Candidates: Effective Ways to Organize your Job Search

Embarking on a new job search can be overwhelming. Whether you’re currently looking to re-enter the work force, seeking a new positive career challenge, or finding your next dream right-fit role, a common question that arises is “Now where do I begin?”

Job searching is a dedicated project which requires foresight, planning, time, effort and patience. By utilizing a few effective ways to enhance your outreach, prepare your profile, and track your activities and progress, will help you feel more organized and on-top of the myriad of details that can be easily forgotten when many things are moving at once.

• Casting a Wide Search Net – You may be actively or passively browsing current postings on the usual platforms like LinkedIn or Indeed to see which roles pique your interest to apply for. Enhancing your job search avenues may include conducting an internet keyword search on organizations specializing in your industry of interest – which enables you to familiarize with specific companies in your area, and reviewing the career opportunities listed on their websites for available openings. And if you are a novice to partnering with a recruitment agency in your job search process, this could be another viable option to consider. With no cost or exclusivity requirements, engaging the support of an agency can simply be an added resource to tap into more opportunities on the market. 

• Customizing Your Resume – When Hiring Managers are reviewing a high volume of job applications, they are often scanning your resume to look for key words and relevancy of skills and work experience for the position. The average minimum time for time can be as little as 6-7 seconds! There are simple ways to tailor your resume to best position your profile as a potential candidate for the role you are interested in. You can learn more via Indeed’s Career Advice page on How to Tailor Your Resume to a Job Description (With Example).

• The Wonders of a Tracking Document – Using a Microsoft Excel or Google Drive spreadsheet is a matter of personal preference, but will allow for a centralized location to house all your job search details, activity and status update notes. This avoids having to shuffle through manual documents in a file folder, and keeping everything organized and readily accessible to view at-a-glance helps to streamline the overall process. A helpful step-by-step guide is available on Indeed’s Career Advice page on How to Create and Use a Job Search Spreadsheet.

Good luck with your job search!

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