It forces young applicants to consider diverse ways of finding a job. Take a look at our top six career-boosting apps every savvy job seeker needs to know.

LinkedIn

It’s no secret that social networking has opened many doors. If you somehow have not heard about LinkedIn yet, you must give it a try this second! It has started out as a professional networking website and now you can enjoy all its benefits through a handy app. If you are not a member yet, register right away and join a group of 300 million international professionals.

> LinkedIn app on Google Play

Indeed Job Search

Indeed is an extremely popular search engine that puts together information about job openings from all over the world. Don’t worry though, GPS tracker will find the openings in your neighbourhood for you. The advantages of creating a profile are endless – you can upload your resumes and keep them handy, follow your favourite companies and get notifications about their openings, search for job offers by company, position, or location. Indeed.com describes itself as World’s #1 job search and I believe that 100 million users prove that to be true.

> Indeed Mobile

Monster Job Search

Many companies choose to post their job offers exclusively through Monster Job Search. Together with Monster account you can access your resumes and cover letters anytime and manage them through the app. You can also save preferences and receive notifications about new openings. Thanks to that, the application proves to be a powerful tool that you should most definitely have on your smartphone.

> Monster app on Google Play

LinkUp

Optimized for iPhone 5, LinkUp is currently one of the fastest growing search engines. The application collects information about job openings directly from company websites, offering you legitimate information straightforwardly. With LinkUp you can forget about repetitive ads, spam, and outdated offers.

> LinkUp app on App Store

ResumeBear

ResumeBear is one of these apps that bring faith to weary job seekers, as it notifies you when your resume is being read. You don’t need to worry anymore that your e-mails are just landing in a black hole of recruiters’ inboxes.

> ResumeBear app on Google Play

Evernote

Last, but not least, take a look at Evernote – personalized digital notebook that can be used in many ways across different fields. We all know that organization is the key to both professional and personal success. With Evernote, you can take notes and recordings, create to-do lists, save articles and websites, plan trips, and even keep track of your expenses. What’s more, you can connect all your devices to one account and use your Evernote on either smartphone, laptop, or tablet. And to top all that, New York Times has featured Evernote as one of top 10 must-have apps. Give it a try!

> Evernote app on Google Play

These days, successful application process involves different strategies, so feel free to experiment with various channels of communication. Try out our recommendations and make the job hunt a little easier.

The cover letter is an extension to specific areas in your resume. A cover letter should replicate everything in the resume. There are certain facets of your candidature that you can share with the employer through the cover letter.

There is a lot of scope to mention areas such as accomplishments and value-additions in the cover letter; whereas, areas such as years of experience and educational qualification details need not be repeated in the cover letter – if these details are already mentioned in the resume. In the resume, you cannot quote the praise you received in your ex-job but it can be quoted in the cover letter.

Let us begin to explore the features of an impressive cover letter in more detail:

Responsive

A cover letter can sound both responsive and accountable of your candidature. You are writing a cover letter to the employer for a specific reason, and so it is important to highlight this reason. Yes, you are applying for a specific job, but the question that you are expected to answer in the cover letter is – ‘why you are a good fit for the job’? In other words, ‘why is the job a good fit for you’?

It is also a good idea to write additional details about your skill-set and qualifications. But, make sure that you are not simply repeating everything from the resume.

You are expected to write more about your accomplishments.

For instance, you could begin like this:

I would like to discuss my candidature with reference to the advertisement about pre-sales job with XYZ LTD as published in the A to Z periodical on Jan 1 2015.

My 2 years of work experience in the pre-sales role with ABC LTD, makes my candidature a great fit for the experienced pre-sales assistant job with XYZ LTD.

Here, you are doing two things: Firstly, you are highlighting the fact that you have thoroughly read the job profile and secondly, you have also begun writing about your experience in the first paragraph itself which indicates that you are aware about the exact requirement.

Branding Statement

A branding statement in the header of the cover letter can make a lot of difference to your candidature. An eye-catching statement or title can encourage the recruiter to read the cover letter till the end. Besides it also tells a lot about your profile. For instance: ‘2 years in direct sales with defined accountability and winning attitude’. This title sounds better than just writing – ‘2 years in pre-sales’. In case the candidate does not have direct exposure in the pre-sales field then ‘Aspiring Pre-Sales Executive with 1 year of Direct Sales Experience’ can also be impressive. It means that you are highlighting the experience you have and also relating it to the current requirement; and you are doing so just in one line.

Knowledge and Skills

It is important to talk about the knowledge and skills gained during your experience with the earlier companies. For instance, you can write: The 2 years of direct sales experience has taught me to accomplish results within the set deadlines. I can relate to a company budget as much as I can relate to my own business target. My attitude of portraying ownership towards my work makes me more accountable towards my duties and responsibilities.

In the above instance, you are achieving two things: you are talking about your experience with emphasis on your understanding about the company expectations. The brief also talks about ‘how you are managing your work skillfully’, and ‘how you are leaving no stone unturned to achieve your goals within the set deadline’.

Establish Relevance

We have noted above – ‘how establishing relevance with the job requirement can do wonders to your cover letter’. Similarly, it is also important to establish relevance with the company profile that is ‘what the company management is set to achieve’. You can do so by reading the company vision, mission and about us page on the employers website. This will give you a fair idea about the company’s long-term and short-term goals.

You can relate to these goals effectively. For instance: the company vision is – “Our vision is to be the leading player in telecom industry by catering to customer needs through innovation and high caliber performance”.

Now, considering this vision you could write your own vision, for instance: “I endeavor to achieve brilliance in telecom industry technology by applying mindfulness along with my existing know-how”.

In the above statement, you have made a commitment to yourself that you want to be a seamless part of the telecom industry and you are also aware about ‘how you intend to set your goals and make those goals achievable in the short-term and the long-term’.

Final Words

The closing lines should suggest your interest and willingness to meet the employer personally to further discuss your candidature. An enthusiastic ending will show the employer that you are really serious about scheduling a meeting to take things forward.

For instance, you could end the letter saying: ‘I look forward to schedule a mutually suitable day and time with you to further discuss my candidature for the Pre-Sales associate role. Thank you and Kind Regards. Yours Sincerely, Name, Date, Cell phone number, Email and other details such as Skype or IM messenger ID.

Thus it can be observed that, you can gain a good impression of the employer by writing a highly persuasive cover letter which is appealing to both the job role and the company profile.

Take your time

Don’t rush job applications, CVs or cover letters. Take your time to read the questions and think about your answers. When it comes to CVs and covering letters, try and personalise them to the job rather than be generic, and put in more effort than just ‘See attached CV’.

Don’t limit your search to online

There are countless online job websites that have thousands of vacancies, but a trip up your local high street (especially if you’re in a big city) can yield far more promising leads. Local restaurants and independent shops in particular may snub the expensive online job boards for a simple ad in the window asking for paid help.

Consider the unusual

There are some obvious student jobs such as working in retail or catering, but there some perhaps more interesting ways to earn cash, such as becoming an extra or even a secret shopper. It may not provide as much regular income, but it’ll be quite a bit more fun and can sometimes pay surprisingly well.

via therichestimages.com

Actually prepare for interviews

If you’re invited for an interview don’t turn up late looking like you’ve just got out of bed, even if it’s for a trainee spot at a fast food outlet. Put some effort into your appearance and prepare answers to some of the inevitable questions, such as your strengths and weaknesses.

Is it worth it?

A job shouldn’t cost you more than it pays so make sure you consider whether or not it’s even worth it… and if you even can do it. That’s not in terms of qualifications (we’d like to think that didn’t need to be said) but whether or not you’ll have the time to. If a job requires a certain amount of hours or certain days that clash with your University work or other commitments, say no. If it’s going to cost you more money and time getting there than you’ll be paid, don’t bother applying.

And with predictions that students could leave university with over £50,000 worth of debt, a summer job is becoming more of a necessity.

So, what options are out there?

Café or bar work

The food and hospitality industry is ideal for the summer student. It peaks in summer when kids are off school, so businesses are usually looking to recruit extra staff. An added advantage is that, if you do well, you could be offered an ongoing role during term-time.

Office work

Whilst many office-based businesses look to recruit long-term full time employees, there are openings for taking on summer staff during busy periods, particularly when other employees will be on annual leave. If you are studying a vocational course such as law, experience of working within the industry will assist your chances of finding a job on graduation.

Retail worker

A summer job in retail can offer you the chance to develop your people-skills, which will enhance your CV. There are also management training schemes available within this sector so a summer job could provide you with enviable experience to put on a future application form.

Childcare

If you’ve had experience as a baby-sitter or you’re doing a teaching course, then a summer job in childcare could be for you. This could include not just childminding, but working on a summer camp or holiday scheme. There’s even the chance to work abroad! If you like kids, such work can be both fun and rewarding.

Leafleting

While this may appear dull, repetitive work, it does have distinct advantages: it gets you fit and it often has flexible hours so it can fit around your studies. Just fire up your ipod and effectively get paid for going for a walk!

> Student Jobs: Top ten websites to find part time work

Start with some research

Start by whipping out your computer and doing some snooping. Know both the job you’re going for and the company inside out. Know their products, innovations and clients. On a more wider scale, look to find out more about their sector of work, competitors and what’s going on in the field in general.

Get some answers ready

A lot of interview questions are fairly predictable even if they’ve been slightly reworded in the hopes of tripping you up. Prepare some answers for the typical questions about your strengths, weakness, working as a team, why you want the job, why you want to work at the company and why they should employ you.

Look the part

You don’t need to overdress to go to a standard job interview but you should at the very least look smart, even if you’re applying to work in a warehouse without any dress code or uniform. Absolutely no jeans or T shirts and ditch the trainers and Converses for now. Even think about the colours you may wear: black and red are (apparently) seen as powerful, with a bit of white to brighten it up.

Don’t be late

Being late is perhaps the worst thing you can do: At best you’ve made a horrible at first impression but at worst you may just be told to go home and forget about it. Leave extra, extra early. Excuses such as late trains or buses wont cut it.

Be prepared to be tested

Many job interviews, especially for more technical positions, may see your claimed skills or qualifications put the test so be prepared. Examples of tests that an employer may spring on you include the Fizz Buzz test for computer programmers.

Don’t sell yourself short

While you don’t want to come across as arrogant at the same you need to sell yourself so don’t be modest or put yourself down. Highlight your achievements and skills and turn any weaknesses into positives.

Stay calm take time to answer

Job interviews aren’t against the clock so take your time to answer each question. Think before you speak and plan your response rather than just blabbing on. Speak clearly and don’t forget to breathe!

Ask your own questions

The last question of most job interviews sees you get the chance to quiz the employer and it’s an opportunity you shouldn’t pass on. Even if you really do have no questions that you need or want answering, ask one or two anyway! Possible subjects to bring up here include the company’s future plans, what department you’ll be working in, who you’ll be working with, how the office works and what training or other career progression is available.

Keep it short (sort of)

Keep it short…ish. Your CV shouldn’t really be any longer than two pages of A4 at most, and some suggest one page should be enough if you do everything right. If you find yourself struggling to fit everything in – and it’s not like you’ll have lots of employment to write about – you’ve gone wrong somewhere.

Don’t ever lie!

This one (should be) obvious but it still needs to be stated.

Show off!

A CV is about selling yourself so don’t hold back by highlighting all of your achievements and best attributes, this isn’t a time to be modest.

But don’t dump everything…

Perspective employers won’t care about that 100 metre doggy paddle swimming certificate so only put in whats relevant. For example, in terms of Education, if you’ve got a degree you don’t need to go on to list all your GCSE subjects, a line such as “Attained 8 GCSEs at grades A*-C including English, Maths and Science” will suffice for most applications.

Back up your claims

Don’t just trot out cliches such as being “a good team leader”, back it up with examples such as when you previously had to lead a team. Support claims with facts and figures so turn that “degree in Computer Science from a University” into “Excelled at University with a degree in Computer Science, achieving an average mark of 92%.”

Tailor your CV for each job

When it comes to CVs one size does not fit all. Read the job description carefully and tailor your CV to highlight the exact attributes, skills and/or qualifications that the employer is after.

And make it personal

The CV needn’t be just a bland list of grades and employment, add a bit of your personality by adding a short paragraph on yourself, your motivation, activities and hobbies – but try to make them relevant to the employment opportunity on offer.

Keep it simple

Being fancy with your CV can – sometimes – pay off but it’s better to play it safe and keep it simple. Stick with paragraphs, columns and bullet points. Choose a standard font (e.g. Arial) and colour and stick with both throughout: this isn’t an art project. Also beware of using acronyms or jargon that may not be understood or misinterpreted.

Finally, check it before you send it

The last step is to give your CV a thorough read through before you send it and then get someone else to check it over too. Getting a third person – ideally a professional – can never hurt. From typos to grammatical errors, the CV is your chance to make a good first impression so make it count.