9 Great Professional Networking Apps

Networking apps allow you to remove a lot of the guesswork involved in meeting new people.

Applying for jobs in days before the internet most likely involved someone being told to ‘pick up the phone and call around to see who’s hiring.’ Now, in the digital age, picking up your phone to find out who’s hiring is still the best practice, just not in the way you might think – alongside a whole host of professional networking websites you can find online, there are now a number of professional networking apps that you can use on the go to help in your search for employment.

• Happening – Happening helps you by locating upcoming professional events near you and syncs chosen events to your calendar. The hardest part of networking is figuring out where and how to meet new people, and Happening removes all that guesswork.
• Aloqa – Great for when you’re on the go, Aloqa uses your phone’s GPS to find your current location and recommend events and activities in the region; it will even give you restaurant suggestions. It puts you in situations and locations where, if you take advantage of the opportunity, you can meet new people.
• MeetMe – This app is great for trying to meet up with a person – friend, coworker, potential business partner, etc. – who lives far away. You choose your location and choose their location, and the app shows you places to meet in the middle. Once you’ve both agreed upon a destination, it will send you both directions.
• Hashable – This app works to keep clutter from your wallet by creating, sharing, and receiving virtual business cards. Hashable will also remind you of meetings and events, and allows you to create contact groups so it’s even simpler to plan meetings.
• 

  Let’s Lunch turns your mealtimes into networking opportunities.

  LunchMeet – Influenced by the book “Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationships at a Time,” this app lets you utilize your LinkedIn connections to plan face-to-face meetings with people you already know, or search for other local professionals who are available for lunch meet-ups.

• Weave – Weave is a Tinder-meets-professional-networking app that allows you to swipe through profiles that the app’s algorithm thinks will most likely match your criteria. When two individuals both indicate that they’d like to meet, they are connected through the app.
• Cityhour – This app helps you find like-minded professionals who want to meet face-to-face and talk shop using your LinkedIn profile. You can meet new people and schedule a time during which you can ask questions, talk shop, discuss career goats, and learn more about specific jobs or companies.
• Bizzabo – Bizzabo makes going to conferences and business trips worth it for the connections alone; this app will show you other professionals attending the same event as you and help you connect with them before, during, or after the event. While it’s not a guaranteed availability, if the conference you’re attending uses Bizzabo, it can help you find and meet other people in your industry.
• Let’s Lunch – A more hands-on, face-to-face-oriented app, Let’s Lunch syncs with your calendar and finds times and days you have free to meet people. When you find someone you want to meet, you can drag down their profile to a time you both have available, scheduling a meeting for the two of you. Unlike most networking apps, Let’s Lunch shies away from allowing users to message each other, forcing you to save conversations until you meet in person.

The nature of the professional world is ever-changing, so learning to adapt along with it is anyone’s best bet for keeping up. Using these apps will take the guesswork out of where network and put you in situations where you can, but it’s ultimately up to you to capitalize on those opportunities and foster connections that may benefit you in your career search.