How to Use your iPhone to Apply for Jobs, on the Go
It’s happened to me before. I’m out somewhere in the city and I get an e-mail from a recruiter wanting to submit me for a position but they need an extra document or two for my application or I see a posting on one of my iPhone job applications (i.e. craigsphone) and want to apply sooner rather than later. Time wasted can be a job lost in the current climate.
I’ve heard stories of people simply forwarding old e-mails they had stored on their mobile with their resume directly to the job they wanted to apply for or to the recruiter they are working with. The problem with this is that whoever you send the e-mail to will see the history of the e-mail and it will not be personally addressed to the recipient. This seems sloppy and certainly wouldn’t be a good skill for a potential job candidate to advance. On the other hand demonstrating you can maneuver documents on the go is a skill employers could find quite useful.
I’ve found a way to get the best of both worlds; you can get the recognition of being a mobile savy candidate (I always include a note in my signature that explains I am using my iPhone- just in case there are typos, it is easier to explain that way) while still being able to provide the customization that your e-mails with attachments drafted from your home computer or laptop would receive.
A nifty little program called: QuickOffice Files, allows any user to create a repository right on their iPhone for cover letters, references, transcripts and resumes.
I have written a quick tutorial on how to apply for jobs on the go from your iPhone.
- First, you must download the QuickOffice Files application (.99 cents) from the app store on your iPhone.
- Once you install the application click on the ”plus” button in the left hand corner. Type in the e-mail address you will be sending files from. Then validate the account by checking your e-mail and clicking on the provided link.
- Then from your home computer, using the e-mail address you just programmed into the QuickOffice Files app, E-mail all your job application documents (i.e. cover letters, references, transcripts and resumes) to files@quickofficeconnect.com. Now when you launch the QuickOffice Files application and select “attachments” all of the files you forwarded will be accessible.
- Make sure your standard cover letter is accessible from your iPhone mail program, access your cover letter and using the “copy” and “paste” feature available on the iPhone copy your cover letter.
- Launch the QuickOffice Files application navigate to the “Attachments” area, click the icon at the bottom of the screen and select the files you wish to mail.
- Click the “send” button at the bottom of the screen. This will bring up an e-mail drafting screen with your selected files attached to the e-mail.
- Fill in the “to” address remove the standard subject line which is “See attached files” and put in the subject line you desire, (i.e. “Application for Position” or the like), and type your e-mail address in the “from” field as well (since it is coming from the quickoffice services you must specify where you want the e-mail to appear to be coming from).
- In the body of the e-mail “paste” in your standard cover letter, and adjust your salutation line to the desired recipient (note based on the way the program works making lots of customized changes to your cover letter is not possible- the salutation and the first line or two is all you are able to adjust so make sure your cover letter is general when you paste it in as you will not be able to edit much of the body of your text).
Here is an article recommending 10 complimentary iPhone applications that can assist in your job search: http://mashable.com/2009/03/26/iphone-job-search-apps/.
A great iPhone app for job searching, is LinkUp. LinkUp is basically a free version of hound.com. It provides great results and eliminates recruiters and bogus jobs. http://www.linkup.com/
In the interest of full disclosure, I am not being paid by nor am I or the blog being paid to sponsor this product. This is a candid review for a quite useful product.