Job-Hunt Industry Disrupted by Mobile App Development

Central adult activities like dating, banking, entertainment, and even investing jumped onto the mobile app bandwagon almost immediately when the first Droids and iPhones hit the market. Meanwhile, the job search industry has until the past year or two been surprisingly slow to adopt, with even tech specialists, Chicago iPhone app developers and project managers using few tools more modern than Twitter to find and apply for employment. Why is that?

It could have something to do with the lack of data to back up the info required for job-hunting apps to work effectively; or it could be simply because users find job hunting more stressful than dating or banking, making the average user less likely to take a “risk” on a job-hunting app when tried-and-true channels like LinkedIn, job board websites and even traditional brick-and-mortar recruiting services can get the job done dependably. (If slowly.)

Regardless, the past year has seen a surge in popularity when it comes to job-hunting apps, with startups from app developers like Caliber, Weave, and Reach finding millions of job seekers clamoring to drop their paper resumes and exhaustive Googling for something simpler. You know, like Tinder.

The biggest problem area prime for a mobile upgrade within the job hunt industry is the scouting process. Mobile apps like Savvy have targeted this area as their key concern, creating OKCupid-esque questionnaires that allow them to “match” employees with employers based on soft issues like compatibility and culture fit, alongside credential fits from LinkedIn. For example, the app weighs questions like what office environment a user prefers; or how long they like to stay in a position before leveling up or leaving, which could be difficult for both parties to be honest about in a traditional interview setting.

Tinder jabs aside, it’s actually a central tool of swipe-to-match apps like Tinder that is driving the adoption of mobile apps in the job hunt industry. Namely, empowering the user to be honest about what they like, be it in a date or a job, before there’s anybody on the other side of the table waiting for an answer.