New to the Job Search Market? Start Tracking! - Part One

When it comes to job search productivity, you should take a lesson from writer, management consultant, and self-described “social ecologist” named Peter F. Drucker, who teaches that, “What gets measured, gets done.”

Regardless of whether you are new to the job search market or have been looking for new opportunities for a while, here are some tips that may help:

One of the most useful things that you can do is start tracking everything you do that is related to you job search. If you happen to be a Luddite, (Someone who fears technology), you can use a binder to do your tracking; for those of you who are more tech savvy, you may find it easier to use a spreadsheet.

If you are going to start tracking your job search using spreadsheet files in a workbook, the sheets of your workbook should include the following:

Sheet 1
List all of the information from all of the job sites to which you belong. The columns on the spreadsheet should include you’re the name of the job search site, username, password and some sort of notation that indicates whether you posted your résumé or filled in an on-line form.

Sheet 2
List the jobs for which you have already applied. Write down the date that you sent in your application and whether you snail mailed your documents or sent them in via e-mail.

Sheet 3
If you applied via e-mail, you will need spreadsheet with the following column headings:

• Date you applied
• Closing Date
• Some indication that will show you if you applied on the company website or not
• Contact information
• Website address
• The email you used to send your application
• Company phone number
• Company address
• Contact name
• Phone number for the contact name
• A copy of the specific résumé that you sent
• Copy of the specific cover letter you sent - these letters should be tailored to fit the original job posting
• Copy of the original job posting
• Date of follow-up[s]
• Indicate follow-up mode i.e. phone call to a voice mail, human [list the name of the person you talked to] or e-mail, including date
• In the case of an interview, the date that the follow-up note was sent

You may have noticed that, for the purpose of this post, I have elected to gear my suggestions towards using spreadsheets to track your job search. If you were going to opt for the Word document and/or paper and pen method of tracking, it would be to your advantage to use the same headings and document files for your desktop or dividers for your binder.


Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. All Rights Reserved.Permission to Reprint: This article may be reprinted, provided it appears in its entirety with the following attribution: Copyright © 2011, Career Matters. Reprinted by permission of the author, Mary Salvino.“Career Matters” is a blog hosted by Mary Salvino, Senior Consultant for SMART Career Planning.com. This blog is dedicated to those who are seeking advice on managing their career and future job opportunities. We welcome readers to share their experiences, post their comments or ask questions about career related matters. For any questions or comments that are better addressed privately, please feel free to e-mail Mary directly at Mary.Salvino@shaw.ca