The number of cell phones is expected to exceed the number of people on the planet, according to Digital Trends. That’s a pretty amazing statistic. Add to that the over 1M active apps in the iTunes App Store, and there’s tremendous productivity potential in terms of the combined technology in our phones and apps.
The challenge is figuring out which ones to download. It can be overwhelming trying to find a good app. Some of my best app finds are from lists, so I thought I would put together a list of go-to apps for human resources professionals.
1. LinkedIn – With 277 million users, LinkedIn remains the top social networking site for professionals. When I meet new people that I want to stay in contact with, instead of the business card swap, I connect with them on LinkedIn. Very easy to do from the app. Also, as a consultant, I get quite a few media requests via LinkedIn.
2. Feedly – According to WordPress, over 409 million people view 13 billion blog pages each month. That’s a whole lot of reading! So it’s important to find a way to organize the information. Feedly is a single place to collect and read what matters to you. Best of all, it’s free. You can organize your reading by subject matter and it’s searchable. I love it when I’m doing research – very easy to search my reading.
3. Box – There are several different online file sharing apps. I like Box because they occasionally offer promotions to increase your storage to 50GB for free. Now, I don’t have to worry about running out of space. Online file sharing is great for carrying a back-up presentation file, your resume or bio, and information about your company. I also use it to store whitepapers and executive summaries that I want to read on the road.
4. Skype – The world is becoming smaller and Skype allows us to connect with people all over the globe. I’m having conversations with human resources and training professionals in places like China and Malaysia, which I could have never done before on my land phone.
5. Labor Stats – Keeping up with labor statistics can be a full-time job. This app provides the most current numbers and press releases from the Department of Labor and Bureau of Labor Statistics.
6. Glassdoor – When 96% of job seekers are influenced by employee reviews, then HR pros have to pay attention to their organizational brand. The Glassdoor app allows you to see what others are saying about your company.
7. Diigo – Often I’ll be surfing the internet and find an article that I want to save. Diigo is a social bookmarking site that allows me to save the article and attach tags so I can find it again at a future date. So that article about goal setting that I want to have for mid-year performance reviews, I can put in Diigo.
Oh and one final app to be on the lookout for … the SHRM 2014 Conference app! It’s scheduled to launch sometime in May. If you’re coming to Orlando, it should be on your download list.
As a human resources pro, what’s your go-to app? Leave us the name in the comments.
Sharlyn Lauby is an author, writer, speaker and consultant. She is president of ITM Group Inc., a consulting firm which focuses on developing training solutions that engage and retain talent in the workplace. She's previously served as a member of SHRM’s Membership Advisory Committee (MAC) and Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility special expertise panel.
She is equally well-known for her work on HR Bartender, a friendly place to talk about workplace issues. The site has been recognized as one of the “Top 5 Blogs HR Pros Love to Read” by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Sharlyn is the author of two best-selling books published by SHRM: “Manager Onboarding: 5 Steps for Setting New Leaders Up for Success” and “The Recruiter’s Handbook: A Complete Guide for Sourcing, Selecting, and Engaging the Best Talent”, which are available on Amazon.
Her personal goal in life is to find the best cheeseburger on the planet.
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