Tips to Organize Job Search for Students

Tips for Organizing Job Search Activities

Are you feeling overwhelmed with the job search process? It’s no wonder. You are likely applying for various positions through LinkedIn, online job boards, staffing agencies, websites, directly with employers, and through their personal networks. Each of these has different requirements, and resumes and cover letters need to be tailored for each job. This can result in multiple resumes, cover letters, and applications scattered about in different places.

Keeping track of the who, what, when, and where will help students stay organized and be more productive. Any number of tools can be used to track this information, ranging from a simple spreadsheet to online software and mobile apps. Here’s a list of what to track for each application:

• The job title, job identifier number, employer name, location, and date/time they applied.
• The company’s website URL and brief business summary.
• The resume and cover letter version used.
• Contact information for the employer or recruiter.
• The name, title, and date for each contact made with the employer or recruiter.
• Notes on any discussions (take notes and then write them up immediately after the conversation).
• Any follow up action taken (phone calls, emails, etc.) and the date and action of the next follow up step.
• Any feedback received from the recruiter, HR manager, hiring manager, etc.

Here are some useful resources:

• Online job tracking software and apps:  JibberJobber, StartWire, ApplyMate
• Online job boards with built in tracking: Monster,Career Builder, Indeed, Glassdoor
• Article: Top 25 Must-Have iPhone Apps for Your Job Search