How To Organize Your Job Search (3) Job Postings

How To Organize Your Job Search (3) Job Postings Finally, in this three-part series about how to organize your job search, we talk about the actual job posting. The first part was about organizing your network contacts. The second part was about organizing your target companies. Organizing the jobs you are interested in is important, of course but Im guessing that if you are doing a smart job search youll have a lot more contacts and target companies than jobs you apply to. The wrong way to job search is what I did: spend 10 hours a day on Monster.com and apply, apply, apply all day long. I added hardly any new people to my network list, and wasnt adding many new companies (one company for almost every new job applied to). Job postings should come from network contacts, and asking people, rather than from browsing the job boards (for various reasons). The third main link on the menu is to help you track job postings: What do you keep track of with each posting? When you applied? What version of which resume you sent to who? When do you need to follow-up NEXT? Where are you at in the process? Who you have been talking to about the job (aka, how are you networking in)? ANY notes about any of the above, including conversations and emails you had that are relevant. What is the job posting (which wont be on job boards forever). Key contact info like phone numbers, emails, addresses, etc. Perhaps there is more JibberJobber gives you the ability to track more information, which a programmer might call metadata, with the flexible interface (namely, log entries that you can put whatever you want in). Its critical, CRITICAL, to keep track of this stuff Now, think about the postings for the last few days on how to organize your job search is this something a spreadsheet or post-it notes can do? Perhaps for the first few days, or weeks, but as the job search goes on and on you need something much more robust. Something with a search function that gives you the results you need. Something with reports, and relationships mapped out Something just like JibberJobber. What are you waiting for start to use the system NOW, before you need it, and when the time comes youll be glad to have all of your key, critical information at your fingertips! How To Organize Your Job Search (3) Job Postings Finally, in this three-part series about how to organize your job search, we talk about the actual job posting. The first part was about organizing your network contacts. The second part was about organizing your target companies. Organizing the jobs you are interested in is important, of course but Im guessing that if you are doing a smart job search youll have a lot more contacts and target companies than jobs you apply to. The wrong way to job search is what I did: spend 10 hours a day on Monster.com and apply, apply, apply all day long. I added hardly any new people to my network list, and wasnt adding many new companies (one company for almost every new job applied to). Job postings should come from network contacts, and asking people, rather than from browsing the job boards (for various reasons). The third main link on the menu is to help you track job postings: What do you keep track of with each posting? When you applied? What version of which resume you sent to who? When do you need to follow-up NEXT? Where are you at in the process? Who you have been talking to about the job (aka, how are you networking in)? ANY notes about any of the above, including conversations and emails you had that are relevant. What is the job posting (which wont be on job boards forever). Key contact info like phone numbers, emails, addresses, etc. Perhaps there is more JibberJobber gives you the ability to track more information, which a programmer might call metadata, with the flexible interface (namely, log entries that you can put whatever you want in). Its critical, CRITICAL, to keep track of this stuff Now, think about the postings for the last few days on how to organize your job search is this something a spreadsheet or post-it notes can do? Perhaps for the first few days, or weeks, but as the job search goes on and on you need something much more robust. Something with a search function that gives you the results you need. Something with reports, and relationships mapped out Something just like JibberJobber. What are you waiting for start to use the system NOW, before you need it, and when the time comes youll be glad to have all of your key, critical information at your fingertips!