Organize your job search

My mind has been on job searching a lot lately since I’m among those students graduating this semester and trying to plan out the next few years of my life.  So far, it’s been like a whirlwind of job posting after posting, application after application, and a whole lot of waiting for a response.  But this is something that has been keeping me sane for the past few months.

I took the advice from a DoPP advisor a while ago (hint hint: they give good advice!) about keeping a kind of notebook for my job searching.  I chose to use MS OneNote for this, but if you’re a paper and pen kind of person, then go for it.  So now I have a one-stop place for everything related to my job searching, including tabs for:

• jobs I applied to – I created a chart listing each job along with a contact person, the job location, and the last I heard from the company.  You can also list jobs you want to apply to, but make sure you include application deadlines.
• networking contacts.  This is really helpful for when it’s time to create your list of references (see tips for doing this here).  I make sure to put each person’s exact title, contact info, and everything they have done to help me in my search (for thank you notes later).
• online job search engines and resources.  This helps when you can’t remember where to continue your searching, especially if you’re like me and do the searching in shifts.
• application materials.  I don’t keep a resume here, but I list out every possible thing I could put on my resume, no matter what job I’m applying for.  When I do find an interesting job, I just pick out the bullet points that apply to the job description, and I have a custom-made resume in a minute!  I do the same thing for interview preparation- there’s a list of all my qualifications (yes, there’s a lot of overlap with my resume, but that’s ok), and answers to some typical interview questions, including anecdotal examples of projects I’ve completed, professional accomplishments, and general examples of how amazing I am.  The point is to have everything at the ready so that when you get the chance to interview, you’re not scrambling at the last minute to prepare what you’re going to say.

You can add or subtract anything you want from this.  I’ve actually been thinking of adding a tab for questions to ask the employer during the interview (for tips on that see here).  But the point is to not lose track of what you want to do, and what you’ve actually done, especially if you’re one of those types that applies for two jobs and calls that a lot (don’t worry, I used to do that, too).  I won’t be naive and say that this method will guarantee you a job, but it certainly does help.  It saves you a little stress, too.