How to Stay Organized While Looking for a Job

Job hunting is weird. No one ever gets really good at it, because the instant you get a positive result, you stop doing it. You don’t get much practice!

Unfortunately, though, our economy is still losing jobs. That means that job hunters are finding themselves unemployed for a long time. But let’s look on the bright side; it’s a chance for many of us to master job hunting by practicing it over and over.

A Get-it-Done Guy community member on Facebook asks: How do I organize myself for a job hunt?  Great question! Let’s jump right in.

How to Successfully Job Hunt

A job hunt is all about the people you meet. You’ll need to keep track of them, and not just by hijacking the GPS signal on their iPhone. Get a good people tracking system. Use your existing address book. If you want a more powerful system, I recommend HighRiseHQ.com, a simple-but-powerful site that lets you track people, the emails you’ve sent and received, and notes from conversations.

How to Keep Track of Reference Information

You’ll track more than just people. You’ll also have research you’ll use in your hunt. For that, you’ll need file folders! My favorite!

This will be like kindergarten, but without paste, so you’ll need something else to snack on. Get about twenty file folders. Also get a package of notebook paper, at least fifty sheets. First, we’ll set up your folders.

How to Create Reference Folders for a Job Hunt

We’ll use the folder-naming system in my filing article. Label one folder Industry-the industry where you’re looking. For example, Industry-Banking, Industry-Fashion, or Industry-Action Figures. Here you’ll file notes about the industry, so you can make smart conversation when meeting people in that industry. Save articles about industry trends and news. If you are looking in multiple industries, create a file folder for each industry.

Label another folder Function-your desired job function. Function-Graphic Designer, Function-Programmer, Function-Accountant. Here, you’ll put information about your job function. If an article says all graphic designers now must know how to draw an elephant freehand, save the article in this folder. This is where you’ll go to prep yourself with interesting topics when you’re talking to a hiring manager. If you are looking at several different job functions—say, graphic designer and marketing associate—have a separate folder for each job function.

If you may move to take your new job, label a third folder Geography-where you want to live. Geography-New York, Geography-San Diego. Geography-Paris. Geography-Prague. Geography-Amsterdam. sigh. (I’ll start again in a second. Let me live my fantasy life for a moment.) Collect information about cities you might move to in these folders. Collect notes on things to do, the cost of living, the flavor of different neighborhoods, and so on. You’ll need this to negotiate a good starting salary, and to decide where to move. I recommend a neighborhood with an ice cream store that makes really good Oreo ice cream cake.

How to Keep Track of Opportunities and Companies

Your most important folders will be labeled Company-a company you’re pursuing. For example, Company-Proctor and Gamble. This is where you put information about specific companies. How were they founded? Have they been in the news recently? Include notes from your talks with company employees. These files help you choose a company, ask good questions at your interview, and make fascinating small talk about how Proctor’s moon-and-stars logo really isn’t a sign of devil worship. (But just to play it safe, don’t upset them during your interview.)

As described in my article on coordinating your online and offline files, whenever you create an Industry, Function, Geography, or Company reference folder, create a folder of the same name on your computer and in your email program. Now you can file relevant information whether it’s hardcopy or electronic.

How to Keep Track of Your Job Hunt

In addition to reference folders, you’ll also have folders that track the job hunt process, as described in my article on using folders to track processes.

Create folders labeled Contacts, Opportunities, Applications, Interviews, Offers, and Negotiation. Each folder represents a step in landing a job with a particular company.

When you meet someone during your search, take a piece of paper and at the top, write their name, the company they work for, and any information you need to remember them. Put the paper in the Contacts folder. This piece of paper will be your tracking slip for this opportunity. Every time you contact the person, jot brief notes about your conversation and follow-up you need to do.

When you’ve followed-up with that person and determine there’s an opportunity at their company, move the paper into the Opportunities folder. If it goes far enough that you will apply for a job, move the piece of paper into the Applications folder. Then when you have an interview scheduled, the paper goes into the Interviews folder, when an offer gets made, the paper goes into the Offer folder, and finally, into the Negotiation folder.

The process folders become your daily agenda. Review the folders and follow up with each opportunity. Start with the folder whose companies are closest to being a job: Negotiation. Then move to Offer, Interviews, Applications, and Opportunities. Finally, review the Contacts folder and touch base again with anyone you’re just getting to know who you would like to keep in touch with for your search.

As your job hunt progresses and you move the tracking sheet through the tracking folders, put the detailed information about each company in the corresponding Company reference file. Put other reference information into the Geography, Industry, or Job Function folders. When you have files set up to track your reference material and your process, you can put your mind on your job search, confident that all the tracking will work out just fine.

Work Less, Do More, and have a Great Life!

Resources

• Opportunity tracking sheet

• Summary of preparation materials

• 
  Read an article about Procter and Gamble
  The urban myth that the Proctor and Gamble logo means the company is run by Satanists.

• For Coupen click here – HighriseHQ coupon: STEVER, 3 months free

• /productivity/organization/file-so-you-can-find-anything-instantly – How to name your file folders

• /productivity/organization/track-processes-with-file-folders – How to use file folders to track processes

• /tech/computers/coordinating-your-online-and-offline-files– How to coordinate online and offline files

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