Helpful Tips to Effectively Track Your Job Search

When you launch a job search, as with any important project or initiative, you need to set SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time bound.

Let’s focus on the M in SMART. You have no way of knowing how things are progressing – or not – unless you track them, so you can measure the results and make any needed adjustments. Moreover, looking for a job requires an overwhelming number of details – names, titles, contact information, dates and times … the list goes on and on. So, tracking where you are in the process is essential.

The Solution: A Job Search Spreadsheet

Keep an up-to-date spreadsheet for your job search, and soon you’ll be impressed with your measurements, as they point to success. Google offers a customizable, interactive job tracker on Google Sheets. You can insert information and check off tasks as you complete them. The following steps then automatically appear as a reminder of what you need to do next.

Look for companies where you think you’d like to work. Check them out for industry and size, culture, compensation, benefits, and growth opportunities. When you find job openings there that fit the bill, add them to your spreadsheet and note when you found them. From here, you can track how much time you have to apply.

When you send in a resume or an application, check “yes” under the “apply” column and note the date next to it. If you haven’t heard back in a few weeks, send a follow-up email and hit “yes” again to note that this step is complete.

If you get a call for an interview, complete your research, including your own list of questions to ask. Then … you got it: check “yes” again. You can repeat the same steps to track when you do an interview, take a proficiency test, send a thank you note, or send a follow-up email. And, do it all again if you go through a second or third round of interviews.

Use the notes column to jot down any interesting or important information you want to remember. For instance, this may be a follow-up question to ask or the name of a person you met who may prove helpful.

How good does it feel to check off a completed task? Plus, in doing so, you ensure that you’re just as organized as you say you are – or want to be. And before long, you can file your completed job search spreadsheet away as you prepare to jump into your new role and hit the ground running.

At PrideStaff Fresno, as we help you find your next great career opportunity and track your progress along the way, our focus is 100 percent on you and your successful experience. Contact us today to submit your resume or learn more from our team of career development experts.