Whether you’re just starting the job hunt, or you’re a few interviews in, it’s incredibly important to stay organized while searching for a new career. Keeping track of job applications, interviews, and follow-up emails is a challenge. If left unmanaged, you might start asking yourself, “Have I confirmed my interview date? Did I send a follow-up to the other job? How long has it been since I applied?”
Try some of the following tips and my free downloadable job search tracking sheet at the end of this post to flawlessly organize your job search journey!
Use an Excel Sheet or Notebook
Whether you decide to use my free job tracking sheet or create your own, keeping all of your application information and progress in one place is the best idea when you’re applying for multiple jobs at once. Here are some example categories that you can use that I have included in a free excel sheet for you to download:
- Job Title
- Short Job Description – summarize the description and requirements for the job(s) you submitted an application for.
- Company
- Date Applied
- Application Method – did you submit a resume through Linkedin, Indeed, an email, etc?
- Follow Up? – Have you followed up on your application? When did you send one?
- Interview Date – Land an interview? Use a section to keep track of the date and time.
- Thank You(s) Sent – Did you send a thank you email and/or handwritten note? What date did you send them?
- Important Contact Information – keep track of important emails and phone numbers for key contacts during the application process
- Notes – Is there anything you should research or prepare for before you submit the application or go into an interview?
Of course, you can use as many or as little as you’d like for your own job search tracking sheet, and even create more categories and columns as needed. For example, you might have multiple interview date columns if the application process requires more than one interview.
Keep an Updated Planner
Whether you prefer a paper planner or an online calendar app, it’s important to keep track of important dates throughout your application process. The last complication you’ll want to deal with is accidentally scheduling more than one interview at the same time. You can also use your planner or online calendar to create your own schedule and plan what days and times you’d like to dedicate to your job search and applications. This will be handy especially if you’re already balancing a current full-time job or a full load of classes in college.
Use an Online Project Management Tool
A great way to stay organized during the job search is through utilizing an online project management tool such as Trello or Asana. I’ve used both the free and paid versions of Trello, and the free version is plenty for someone trying to stay organized in their own personal life. You can create categories and simple lists such as To Do, In progress, and Completed. I’m incredibly new to Asana (I actually signed up for the free version last night), but I’ve heard amazing feedback from other people who use it constantly to keep their life and projects organized.
Whether you decide to use only one or all of these methods, keeping track of your job applications and staying organized is incredibly important to set yourself up for success!
If you’d like to use my FREE job tracking sheet, simply fill out the form below and it’ll arrive in your inbox!
Do you have any organizational go-tos or strategies? Let me know in the comments!
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