NOTE: Job Spotter is suspending operations as of May 2020. This may be permanent or they may come back in the future, no one knows.
The Job Spotter app is one of my favorite on-the-go apps. It’s one I use often and figured it’s time to review it to let you know how you can make money simply by taking pictures of now hiring signs. Yes, it’s as easy as that.
As long as you’re able to find a now hiring sign, no matter where you are in the United States, you can make money.
Don’t expect to get rich in using this app, but it’s not too hard to earn $25, $50 or even $100 per month if you use it just while you’re out running errands. Heck, the top earners, at least according to the leader board, earn more than $1,000 per month! To get to that point, however, you will have to work 25+ hours, I can almost guarantee you that. You could turn it into a fun side job if you wanted to, I suppose.
Job Spotter App Review
As in all of my reviews, I’m always 100% honest and would never recommend something I personally wouldn’t use. In this review, I will cover how the app works as well as a few tips as to how you can take advantage to make the most money. You will learn a lot, I promise!
If you like the idea of snapping a picture of a “now hiring” sign and getting rewarded in doing so, then this is a review you definitely will want to read.
What is the Job Spotter App?
Job Spotter rewards you simply by submitting photos of help wanted signs. For every sign you submit and get approved, you will earn a certain amount of points based on your submission. I will get into this later, but for now, the concept is simple. Take a picture, get paid. But, there is more to it. I promise to talk about it in a minute.
The app is backed by the very popular job search engine, Indeed, so you can at least be assured that you’re dealing with a very reputable company. If you have ever searched for a job, there’s a very good chance you have used their free search tool. If not, check it out. By far, it’s one of the best job searching tools on the market.
The app was created so that Indeed could add even more jobs to its search engine since a lot of these companies often don’t advertise aggressively online or they may not know how to do it. In submitting these pictures, Indeed can add your submissions to its database so that job seekers can find these jobs. It’s a win-win for everybody.
Signing Up
To sign up for the Job Spotter app, you can do directly inside of the app, either via Android or Apple.
No matter how you sign up, you will have to create an Indeed.com account, which only asks you for your email address as well as a password, that’s it.
The entire sign-up process takes less than 30 seconds and allows you to get started immediately once you’re done.
Job Spotter Dashboard
Once you sign up, you can immediately sign in with your new credentials and start making money almost immediately. Before you’re able to start taking pictures, however, the app does walk you through a very quick tutorial, basically letting you know what’s expected of you. In short, they want to make sure your pictures are clear and that the pictures you do take are in demand. Check out the tutorial as it offers a bunch of tips as well as picture example to let you know what’s expected of you.
When you’re able to access your dashboard, it will look something like this:
Near the top, you can view the current contest numbers, your recent submissions as well as your menu near the bottom.
Next, as in all of my reviews, I will talk about every section and how it works in the app.
Contest
At the top, you will see a countdown for the current month’s contest. Every month, Indeed holds a contest, offering bonus points to the top three submitters for the month.
Usually, Indeed will offer a 30,000 point bonus for first place, a 15,000 point bonus for second place and a 5,000 point bonus for third place. Seeing every point is worth a penny, being in first place can net you a cool $300.
The cool thing about the leaderboard is that you can see where you rank, no matter how many points you have. Just scroll to the very bottom and it will show you exactly where you rank at the moment.
Unless you’re going to be very aggressive with the app and invest hours of your time, it’s going to be very hard to rank near the top. Plus, you will need to live in a highly-populated area with a lot of companies hiring. It’s fun to look at, but it will be very hard to win.
Your Submissions
Whenever you submit now hiring photo, the app will post it right on your main dashboard. It will post the company name, your photo, the number of points you earned as well as when you submitted it. If you want more information for that submission, then you can click on it to see even more details, such as the store address and its submission history.
These submissions can come in handy if you want to look at your history as well as how many points you have earned. Personally, I only use this section to see how many points I earned.
Map
The map section is probably the most important part of this app.
It’s a new feature recently added since Job Spotter, unfortunately, changed the way they give you points. In the past, they would give you points, no matter what now hiring sign you submitted. That has since changed. Now, they will only give you points if no one has submitted it in the past few days/weeks. This is where the map feature will come into the picture as you can see which locations will qualify.
To make sure your now hiring picture is actually going to earn you points, you will want to make sure you open up the map and explore your area to see. This map will show you all the hiring signs the app already knows about in your area. If you don’t see a now hiring on the map, then this is good as you can be considered the “first to spot” and you can earn a ton of points, sometimes as many as $1 to $2 worth just for one picture.
If the sign has already been submitted, then you will be able to see if you can submit again. If the dot is gray, you will get nothing, but if the dot is green, then you could earn points based on the “estimated value.” The goal here is to submit signs not shown on the map or signs that are dark green.
So, for example, let’s take a look at a mall near me…
There are a lot of green dots, but seeing they are lighter in color, they will be deemed a “low estimated value.”
While a low estimated value is fine, you just have to realize you will only earn a few points. The algorithm is at random, so you’re never guaranteed a point value, but the estimated point value can at least give you an idea as to how much you can earn.
The goal here is to find a “high estimated point value,” the darker green color or one that hasn’t been submitted at all. If you do find a now hiring sign and see that it’s not on the map, then this is a good indicator as no one has submitted it as of late. This means you can be “first to submit,” which can often yield the most points.
How much can I earn?
Typically, as long as the app wants your sign, you can earn anywhere from five to as many as 125+ points. If you’re the first to submit the sign, you can earn the most, usually in the 30 to 125 points range. However, if it’s a low estimated value, you could be lucky to earn 20 points at a maximum. The algorithm is at random, so nothing is guaranteed, so it’s hard to give you a definite answer.
How can I earn the most for my submission?
From my experience, you want to focus on local chains as your corporate now hiring signs often pay the least, even if it’s not in the system. Even as part of the official tutorial, they recommend looking for a small business that accepts applications in person as well as notes the job title. While you can take a picture of a corporate now hiring sign, you just won’t earn as much. Also, remember that you can go back every calendar month and take the picture once again if it’s still there. Think mom and pop shops, especially those that don’t show up on the map and you can really maximize your time.
Submit Photos
In the menu section, this is how you’re going to make your money with the app.
To submit a now hiring sign, you will want to open the app and then click on the “submit photos” to submit both the now hiring sign as well as a picture of the storefront.
Your first photo will be the now hiring sign. In taking this, just make sure the picture is crystal clear and easy to read. It’s also best to ensure there’s no reflection noticed with NO people present.
Your second picture will be of the storefront that has the now hiring sign. In this picture, you will want to make sure you’re taking a picture of the signage, usually from a distance. Like the now hiring sign, just make sure that the picture is crystal clear and there are no obstructions.
After you take both photos, it will confirm both pictures and ask you to submit as long as you feel the pictures are of quality. Just study the pictures to make sure they look good. You can always reject the pictures to re-take if you wish.
In submitting, it’s now a waiting game to see how many points you can get if your picture was accepted.
To know the status, you can refer to your submissions page, where you will be able to see your submission in the “pending” stage. Once it uploads, you can see how many points you earned.
Generally, it will take a few minutes or even hours to upload. It just depends on the current work load most of the time.
Submission Guidelines
This is mentioned on the official app tutorial, but I will mention it here as well.
Whenever you take a picture, you must follow the rules to ensure that it’s accepted. Here’s what you need to know:
- you can submit duplicates only once per calendar month
- volunteer positions aren’t allowed
- the signs need to be on the storefront
- you must capture the business name
- photos must be in focus
- you need to take a picture at the business location
- no people in the pictures
- no photos from your vehicle
- jobs need to allow for you to apply either via in-person and/or email
Generally, as long as you follow these guidelines when you take your pictures, there’s no reason it won’t be accepted. Of course, as long as you follow the map tips.
Wallet
In your wallet section, you can keep track of your total points as well as your previous transactions.
Right now, Job Spotter only allows you to cash out in Amazon gift cards, with every point you earn equaling one cent. The great thing is that there are no minimums and you can cash out at any time.
When you do cash out, it will take a few days to get your Amazon code, which will come directly to your e-mail. In case you miss your email, you can log into your account and get the code on this page.
The Pros and Cons
In all of my reviews, I always like to comb the internet and see what other people are saying. It’s always great to bring in an outside perspective, right?
In this section, I cover both the pros and cons, most of which I found online via third-party sites.
The Pros
- no minimum payout
- it’s unique
- a fun way to make $5-$100+ a month
The Cons
- points system seems to be getting worse over time
- hard to determine how many points you will earn
- may not be a great option if you don’t live in a populated area
- your photos can be rejected for unknown reasons
- new point value system is worse than before it rolled out
Final Thoughts
The Job Spotter app is definitely one to add to your phone and consider whenever you’re out and about.
While I wouldn’t go out of my way to take pictures of now hiring signs, I would at least open it up whenever I’m in a congested area filled with retail, restaurants, etc. It’s not unheard of to earn $5 or even $15+ in one trip if you’re in the right place. You could earn much more in a larger city like NYC.
If you’re sick of watching videos, taking surveys or even completing offers as a way to make money on the side, then this is a unique breath of fresh air, seeing there are no other apps like it. The app pays well, it’s backed by a massive company and can easily earn you $25 to $50+ in a month if you casually use it.
For now, at least consider using it and see how well you can do in your town. How much you make greatly depends on where you live and how often you’re out and about. Like the many money-making ventures I talk about here, it won’t replace your income, but it could earn you enough to buy a dinner or two.
As always, you can comment below if you want to talk about your experience or have a question in regards to it. How much did you make? What do you like? What don’t you like? I’d love to hear from you!
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