If you have been job hunting in Chicagoland lately, you know how fast things move. A contractor posts an opening, and they are not waiting a week to fill it. They want to talk to the first few qualified people who respond, and they will make an offer fast. Being quick off the mark is half the battle.

So we just rolled out a big update to the Collars app to help you keep up. The app runs smoother now, but the real story is the new tools we added to help you find work faster and get noticed by more employers. Here is what is new.

Get Instant Alerts For Jobs And Messages With Push Notifications

When an employer wants to talk to you, they are sending you a message. Now that message hits your lock screen the second it comes in, along with alerts for new job matches and updates on where you stand with an application.

No more opening the app five times a day just to check. Turn notifications on once, and Collars will tell you when something worth your time shows up.

No more opening the app five times a day just to check. Turn notifications on once, and Collars will tell you when something worth your time shows up. Staying on top of alerts like this is part of a bigger stay-ready strategy that can help you get hired faster overall.

Find The Best Opportunities Fast With The Collars Recommended Badge

There is nothing more frustrating than scrolling through dozens of job postings only to realize half of them require a license you do not have or are located two hours away.

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To speed up your job hunt, we are introducing the Collars Recommended badge. Our system actively scans the local market and curates jobs that perfectly align with your specific experience, pay requirements, and geographic location. When you see a job carrying this badge, you know immediately that you are a highly competitive fit for the role.

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The Recommended badge does the sorting for you, so you spend less time scrolling and more time talking to employers who are actively looking for your exact skill set.

Build A Richer Profile To Showcase Trade School And Sub Trades

Your profile is often the first impression an employer gets, and a thin one does not do you justice. So we opened it up. Now you can add:

• Vocational education: your trade school programs and when you graduated.
• Sub-trades: every sub-trade you can handle, not just your main one.
• Cross-discipline skills: the stuff that sets you apart, like being an electrician who also runs a skid steer, or a welder who can handle structural steel too.
• Photos and videos from the job: finished projects, work in progress, whatever shows what you can actually do.
• Credentials and licenses: stored right on your profile, so employers can see you are qualified without you having to dig up a document.
• Work history: a running record of your career that builds as you go.

Employers do not hire off resumes alone. The more your profile shows, the easier it is for them to see you are exactly who they need, before they even pick up the phone.

Stay Ready To Work With Automatic Certification Reminders

You cannot step onto a commercial job site without valid safety and trade certifications. Keeping track of exactly when your OSHA 30 or your local municipal license expires is a massive headache, but letting them lapse can cost you a job offer.

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The Collars app now tracks your uploaded credentials and sends you automatic certification reminders before they expire. You get plenty of runway to renew your cards before you are ever in danger of falling out of compliance.

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Showing up to an interview only to realize your safety card expired last week makes you look incredibly unprofessional and instantly disqualifies you from the job. Automatic reminders ensure your regulatory compliance is always locked in proving to employers that you are legally ready to step onto any site at a moment's notice.

Control Your Alerts And Trust Your Inbox With Verified Chat

We know that getting pinged on your phone constantly can be incredibly annoying. We also We know that getting pinged on your phone constantly can be incredibly annoying. We also know that when our internal support team reaches out to help you with your profile, you need to know it is actually us.

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To give you complete command over your experience, we rolled out two inbox upgrades:

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• Deep Notification Controls: Easily toggle exactly which reminders, job alerts, and messages you want sent directly to your lock screen.
• Verified Collars Chat Badge: Any message coming directly from our internal team will now feature a verified badge, ensuring total security and clarity.

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Getting spammed with useless alerts or guessing who is messaging you is frustrating and distracts you from your main goal. Custom notification controls and verified chat badges give you total command over your inbox letting you focus only on the real high-paying job offers that actually matter to your career.

Update Your App And Complete Your Profile Today

If you already have Collars, head to the App Store or Google Play and download the newest update. Once you are in, turn on notifications and take five minutes to fill in your trade school info and sub-trades.

The good jobs in Chicagoland do not sit around for long. Get your profile squared away, and let the right contractors come find you.