Stay On Track By Documenting Your Job Search

Using email is essential for job seekers in today’s competitive market, but that does not mean that all job seekers are maximizing their use of email.As a job seeker, there’s no better feeling than having your phone ring, and answering to hear someone tell you they are calling about your job application.

This feeling of elation could quickly turn to panic, though, as you stammer and try to remember the details on your job application.

The fact is, this happens to the best of us.

It’s Easy to Get Overwhelmed

If you are like most job seekers, you are probably pursuing several opportunities, sending out resumes to various employers and amassing information contact and company information in the process.

All this can be hard to keep track of, and the consequence happens to the best of us.

One candidate had this happen to her before she came to AppleOne. Hiring managers called her after reviewing her resume, but she had forgotten which jobs and companies she had applied to and didn’t make the best impression over the phone. Not surprisingly, she didn’t get any interviews, which meant all those resumes she sent out yielded no results.

An Application Tracking Checklist

Whenever you send out a resume, make sure you record the following:

• The company’s name
• The job title or position you applied
• Date applied or when you sent cover letter and resume (a smart idea is to BCC yourself so you have an actual copy of the email and attachments)
• The name of the person you addressed your cover letter
• Where you found out about the job opening, including a copy of the Internet job posting or the name of the person who mentioned it to you, particularly if it’s a referral
• Link to job description or posting
• The date/s you followed up on your application and any action
• Additional notes that will help you quickly refresh your memory and speak intelligently when you get a call from any of the employers you sent your resume to

By documenting of where, to whom and when you sent out your resume, you can quickly pull up information you need, keep track of where you have applied – and be more sure-footed in your quest for a new career.

To make it even easier for your to track your job search, we created a spreadsheet on Google that you can access from the Internet.