Getting Organized
Planning and keeping track of your job-search efforts will pay off in the long run. A few hours of organizing can save you countless days of unnecessary footwork and can make or break your quest to find a rewarding position.
Make a to-do list at the beginning of each day and try to accomplish each of your goals by the end of that day. Keep your desk or work area free of clutter. Use a large appointment book or handheld computer to record all your appointments, names of contacts, and phone numbers. Under each entry, write down all pertinent information. Bring this to each appointment.
Create a chart or similar system that shows where and to whom you've sent your resume. Use it to track whether or not companies have responded and when and if you need to follow up with a phone call.
File away any information about an employer you collect along the way as well as relevant documents like copies of applications, resumes, and cover letters. Hold on to help-wanted ads and copies of job announcements. You never can tell when someone you contacted about a job some time ago will call. While you may have forgotten all about sending an employer a resume a month back, it may have been making the rounds at the office.
Oversized index cards or pages in a binder are another useful way to organize your job search. Keep each contact's name, position, company, address, telephone number, contact method, follow-up date, status, and other important details on individual cards for quick reference. Notes detailing when you called, with whom you spoke, and what responses you received should be included on this card. If you are responding to an advertisement in a newspaper, clip the ad and paste it onto the card, along with the name of the newspaper and the date. If an employer or networking contact gives you her business card, you can staple it to an index card and jot down any other pertinent information. Keep your cards in an index-card box in alphabetical order.
