Drowning in Applications 3 Tech Tips for a Smarter Job Search

Drowning in Applications 3 Tech Tips for a Smarter Job Search Drowning in Applications 3 Tech Tips for a Smarter Job Search 3 Job searchers dedicate hours each day to finding new employment. It takes time to update a resume, create a portfolio, search online new job listings, fill out applications, and tailor a cover letter to each one. That doesn’t even include time invested in networking and branding yourself like attending conferences, emailing new contacts, doing lunch with old colleagues, blogging about industry topics, or staying active on LinkedIn. This makes it especially tough when you’re already working a full-time job, juggling freelance gigs, or trying to minimize your duration of unemployment. Luckily, you can conduct a smarter job search by using technology to boost your productivity. The tools available today act just like a personal assistant, letting you outsource the details of routine tasks so you can save time and do more. Here’s a look at just three ways to use technology to automate your job search and find that 25th hour in your day: Create a professional resume profile. This is a no-brainer if you’re applying through job boards. Once you create a profile, you can save your search preferences and get alerts. Then instead of manually searching for new listings each day, you’ll get job postings from the categories you selected delivered to your inbox. Get a handle on email. The predicament of email is that there are too many to read them all, but you don’t want to miss important responses from employers and contacts. Hand over the work to email apps that help you sort, consolidate, find relevant information, and create tasks out of your messages. Many apps also offer messaging intelligence that learn which emails you typically save or delete and remind you when to reply or follow up to your connections. Upgrade your smart calendar. None of your job search activities will happen unless you make time for them and prioritize, and your phone’s native calendar may not be your best option. A plethora of free, smart calendar apps go above and beyond to save you time. Some are even business-oriented and help you manage and connect to online video interviews in just a couple taps and swipes. Plus, with graphic resume generators, job application trackers, crowd-sourced salary research, and other time-saving technology, you can focus on your goals, not the details. Your job search shouldn’t overtake your life. If you’re employed and looking for new work, you certainly can’t afford to lose all personal time- even if you’re unemployed, you need some type of “job search-life balance.” This is the time to pursue education, travel, visit family, get your life organized, relax, turn inward, and follow your curiosities. Not only will you be smarter, rejuvenated, and better positioned to rock your interviews, but you also won’t be burned out when your first day of work arrives. Check out PGi’s infographic, The Daily Grind: How Technology Powers Productivity, to learn more and take charge of your day. Readers, what tech tips would you add to have a smarter job search? Share your suggestions in the comment section below! Ashley Speagle lives in Atlanta and works as a communications specialist for  PGi, a leading global provider of collaboration software and services for over 20 years. PGi is constantly innovating, developing new technologies to make virtual meetings easier and more productive than ever before. Learn more at PGi’s blog, The Future of Business Collaboration.