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How Do You Manage Your Job-Search Info?
bilsaysthis writes "Finding job postings, tips for effective resume writing and social networking tools to overcome the 'who you know' problem are generally available these days, but what about keeping track of all the information (jobs applied for, people contacted, follow ups, etc)? After looking I found people using all sorts of informal means (text files, spreadsheets, email folders, bookmarks) but nothing very organized or focused specifically on the tasks. What do you use?"
I think anything more would be managing the database, instead of managing the job search.
Excellent post. I would just make one Yoda-like correction: There is no "try" when it comes to being on time - you MUST be on time. Leave early in case something goes wrong. A prospective employer does not care about a flat tire or a train delay.
It's simple: I demand prosecution for torture.
If these steps are too complicated, and you feel you need a DBMS to keep track of you job-hunt, you are doing something wrong.
If you're dealing with two or three companies, that's correct.
If your scope is much larger than that, you need to keep track of it thoroughly and a database isn't that bad of an idea. You can be sure that any sizable company with more than a couple of positions available is doing exactly the same thing in regard to every interaction they have with you. So should you.
Also, if you're only dealing with two or three companies, you may not be living in the real world. At that rate, you may never find a job. On the other hand, if you're casting your net out over two or three hundred companies - you're not focusing enough on desired positions and companies. I sure would not want to hire someone who was only interested in my company because they were in the computer field and my company's name had the word "tech" in it.
A database of some sort is a good idea. Just don't spend all of your time working on that when you should be working on getting a job. If you can get something working in a day, that's cool. Then you can just jot your notes down in it when you're on the phone with a company or when you get back from interviews and be done with it.
Preperation and attention to detail is important to maintain a career. As long as you can do this without an imbalanced amount of dedicated time, use whatever tool strikes your fancy without being overkill.
Print out (and save)a copy of the job advertisment that you are applying for. Wwhen I was laid off and searching for a job, I received a call about a position that I had applied for 2 months before. Before going in for the interview I had a chance to research the company refresh myself on the skills thaat they wanted. I ended up getting the job.
I send out my resume... ...no, wait, I fill out yet another dumb form while my resume sits and collects virtual dust... ... and just carefully file all the lack of responses (even automated ones!) in my brain.
So far the only danger of this is that it tends to result in lowered levels of certain vital nuerotransmitters, which manifests as "depression".
To answer your question, I have no idea what people do; I had no idea that people were getting so many offers and interviews they needed special tracking software. My system seems to be working pretty well, at least in the sense that no system could possibly be more useful for me.
(What do you do when even networking fails? I have a network, but it consists of people who have work or know people who have work in the theoretical sense of "Gee, it'd be nice if we could do X", but can't scrape together any money for it.)
After going through the process myself, I would advise using a CRM software solution. Keeping track of opportunities, leads and contacts is essential in a good job search. This class of software lends itself to that.
I will admit that it doesn't do it perfectly, but it is a whole lot better than using a wiki to keep track of every bit of information that you can think of.
Sugar Sales is a great place to start. I like it and have found it very useful! (It's a OSS project)