How to Stay On Track in Your Job-Seeking Journey

Either you are a fresh graduate or a veteran employee with no current employment at the moment, there is one latent threat to anticipate during your job search: not staying on track. Having plenty of time with little to no fixed schedule should mean that you can be more productive in seeking job opportunities and applying to some. Unfortunately, however, it is common that having the utmost flexibility can make you take time for granted and gain nothing. So, what do you need to stay on track in your job-seeking journey? Check them out.

1 . Start Working in the AM

If you think landing a job means working on weekdays from 9 to 5, think of job-seeking as something similar. The freedom to start your day anytime you want should not be an excuse to slack off. Instead, wake up early and start your job seeking in the morning. When you finally land a job, you will have trained yourself to become disciplined with time so that doing the classic 9 to 5 routine is not going to be a problem. Having the ‘start your day in the AM’ mindset will also be beneficial for your job-seeking activity. Once you find a suitable vacancy, you can begin drafting a cover letter and sending it along with the resume right away, since you are doing it during effective working hours. You will also be more alert if there is a sudden call for an interview in the middle of the day since you will already be standing by your laptop or PC. If you have not done this routine, begin right away: no regrets!

Read Also: Read This If You Have Not Landed a Job This Month

2 .  Pick a Tracking System

Manual tracking requires tremendous discipline and if that one seems too difficult for you, make use of a tracking system for your job-seeking log. Since there are a lot of things to keep track of, creating an overall system is a good place to start. Here are some convenient apps to use:

• Spreadsheet/Excel

Begin with a simple spreadsheet, such as Excel or Google Sheets. Add a row to record the company's name, position applied for, a link to the job if one is available, and a link to the website for each application you send. If you apply on several different platforms, do not forget to also input it in your spreadsheet. Note down the date of application and status, this will serve as a reminder for you to follow up on some applications after one or two weeks.

• Project Management Tool

There are alternative methods for staying on top of everything. You might, for example, use a project management platform such as Asana, Trello, ClickUp, or Monday.com. Your log will be stored in one place, and you can rely on it all day, every day to organize your time and make sure you can prioritize what is most important. You can make a new project or card for each job you apply for. You may then create specific projects, gather all of the necessary information to fulfill these activities, and set reminders to help you stay organized. Some project management tools even provide cross-gadget access, so you can still update your progress through your phone if you happen to be outside and not bring your laptop with you. In general, these platforms can benefit you in systematizing the process and making it more manageable.

Having a specific location to keep and manage all of this information can help you organize several interviews, applications, job-related talks, and networking—and will guarantee that no critical information is overlooked.

3 . Have a Personal Weekly Review

One of the most common misconceptions about job seeking is thinking that you need to spend all 7 days of the week to do it. Actually, having 5 days on weekdays to search for vacancies, customize resumes, write cover letters, and apply to jobs is enough. Spare yourself one day to take proper rest and one day to have a personal weekly review. This weekly review should be where you sum up your progress in a week by taking a look at your job-seeking logs. See what positions you have applied to the most, the progress or stages of each application, and so on. You can also reflect on your performance to see how well you have performed in interviews or tests and what can be improved about them in the future. By having this weekly review, you will get to learn more about yourself and be more prepared to do another week of job seeking.

There is no shortcut or magic potion into landing yourself a job; you need to work for it, hard. It may get exasperating at times and you may have the urge to just take it easy. It is okay to take things easy, but remember: always stay on track!

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