Janet Ingber
Thanks to job search apps, it has become much easier to look for employment. You no longer need to wait for the newspaper’s Want Ads section. Now, you can search for employment opportunities from the comfort of your smartphone.
This article evaluates the Indeed Job Search and Monster Job Search iOS apps, from the popular employment sites Indeed and Monster. For this evaluation, I used an iPhone X with iOS 12.1.4.
Indeed Job Search
Indeed Job Search is free and works with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices running iOS 10.3 or later.
Indeed claims it is “the most comprehensive search engine for jobs.” According to their App Store entry, they offer jobs in over 60 countries in 26 languages.
Getting Help
Indeed does not offer help through the iOS app, but does have a Help Center on the website. Once on the Help Center page, select "Help for Job Seekers" where you'll find a support form you can use to ask a question about the app or site.
Getting Started
When Indeed is launched, there are three options: Sign in, Create Account, and Use Without Account. If you already have an account with Indeed, you can use that to sign in. Creating an account is easy. You can sign in in with Google or Facebook or create a separate account. If creating a separate account, you will be asked to enter your email address twice and a password once. When the Create Account button is selected, the next screen will load with an option to create an Indeed résumé. If you do not want to do this, the Cancel button is near the bottom of the screen.
You will receive a verification email from Indeed as part of the account creation process. In the email, activate the “Confirm your Indeed account” link. After doing so, you will receive a welcome email.
The next screen has a job search form consisting of an edit box for job title and keywords, a location edit box, and a Find Jobs button. Below the form are links including My Jobs, My Subscriptions, and another link to create your résumé. There is also a link to Change Country. In general, the Back button in this app is on the bottom left and the Home button is on the bottom right.
Activating the My Jobs link for the first time loads a screen asking Indeed to send push notifications. Once you start using the app, when the My Jobs link is opened, you'll find sections including Next Steps, Saved, Applied, and Offered.
The My Subscriptions link leads to a list of emails that Indeed will send you, such as an email with recommended jobs. Recommended jobs are based on the jobs you've clicked on. You can also receive emails with relevant job opportunities based on your résumé. Select or deselect items with the appropriate check boxes. Remember to save your settings.
Creating a Résumé
Indeed provides the option to create a résumé using the app. Unfortunately, the form is somewhat cumbersome and flicking from item to item does not always work. The rotor, set to forms, doesn’t work, so you will need to glide your finger on the screen. You'll enter information using edit boxes, radio buttons, pop-up buttons, and pickers. Information can be dictated into some but not all of the edit boxes.
The résumé form consists of three sections. The first section is where personal information such as name, email, and highest degree, is entered. The next section is for entering information about your education. The final section is for work experience. You also have the option of uploading your résumé.
Searching For a Job
The job search form is on the Indeed main screen. The first control is an edit box for entering a job title, key words, or company. The next control is an edit box for entering a city, state, or zip code. The final control is a Find Jobs button.
In addition to writing for AccessWorld, I am a Board Certified Music Therapist and New York State licensed Creative Arts Therapist. I typed “music therapist” in the first edit box and “New York City” in the second. When I executed the search, the next screen loaded and VoiceOver immediately said, “Music Therapist jobs in New York, NY.” This was the heading at the top of the screen. Below the heading was a pop-up button for salary. VoiceOver said, “Double tap to activate the picker.” By default, All Salaries is selected. Next is another picker pop-up button for choosing distance and another for choosing job type, such as full or part time. A third picker is for experience level, such as entry or senior.
Next is an option for more filters. You can choose how jobs are sorted, such as relevance or date. The first job that came up was a Director of Occupational Therapy. This was not a relevant job, even though I sorted by relevance. I am not trained as an occupational therapist. That was the only job listed for me.
Instead of writing “music therapist” in the search box, I wrote “music therapy,” which yielded more results. The first was a Music/Recreation Therapy Leader. Selecting its link brought up a new screen with information about the job. Within the job listing was the indication, “Your résumé matches this job.”
After the job information were options to Apply Now, Save this Job, and Apply Later.
With headings navigation I was able to go quickly through all the jobs that met my criteria. Each listing included position, agency, location, when the job was listed, and an option to save the job. If you can apply for the job with your Indeed résumé, that will be indicated.
Activating the Save link on a job brings up information about the position that may include reviews of the company, the job description, and required qualifications. There is also a link to apply for the job. Get back to the list of jobs by activating the unlabeled button at the middle of the top of the screen. VoiceOver says, “Button.” If you decide to put this job in your My Jobs section of the Home screen, make sure to save the job at the bottom of the information screen and select the link to add to My Jobs.
After entering your job search once, the next time the app is opened the Home page will be different. At the top is a New Job Search link. Below that link are the words “Recent Searches.” This is not a link or heading. Do not flick to the next option. Either navigate by links or slide your finger down the screen. There will be links to the search criteria you previously used. The most recent search criteria will be listed first. In my example, the first result was Music Therapy - New York City. To access your previous searches using another method, from the New Job Search link flick right and you will land on a link to edit your search criteria. If you keep flicking right, you will find your previous search criteria.
Conclusion
Indeed is a good app overall, but be aware that not everything is clearly labeled or in order. Although creating a résumé in Indeed can be time consuming, you can use it to quickly apply for many jobs. You also have the option of uploading your résumé. If I were looking for a job, I would use Indeed.
Monster Job Search
The Monster Job Search app is free and works on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch running iOS 10.3 or later. Monster Job Search claims to be the highest rated job app.
Getting Help
Help is not available through the app. The Monster website has a Contact Us link which leads to their help section. This section does include an email form you can use to ask a question.
Getting Started
The first time the app is opened, at the top of the home screen are the words “Find Better." Double tapping on these words does not yield any results. Next are two buttons: Create New Account and Log Into Existing Account. You will need to flick right from the top of the Home screen to find these buttons. A forms rotor setting is not available on this page. Next is a More Options button, but activating this button did not perform any actions. The final button is Continue with Facebook.
The account creation form is simple, asking for first and last name, email address, and a password. As with the Home screen, you can't navigate by form controls. Next are requests for Monster to use your location, send push notifications, and the like.
Finally, there is a screen to upload a résumé. Monster does provide the option of creating a résumé from within the app. Go to the Profile tab to do so.
If you already have a résumé, the easiest way to add it is to put it into iCloud Drive. Once you activate the button to locate the résumé you will be placed in iCloud Drive. From there, find your résumé and select it.
Searching for a Job
Once your résumé uploads, a new screen will appear with your name, email, an edit box for your city, and an edit box for your phone number. Since my uploaded résumé has my number on it, that part of the form was already entered.
At the top left of the screen is a graphic labeled “Bold Check.” Activating it loads a new screen where you will answer questions about the type of job you are looking for. The first screen has an edit box for entering your ideal job title. I entered “Music Therapy.” The next screen has an edit box for entering preferred job location. Your current location, if you gave permission for Monster to use it, is another option on the screen. Select it to put it into the edit box. The next screen is for choosing types of jobs such as full time, part time, and contract.
The following screen says, “Welcome to Monster.” You are instructed to swipe right if you are interested in a specific job. Swiping right did not do anything. On the same screen was a Skip button.
The new screen, Recommended Jobs, has a button labeled “Filter Unused.” Activating this button loads a new screen where a user can set preferences for type of job, distance radius, minimum salary, and job posting dates. Here you will encounter additional accessibility issues.
It's not possible to navigate by form controls on this page. The first control is Date Posted. By default, “Anytime” is selected in the edit box. Change this by first double tapping on the edit box. Then, select your choice from the picker at the bottom of the screen. After making your selection, flick left until you find the Done button and select it.
Next was text offering the different types of jobs including full time, part time, and contract. I tried to access some kind of control to make changes, but did not have any success. With sighted assistance, I learned that each control was in a separate box and the entire control was grayed out.
The next control was Radius. Use this to choose how far you want to travel for a job. Flicking right, after you hear the distance that is chosen by default, you'll find a control that will say a percentage and then the word "adjustable." Flicking up on the control will increase the distance and flicking down will decrease it. VoiceOver will speak the new percentage, but you will have to flick left to hear the distance in miles. Once you have made your change, flick right until you locate the Done button and select it.
The final control is for choosing a minimum salary. Voiceover will say that the minimum salary is set to $120,000. VoiceOver also says “Allow Unspecified Salaries.” Flick right until you hear VoiceOver announce a Switch button. By default, it is on this option. Choosing a minimum salary is done with another percentage control. However, this time, although the new salary is displayed on the page, VoiceOver cannot read it. There is no Done button for this control. When I activated the Reset button, my changes for date posted and radius were saved, but my minimum salary was not. Even with sighted assistance and with VoiceOver turned off, there was no change.
The Recommended Jobs screen has four tabs at the bottom of the screen: Feed, Matches, Conversations, and Profile. The Feed tab is selected by default. Here is where preferences and job listings are located. The Matches tab is where information about jobs, including those you have applied to and saved, can be found.
The Conversations tab has messages. I received a welcome message from Monster inviting me to let them know if I had any questions. I wrote them about the accessibility problem with choosing a salary. Even after two weeks I did not receive a reply.
The final tab is Profile. If you have not uploaded a résumé, you can fill in information. You can also edit your information, handle your account, and change job title.
Listings on the Recommended jobs page could not be navigated by headings. For me, there were jobs posted such as occupational therapist and psychologist, though I am not licensed for either of those professions. Monster provided more incorrect jobs than Indeed.
Using the Search form, I entered “Music Therapy” in the search box. Results were a shipping clerk and an executive assistant at a music company. I changed the criteria to Recreation Therapist and got a few useful results.
On the results page, it sounds like VoiceOver is reading several job selections. However, with sighted assistance I learned that there was only one job visible on the screen at a time. There are two ways to navigate results. From the bottom of the screen swipe left until you hear buttons to Pass, Save, or Apply. Above the buttons is information about the job being featured. Those three buttons will appear after every job listing. In order to view more jobs, you will need to choose one of those options for the current job.
Another way to navigate results is to keep flicking right, from either the top or bottom of the screen, until you hear a job title. Double tap on it to find the information. Get back to the main screen by activating the button labeled “Gray Arrow Down” in the upper left corner. Each listing contains basic information about requirements, job duties, and company information.
Conclusion
The Monster Job Search app has significant accessibility issues. Although it is possible to navigate job results, it is significantly easier to do so with Indeed.
The Bottom Line
Indeed is significantly easier to use than Monster. Although it can be difficult to fill out a résumé on Indeed, with some patience it can be done. The layout of job listings is definitely easier to navigate on the Indeed app. I received many more relevant search results on Indeed as well, along with job notifications sent directly to my email inbox. Not all emails were relevant, but I did not need to go into the app to read them.
This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.
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