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How Do You Manage Your Job-Search Info?

Posted by timothy on from the just-keep-piles-on-your-desk-at-work dept.

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?"

7 of 67 comments (clear)

  1. Just a spreadsheet by YrWrstNtmr · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Company name, website, date, individual, position number, where I found it, link to the specific resume version & cover letter, date(s) of follow up, misc comments.

    I think anything more would be managing the database, instead of managing the job search.

  2. Well basically... by joto · · Score: 4, Informative
    Here's my way of doing job search.

    The following steps should'nt be necessary to do more than once per unemployment period. Preferably as early as possible, as it is the most guaranteed way of finding a job you actually like!

    1. Find companies that you know offer jobs you might be interested in
    2. Write a general application form telling them what kind of jobs you might be interested in, and why, as well as a copy of your CV

    Furthermore, these steps should be followed at least once a week:

    1. Find ads for jobs you are interested in (in newspapers, internet job database, unemployment agency, etc...)
    2. Read them
    3. If there are some of them you are interested, think you have a chance to get, and haven't already applied, apply

    Concurrently, the following steps must be followed every day

    • Check mail (yes, even snail-mail!), be available on phone (or at least check your answering machine)
    • If you are asked to come for an interview, say yes, take a note of the company, address, contact persion, time and date
    • If you have an interview today, take a shower, dress up somewhat responsibly, and try to be there on time

    Finally, a tip regarding CV's. It should be honest, to-the-point, and keep mostly only informaton of interest to the potential employer. E.g. If you are applying for a bodyguard job, make sure to cover all your military training in detail, but only briefly mention you PhD's. If you are applying for a job as a rocket scientist, you can do the opposite. If there are holes in your CV, such as periods of sickness, depression, etc, be brutally honest, and explain why.

    To keep yourself organized, you need a pen, and two sheets of paper, one with the names of companies you have already applied for, and another with company/address/contact person/date/time/ for interviews you have agreed to meet up for.

    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.

  3. Wiki by Seumas · · Score: 5, Informative

    I installed a wiki on my main desktop about a year ago. I manage everything with it, including job-hunting, resumes, contacts, reminders. There are many wikis, but I found Twiki to be the most powerful and flexible with the most features. If you're stuck on Windows, you can even install Apache and Cygwin so that you can use Twiki on it. There's even full instructions on their site walking you through that process.

  4. Re:My technique. by Seumas · · Score: 3, Informative

    You have to remember that a lot of geeks spend weeks writing software just to catalogue their DVD collection. It's only natural to feel compelled to extend that to jub hunting (and everywhere for that matter). It's just a quirk.

  5. Thank you by Safety+Cap · · Score: 3, Informative
    Also, if you're only dealing with two or three companies, you may not be living in the real world.
    Please continue to dole out advice such as this. I need less competition when I am looking for a job and targeting a company. As more and more people scour want ads (success rate: < 1%)/online job boards (success rate: < 3%) and use the shotgun approach to job hunting, that means less people getting between me and the hiring manager.

    Please also direct job hunters to talk to HR departments. I hear if you get a post card from them, you are "virtually guaranteed" to get a job. Really!

    Thank you.

    --
    Yeah, right.
  6. Save Everything by fussbudget · · Score: 4, Insightful

    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.

  7. Indeed.com by taylors1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    With http://indeed.com/ you can search jobs across multiple job sites in one search. The byline is 'one search. all jobs'.