Setting yourself career goals is essential to pursue the future that you desire. Once you know where you are going, it’s all the easier to plan how you are going to get there. Perhaps you’d like to network more to establish valuable contacts? Or maybe pursue a learning course within your industry? You might even be looking to change career altogether? No matter what you wish to achieve, a solid game plan and a little persistence is the perfect start. For those seeking professional development, these twelve apps will aid you on your journey.
1 . LinkedIn Learning
It’s likely that you’ve already got yourself a LinkedIn profile, and if you haven’t, be sure to create one fast! Whether you’re currently job seeking or not, LinkedIn is an excellent place to network and stay connected within your field. LinkedIn Learning allows you to up your LinkedIn game further by accessing thousands of expert-led courses. The service provides you with course recommendations, tailored to your profession and goals. LinkedIn Learning also permits you to use project files and quizzes plus receive certificates on completion of a course. From leadership and management to data science, there are plenty of courses that can be accessed seamlessly from your phone or desktop.
2. TED
TED is a nonprofit organization with a mission to spread ideas. The organization generally does so with educational talks, recorded live in front of an audience and then accessed later in video format via the app or website. A huge range of topics are covered from business and tech to science, mental health or politics. As well as the videos accessible online, TED runs a huge variety of events across the world. Professional development relies on a continuous process of learning. Keeping up to date with the trends and technology related to your industry will allow you to future proof your career. Learning, in general, ensures that you stay creative, inspired and current. TED talks are just 15mins long, so the app is perfect to keep learning when you’re on-the-go.
3. TickTick
Professional development takes effort and planning; it relies largely upon the best use of your time. If you’re someone who struggles to get organized TickTick can help you to manage your to-do-lists and tasks, whether personal projects or work-wise. TickTick enables you to set reminders, access calendar views and keep on top of your schedule. The app makes it simple to collaborate with others, so you can assign and share even when on the go. Some handy features of TickTick include voice input, the option to turn emails into tasks, and the use of Quick Ball, widgets or Siri.
4. Cloze
Cloze makes it simple to manage and grow your professional network. It works by taking information from various apps to create one profile of each person. The profile includes all contact details and communication history from email conversations to phone calls. Cloze uses Smart AI to make sure that you won’t miss any key follow-ups. The app also comes complete with automatic reminders, to-do-list features and analytics. With Cloze, you can link agenda items to the appropriate people or businesses, automatically. You can also link contacts and files plus gain access to relevant social media activity.
5. Libby
Reading widely is an excellent way to self-study plus enhance your intellect and confidence. Libby is an app that allows you to access the books and audiobooks in your local library, from your device- for free. If you have a kindle, you can also access your books from Libby here. With Libby, you can keep track of your loans in one place and read offline if you wish. Any bookmarks will automatically sync across all the devices which you are using.
6. Pocket
To learn and get inspired, you don’t necessarily need to invest in a learning course. A good old research session on the Internet is often all it takes to access new knowledge, motivate yourself and set some goals. Do you ever feel like you always come across the best articles when you don’t have time to read them? To solve this problem, Pocket gives you a space to save all of the content that you find online, in one place. You can read everything you save, offline at your convenience. Pocket allows you to complete your work without distractions, meaning you won’t lose focus while browsing the web.
7. Switch
Switch is an excellent app for all the job seekers out there. With Switch you can swipe right on the roles you want to apply for (which is why the app has been referred to as ‘tinder for jobs’)! You have the opportunity to match with hiring managers and start a connection. We all know that job searching can sometimes be a time-consuming and stressful process. Switch serves up the most appropriate roles for you daily, to take away that pressure and ensure a streamlined experience.
8. Toggl
Toogl is a fab app for time management, allowing you to monitor how much time you’ve spent on each daily task or project. The app is straightforward to use, simply click once to begin time-tracking, and once again to stop. With Toggl you can access your time-data in the form of both bar charts and pie charts. Using these features allows you to get a clear picture of where your day has gone, and which tasks are the most time-consuming. Data like this can inform decisions to improve your time management ongoing. All of your data is consistently backed up, and you can work either online or offline as you prefer. You can even use Toggl to temporarily block the websites that you use to procrastinate. This way, you’ll be sure to boost your productivity and stay focused.
9. Good&Co Culture Fit
Good&Co is a job searching app where you can discover the roles with a fitting company culture for you. The app gives you a personality test so that it can seek out the businesses who best match your values, traits and ethos. You’ll also receive insights on relationship building and interacting with your potential new colleagues. You might have the right skills for the job, but if the organizational culture is not a good fit, you’re unlikely to gain long-term job satisfaction. With Good&Co, you can get yourself a smarter job search, which considers your preferences and goals for both now and the future.
10. Shapr
Shapr is a professional networking tool where you can connect with those in your industry. It’s easy to use, simply find someone who you want to connect with and let Shapr send a message in attempt to establish contact. The app does not permit unsolicited requests; therefore, you don’t need to worry about unwanted messages. In-person networking events are great, yet they tend to take more time and planning. When you’re pushed for time, Shapr is an excellent tool to get yourself some great business connections, on-the-go.
11. GiveGab
Volunteering is a great way to give back to the community, plus gain new skills and contacts which can contribute to your professional development. GiveGab is a top app where you can discover thousands of nonprofit organizations. With GiveGab, you can search based on your interests, so it’s easier to find the opportunities that will best enrich your current objectives. GiveGab includes features which allow you to track your hours and post volunteering pictures on the news feed. Volunteering is a particularly great way to gain experience within a new field or to give a tired resume a bit of a revamp.
12. Udemy
Udemy is an online learning space where you can take a huge variety of courses. Whether you are looking for a new hobby or a professional course, Udemy has plenty of options to choose from including software testing, web development, public speaking or illustration. Online learning allows you to study in your own time, at your own pace, without worrying about a commute or overly strict deadlines. You might be looking for a career change, to brush up your tech, or discover a new passion. Whatever your reason to pursue e-learning, Udemy will undoubtedly provide you with plenty of choice and quality.
To conclude
The modern professional is often pushed for time, which is why apps are the ideal solution for on-the-go tasks. Whether you’re completing an e-course, self-studying via TED, or swiping on Shapr, you can pursue your career goals no matter where you are. Be sure to check your mobile data tariffs if you know that your usage is likely to be high. You won’t want to end up paying over the odds for a high usage per month. Companies like smarty network offer a range of affordable options, (where you even get money back for unused data)!
Career development starts with a simple goal list, so get writing yours now. Ask yourself what your ideal role is. Establish clearly, which steps you need to take to get there.
