A job search can be a hectic time, but if you effectively organize and manage your job search process you can reduce the stress and avoid confusion. With constant phone calls, emails, interviews, and feedback, it is important to track everything and take good notes along the way. To help make your job search an easy one we have put together a spreadsheet that will keep you organized.
If you decide to apply to any opportunity or talk with a recruiter about it, you want to have an easy way to see what stage in the process you are at. You want to know who to reach out to. If you are working with a recruiter, have their contact information readily available. If you applied to the company website, once you hear back, ask who is best to follow up with for feedback. Track your interviews. After each round of interviews, sending thank you notes is still one of the most important things you can do to differentiate yourself from other candidates, so check that off your spreadsheet after each interview. With all this information, you won’t lose any details in the shuffle.
This sheet also will help you identify your priorities and be sure you have the information necessary to make a decision. Commute and location is always something to consider. Knowing what the expected salary and benefits could be are also important decision-making factors. This information is all something you should know before even thinking about an offer. Ask for a benefits summary early in the process. There are also the intangible factors like room for growth, type of work, and great co-workers. You always want to know what the next step in the hiring process will be and how quickly they will want to move along. If you have all of this information, you can rank your opportunities so that when the offers come in you know exactly where you want to be.
