10 essential apps to supercharge your career

Some people who want to supercharge their career spend thousands of dollars on coaches and specialists. But one of the best aids to help you get ahead is actually sitting right in your pocket.

Smartphones and tablets have changed how we find, advance and change our careers. Whether you need help networking, preparing for a big interview or dusting off your resume, there are apps out there that can help.

Here are 10 essential apps if you wanted to climb up the next rung of the career ladder.

—By Chris Morris, special to CNBC.com and Marguerite Ward, news associate at CNBC.com.
Last Updated 15 March 2016

Switch, available on iOS and Android, is the Tinder of employment. Job searchers swipe right to job postings they are interested in and left to postings they aren't. All the while, hiring managers are swiping, too, and seeing your credentials but not your name. Your profile is automatically excluded from companies listed in your resume, so users don't have to worry about someone from their company finding their profile. If you and a hiring manager both swipe right, you're one step closer to getting that job!

While many people use LinkedIn on their computers, it's a smart idea to have the app, too — available for iOS and Android. You can connect with people you meet in person instantly, search and apply for jobs anywhere in your spare time. Having the ability to network on a moment's notice can make a difference.

The Rolodex has gone digital, but we still distribute and receive paper business cards on a regular basis. A good business card reader app, available both for iOS and Android, can help you better utilize the network you already have. Both versions scan your business cards in 22 languages, and import the information into your contact list.

The best networking often happens when you least expect it. Meetup, available for iOS and Android, helps people find others with common interests, ranging from fitness and tech get-togethers to pet-owner socials. Use it to find themes related to your career and maybe make a few friends along the way.

Whether you're looking to make a lateral move to somewhere with more room for advancement or pivot your career trajectory, it helps to keep your eye on more than one job-listing site. SimplyHired should be one of those sites. It has a comprehensive database of listings, broken down in the usual silos. It will also connect with your LinkedIn profile, letting you quickly apply for jobs through your phone or tablet. Additionally, this app, available for iOS and Android, lets you save job postings of interest to review later.

If you want to walk into a job interview confident you're well prepared, check out Interview Prep Questions for iOS or Job Interview Question-Answer for Android. It's a low-frills way to prepare for those uncomfortable questions that pop up in so many interviews, offering suggested answers as well as the details you should have ready to back those up. Both have in-app purchases if you'd like to brush up on more questions or access premium features.

Calendar syncing isn't always a flawless process, which be problematic if you're juggling a current job while exploring options for another. Cal synchronizes your phone's calendar with the appointments you keep on Google and through Microsoft Exchange, keeping you on schedule. As a bonus, the app also lets you perform actions through the app like making calls or sending emails or texts, as your reminder prompts you.

You can research a company thoroughly, but the best way to get to know if it's a good fit for you is to listen to the people who work there. Glassdoor provides inside information on a potential employer, offering CEO approval ratings from workers, company-specific reports and even intel from previous applicants. Available for both iOS and Android devices, it offers a look at the company's culture to help you decide if you're making the right decision.

An effective resume is key to getting a new job, but short of hiring a professional (which can run hundreds of dollars), it's sometimes hard to know if you've positioned yourself in the best way. Resume Builder Pro, $3.99 on Android or Resume Maker Pro, $2.99 on iOS, are both highly rated tools that help you build and modify a strong resume. Instantly get a file you can email or print out on a computer.

A great interview can come down to the tiniest of details. Apps on how to tie a tie, available on iOS and Android, cover the basics for men's and women's neckwear. Sounds silly, yes ... but you don't want a poorly done Half Windsor knot to be the thing an interviewer remembers after you leave.