Wyckoff Group consists of New Jersey offices in Eatontown, East Brunswick, Freehold and Lakewood as well as King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, Brunswick, Georgia and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

For more information about Snelling Staffing - TWG, please visit http://www.snellingnj.com or call 732.389.0300.

About Snelling Staffing Services

Snelling Staffing - The Wyckoff Group is a full service staffing firm offering Temporary, Temp-to-Hire, Career Placement, Executive Recruiting and Consulting Services. Local businesses use Snelling to contract qualified individuals in a diverse range of positions including Administrative, Clerical, Light Industrial, Accounting & Finance, Legal and Biopharmaceutical work. The Wyckoff Group is a family of Snelling branches serving the following areas: New Jersey, Florida, Illinois and Pennsylvania. We have the people, expertise, network and resources to help you meet your business, professional and career goals. For more information, please call 732.389.0300 or visit http://www.snellingnj.com.

Unemployment Blues

Renata Sellitti

Television producer, Freelance writer, Recovering New Yorker

My name is Renata, and I have a confession to make: I'm unemployed.
I lost my job early last year, becoming part of the country's 9.6 percent unemployment rate, and I've been a statistic ever since. This past year, I've learned when you lose your job you may very well lose your mind too. While millions of jobless Americans get resume tips, what we really need is awareness of the struggle we are about to stare down.
I experienced something that I've come to identify as "the five stages of unemployment," a playful-yet-serious incarnation of psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross' famed explanation of the five stages of grief. The jobless blues can be crippling and embody a similar loss of control at first. Then they eventually -- and hopefully -- lead to acceptance.

Denial. Apart from carrying the contents of our desks out of the office, a job loss often doesn't feel like a bonafide job loss. The initial week or two may even have been fun. We get to sleep late and watch all of the daytime television that we want, not realizing what total poison it may be. We don't admit to ourselves that our foreheads have been branded unwittingly with a capital "U" that won't wash off.

Last summer, Gretchen Sodergren, 32, a corporate retail planner, got a call from her boss telling her, "This is the last paycheck this Friday." Having worked from home, she was confused for weeks, asking herself, "What just happened here?" Sodergren became what she called, "The Coupon Lady," clipping coupons to save money. As her bills accumulated, she learned to make macaroni dinners last for days and downgraded to drinking Miller Lite out of cans. Financial anxiety is the surest way to snap out of the denial. The length of this stage varies for everyone, but is always followed by its ugly stepsister, the second stage of unemployment: repetition.
Repetition. I call this stage "one long Groundhog Day of rejection." I spent endless days in blue Calvin Klein pajama pants and a pink shirt emblazoned with a picture of an angry chocolate chip cookie character and the moniker, "One Tough Cookie." The slogan was ironic because, even though I sent my resume to everyone I knew, only to learn that most of them were also looking for work, I was falling apart. While worker bees buzzed outside my window on their daily commute, I turned to "Ellen" and "Oprah" to drown them out. I felt paralyzed by my inability to contribute to the world around me.
By day, I hung out with Raymond and John, the doormen at my Murray Hill apartment building in midtown Manhattan, and bonded with the Hispanic housekeepers, while I did laundry in the basement. By night I begged my friends to go get drinks so I could actually leave my apartment. I cursed necessary tasks like calling the unemployment office.

I wallowed my way right into stage three: Self-Improvement. The need for self-improvement sets in when even you become so disgusted with yourself and your appearance that you channel your frustration into exercise or grooming and wardrobe upgrades. Some months after losing her job, Sodergren, the corporate retail planner who suffered from denial threw away her stained white "Miami Beach" sweatshirt and the ill-fitting, light blue Old Navy pajama pants that she wore just about every day last year. "I actually convinced myself that because they matched it was somehow an outfit," she says.

Rob Nagel, an Indianapolis college admissions director who was unemployed for most of last year, walked his dogs Boss and Chick at Wadsworth, a local dog park, and rode his Gary Fisher mountain bike regularly because, he says, "Let's face it. Mountain biking is free." He lost 20 pounds. "People say that it's a great opportunity to change career paths and all that stuff, but the only thing that really gave me sanity was exercise," says Nagel.

Rachel Stein, 28, a public relations manager in San Francisco, dealt with her unemployment last year by waking up early and packing her days with job searches and long walks. "I gave myself a routine," she says. "I knew how important that was." This past January, Stein launched a website, "Tales from the Recently Laid Off."

Read Stages 4,5 and conclusion

Pogoplug

Normally I don't plug a product but I got the Pogoplug about two weeks ago and have been really happy with it.  It makes it really easy to share hard drives across the network.  You can also share the files and folders to people outside of your network.

         Product Features

• Pogoplug lets you connect to any external hard drive and then access and share content through the internet
• Stream videos, music and photos directly to your iPhone, Blackberry, Droid and other mobile devices
• Works with Safari, Firefox 3, IE 7, IE 8 and Chrome Web Browers. MS Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7, Mac OS X 10.4 and above

Rejected Outright for the Job Because of Their Online Image

Fred Whelan and Gladys Stone

Authors of GOAL! Your 30 Day Game Plan for Business

Business strategist and Webby Award winner David Allen Ibsen (runs business consultancy 5 Meetings Before Lunch) was helping one of his start-up clients with their organizational needs. Specifically, they were looking to make a couple of key hires. Ibsen tapped into his business/social network on LinkedIn to search and identify potential candidates. "LinkedIn is great because you have the person's resume right in front of you." He then gave the short list of candidates to his client who "Googled" each person's name to do a background check.
The client put the names into two buckets: "People with a positive web presence" and "Not". The positives were called in for interviews, the rest were rejected outright. While these people had professional LinkedIn profiles, they were dinged because of what they had on other social networking sites. A professional profile is great but it doesn't mean you'll get a pass on them checking Facebook, Twitter or blogs you may have written.

According to Ibsen, these people should consider taking a look at their personal brand. "Just like my corporate clients who covet their brand reputation, individuals need to look at what type of story is being told about them online and make sure it matches who they are and how they want to be perceived."
So, where should you start if you have a less than favorable web presence?
Facebook - Look at your profile photo. Is this how you would want to be judged by a potential employer? We know it's supposed to be just for friends, but the reality is that your photo along with your profile's "likes" and "dislikes" are open to public review. Give your likes and dislikes the same scrutiny. If you happened to be "tagged" in a photo, that picture could also make its way to a hiring manager or recruiter. Let your friends know that you would rather not be tagged.
Twitter - Whatever you tweet can get retweeted, on and on. It's like the old Faberge shampoo commercials, "I told two friends, who told two friends" and before you know it, it's out there in a big way. Tweets do fall off Google searches rather quickly, which is the good news. If you need to do some damage control on something you've tweeted, then tweet a number of positive things.
LinkedIn - A way to rebrand yourself here would be to raise your profile by answering questions in your area of expertise. Also, review your profile for keywords and positioning. That can make a difference in how people find you and perceive you. We coached a woman who was a professor, author and speaker. Her profile emphasized her academic background, when she really wanted to focus on her writing and speaking engagements. This was an easy fix and got her more attention in the areas she wanted.
David Allen Ibsen: "The Internet and the rise of social media have changed the rules in terms of how prospective employers do background checks. Even though the rules have changed, one thing still holds true - building a good reputation is invaluable."
People make the mistake of viewing LinkedIn as their professional image and consider Facebook and Twitter as their personal ones. While you might make this distinction, hiring managers don't.
Ibsen: "Never post anything on the Internet you wouldn't want your mother - or boss - to see."
Fred & Gladys
Whelan Stone
Executive Search and Coaching
Authors of GOAL! Your 30 Day Career Plan for Business & Career Success

Original Huffington  Post Article