You Should Be Using the Latest Job-Hunting Apps

4. Indeed Job Search

The Indeed Job Search app gathers job listings based on your settings — industry, salary and more — from all the major online job boards, newspaper classifieds, associations and company career pages into one location for you to access. You can find openings in towns nearby based on your device's GPS telling it where you are. Set up email alerts to be dinged when new jobs pop up in a certain category.

When you find a job you like, you can save it so you can apply later when you've got time to focus. Or, if you have uploaded your résumé, you can send it in straightaway with a customized message attached. The app keeps a record of each job you apply for.

Best feature: Vast listing of potential jobs.
 

5. Snagajob

Snagajob specializes in connecting you with hourly employment. You'll find a range of jobs such as cashier, delivery driver, restaurant greeter, security guard and more. Click on links to Houston or San Francisco and you'll find by-the-hour opportunities in those cities.

You can search for local job openings and have Daily Job Matches updates sent directly to your phone or tablet. You can filter positions by schedule (part-time, seasonal, summer) and type of job (automotive, construction, food and restaurant) and distance from your home. The app has a map function to show you the company's location. While Snagajob lists many jobs that require just a tap to apply, with others you have to go through the longer process of applying on the company's website.

Best feature: Local, hourly jobs take center stage.

6. JobR

The big job board Monster scooped up this fast-growing start-up tool last June. It works like a hip dating app. After you set up a profile and upload your résumé, you type in the kind of job you're looking — sales, say — and your location to get rolling. As potential jobs land on your screen, you swipe left to dismiss and move along and swipe right to apply — as you would a potential romantic match.

You'll do well to go slow, however. If you swipe left, you may never see the job again. If you swipe right, you may be applying for the job prematurely without really considering if it's up your alley and how you might make yourself stand out. To help you navigate, the app provides a virtual career concierge that answers your questions as you go.

Best feature: Speedy results, and quick answers from that concierge helper when you get tripped up.
 

7. ZipRecruiter Job Search

ZipRecruiter Job Search started in 2010 as a platform where small businesses can post jobs, but has grown considerably and now aggregates listings from more than 100 job boards.

The app has you complete a profile on the site and upload a résumé and cover letter, which you can edit as you go along, to customize to the needs of particular employers. You're able to bookmark a job that interests you, and then apply for it later once you're on your home computer. You can also set custom alerts for up to 20 types of jobs, with daily notifications sent your way.

You can opt into a database of active job seekers through which thousands of employers and recruiters can search for people with your skills and (you hope) designate you as one to be contacted. That's different from job sites' usual model in which you approach the employer. You'll get status updates, such as when your résumé has been viewed, which can give you important impressions for how your résumé and experience are playing in the market.

Best features: A wide range of flexible kinds of work, and ability to get noticed by recruiters.
 

8. LinkUp

LinkUp lists jobs that are found only on company websites. This helps you get an uncluttered look into what's sometimes called the hidden job market. The fact is that the major job search engines rely on employers to provide them with lists of jobs they're trying to fill. That means the engines don't have jobs that are "hiding in plain sight" on the websites of employers who for whatever reason don't want to list with the big engines. LinkUp is updated daily and currently has more than 3 million jobs.

Best feature: Access to jobs that may still be under the radar.
 

9. Switch

Switch is an up-and-comer, but still specialized in scope. It primarily matches job seekers in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area with employers offering tech- and media-related jobs. But it's expanding to other industries and cities.

This app encourages you to upload your LinkedIn profile and your résumé. Once you're on board, daily Switch recommends jobs based on your background and location. As with JobR, you swipe right to show you're interested in a job and left to pass.

But here you're anonymous. If you express interest, hiring managers see only your professional profile — not your name or contact information. If they like it, you're instantly connected with them so that you can do a virtual chat about the opening.

Switch's discreet platform generally allows you to be "on the market" without the concern that a current employer or client will hear about it (though you can never be 100 percent sure word won't leak). Your profile is automatically excluded from being sent to companies that are on your profile.

Best feature: Anonymous matches without the fuss of cover letters and applications.

Kerry Hannon is a career transition expert and an award-winning author. Her latest book is Getting the Job You Want After 50 for Dummies. She has also written Love Your Job: The New Rules for Career Happiness and Great Jobs for Everyone 50+: Finding Work That Keeps You Happy and Healthy … and Pays the Bills. Find more from Kerry at Kerryhannon.com.