How a To-Do List Can Help Your Job Search
Looking for a job is often a challenging process. Unlike most other endeavors, it’s difficult to tell whether you’re making any headway — have you researched enough positions? Sent out enough resumes? Made enough phone calls? And what about growing your network, touching base with recruiters, and following up after interviews?
The whole process can be a bit overwhelming. Fortunately, there’s a simple tool you’re already familiar with, that you can use to help manage your job search and alleviate “spinning wheel” syndrome by tracking your progress: the humble to-do list.
Making a job search to-do list allows you to stay organized and motivated. When you can easily see what you’ve already done, and assign yourself tasks that still need to be completed, your job search will stay on a smooth path and gain forward momentum every day.
Here are some tips on creating a to-do list for your job search:
List the areas that need your attention
In every job search, there are certain types of activities and tasks you should incorporate. The first step in creating an effective job search to-do list is to define the task types you’re concentrating on. Most likely, they’ll include:
- Finding available positions to apply for
- Updating / customizing application material to certain positions
- Sending out resumes and cover letters
- Networking (online and/or in person)
- Making phone calls
- Company research and interview prep
- Following up on interviews
- With regard to finding positions, you can automate this process by using a job search aggregator like Indeed.com or SimplyHired.com to send you instant alerts and notifications for jobs that match your specs. Of course, networking is another avenue that can help you find open positions — and that should be scheduled in your to-do list.
Create daily and weekly tasks
A job search to-do list can only motivate you when it has tasks that need to be completed. To help maintain momentum, schedule yourself at least three daily tasks that will get you started. These might be looking through your notifications to decide which jobs you’ll apply for, sending a follow-up email for an interview you had, listing potential employers to research, or sending your resume to a number of new openings.
You should also set weekly goals for your job search. You might spend a set number of hours networking, or completing a certain number of practice interviews, or getting through a major task such as updating your resume.
Make the phone your friend
Communicating via email is convenient, but it’s often neither fast nor responsive. As you create your to-do list for your job search, keep in mind that phone calls can shorten your job hunt considerably.
Use your to-do list as motivation to call companies where you’ve submitted resumes. Ask to speak to human resources or the hiring manager, and simply tell them you wanted to make sure your resume was received. You’ll demonstrate your enthusiasm for the job, and you might be able to spark a conversation that can lead to an interview.
Organize in one place
There are many free online tools that can help you keep your job search to-do list and your schedule calendar organized. If you use Gmail, then Google’s calendar makes it easy to not only track your tasks and appointments, but also integrate your activities with your email account and set up alerts and notifications.
It’s important to keep your job searched organized, and working with our experienced recruiting team will help simplify the process even more. To learn more about how we can aid you in your search, contact us today at (513) 651-9500 or by email at [email protected] to find out more about how we can help you find your next position!