While I'm not a recruiter, I've been working in the recruiting space since 2017 and throughout that time, the hiring landscape has been all over the place. I remember writing for HR Daily Advisor in 2019 and all anyone could talk about was the candidate-driven market and then Bam! COVID-19 hit.

While unemployment is comparatively low now, there are still so many workers in the job market who are seeking new roles for a variety of reasons. For jobseekers, competition is at an all-time high, and standing out is challenging for so many. Employers/recruiters are seeing a massive influx of applications — many of which aren't even qualified.

I will admit that I've mass applied before, but it was always for product marketing roles, so I thought my generic resume would be good enough. I wanted to play the numbers game. Since I don't play the lottery, this must be how I get my kicks, right?

Anyway, guess where it got me ... nowhere, shocker! So I started listening to my recruiter friends and started taking my time and customizing my resume for each position. What a PITA (pain in the a**)! Enter the whole point of this post!

3 Tech Tools You Need to Be Using to Simplify Your Application Process

First off, shout out to Megan Whittington, who is so knowledgeable about sourcing and recruiting and helped me discover these tech tools! Add these Chrome Extensions to your toolbox and you'll be able to apply to more jobs faster, while still being able to customize your applications.

(Note, I was not paid for any of these plugs, nor am I affiliated with these companies, but if they want to hire me to help improve their product marketing, my contact info is everywhere on this site.)

1. Teal

START HERE! Before you do anything, get set up in Teal. You'll be able to add your resume, make adjustments, and then use the job tracker to keep track of the jobs you've applied to. When you find a job you like, add it to Teal, and then you can customize your resume to match the job description. It also has cover letter templates and sample messages you can send to recruiters on LinkedIn that pull the info from your resume and match it to the job description.

I also find the job tracker to be super helpful because it pulls all the info from the job description in, including the salary cap. Before using Teal, I would never remember to write their salary range going into interviews, and this has saved a ton of embarrassment since!

I highly recommend signing up for the premium version. It was $9 for 1 week. After I started getting hits on my applications, I splurged for an entire month so I could continue to customize my applications to match the job descriptions. There is a free version, but you don't get access to as many features, obviously.

Pro Tip: Edit the job description to remove the company information and anything that isn't related to your experience (like salary range). This way, it's focusing on the appropriate keywords to help you better customize your resume.

2. Simplify

Raise your hand if you went to apply for a job, saw you had to create yet another Workday account, and slowly retreated into the shrubs like a Homer meme.

GAH!!! WORKDAY!! This is the bane of any jobseeker's existence! How frustrating, you have to:

1. Create an account

2. Upload your resume

3. RE-ENTER all that SAME info back into the form fields

4. Then you can apply

Enter: Simplify.jobs. This fun little tool will take your resume, parse the info, and then autofill all that info back into the online application form. It will also fill in that annoying EEO stuff you know you have to do, but for whatever reason, Workday can never remember no matter how many accounts you create! (Sorry I keep hating on Workday so much. I just find it annoying that it can't integrate all your information into one account — like Jobvite does.)

Anyway, Simplify is great because it will also match you with positions that are available through the Simplify job board, making applying a breeze! There's also a resume builder tool, but to be honest, I haven't used it yet because I have been having success with Teal.

3. Kendo

Let's say you just applied for a position, but don't have any free InMail credits to message the recruiter or hiring manager. This is where Kendo comes into play!

Download the Kendo Chrome extension and you'll be able to access contact information via LinkedIn with the click of a button. If you're applying to a role on LinkedIn and it has a hiring manager or recruiter attached, definitely use Kendo to reach out to their work emails. Or, use Kendo to find their work emails and send them a personalized thank-you message after the interview (if you weren't provided with one).

Each month, the free plan gives you 50 credits, so I suggest using it sparingly, but it's a great resource if you want to stand out and make a lasting impression.

Good luck!

I feel for everyone looking for a job right now! I graduated college — the first time — during The Great Recession and it was always my fear that I would be unemployed in an over-saturated job market. And here we are!

So if you're in the same boat, I hope these tools can be of the slightest help to you on your journey. I also suggest checking out Erin Lewber or Bonnie Dilber for expert resume tips and coaching! I've used both of their resources and it has helped tremendously. I'd share what my before and after resume was like, but it is embarrassing! In any case, good luck with your job search. I hope you land a new role soon!