11 Ways to Stay Organized In Your Job Search
Multiple websites, emails, phone numbers and resumes! It’s hard to keep everything straight while job searching, right? When you are job searching, it is important to stay organized.
1. Create a Job Application Spreadsheet in Excel
If you’re familiar with Microsoft Excel or a similar program, creating a spreadsheet is a simple and effective way to keep track of your job applications. You can include the following columns: Company Name, Contact, Email, Date Applied, Application Summary, Interview, Follow-up, and Status.
2. Create a Job Application Table in Word
If Excel is not for you, you can create a simple table in Microsoft Word or any similar word processor. In your table, the columns are the categories you want to keep track and the rows are to how many positions you’re applying for.
3. Use Google Spreadsheets and Calendar
Google is the best way to go if you want to stay organized online. Make use of Google Calendar, Google Drive, and Google Docs.
4. Use JibberJobber
JibberJobber is perhaps the most well-known option, and is an excellent resource for staying organized. It’s easy to get disorganized during a job hunt. To help you keep track of information you have collected during your job search, you can use a free tool such as JibberJobber.
5. Use Your Smart Phone
For a do-it-yourself method of organization, consider using your smart phone “as is” – for example, use your notes or download a spreadsheet app and keep track of your information there. You can also use alarms, alerts and your calendar to stay on top of impending deadlines, interviews, and other important dates and times. And of course, there are a lot of mobile apps you can use.
6. Use a Notebook
If you’re a pen-in-hand type who likes to keep it old school, buy a note book and dedicate it to your job search. To keep track of your application, you can use it to jot down a cover letter draft, take notes during interviews, and record anything else that comes up while you’re looking for jobs, networking, and interviewing.
7. Simplify Your Search
Making the effort to simplify your job search will pay off. Focus on quality, not quantity: only apply to legitimate positions that you’re qualified for, and make each application count, personalizing each cover letter and updating and proofreading your resume.
8. Create a Twitter Job Search List to Track Job Listings
Recruiters are tweeting jobs they need to interview candidates everyday—making twitter a seriously untapped resource for job seekers. Creating a job search list including recruiters, hiring managers, and job search websites can help you get updates on these leads.
9. Manage Your Online Reputation
Manage your online reputation using social mention. It is very important to keep your reputation crystal clear while job searching.
10. Manage Your Business Cards
Manage and organize your business cards you collect while networking using Insightly. Insightly helps you manage your key contacts and relationships for FREE. It’s an awesome tool for your job search.
11. Create an Automatic Follow-up Using Contactually
One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make is focusing too much on meeting new people and neglecting about the people you already know. With the help of Contactually, you can consistently reengage with the most important people in your network through sending automatic reminders to email people you haven’t talked to in a while.

Now go get organized and report back with what you did!

Hi, I'm Anna!

I’ll help you create a career strategy and plan so you can finally have a job or business you love that supports the life you really want.

Learn More

You might also like…

Best Tech Tools for Online Business Owners: What I Use Every Day

Best Tech Tools for Online Business Owners: What I Use Every Day

If you’re looking for the best tech tools for online business owners, this list includes everything I personally use in my coaching business for content creation, coaching calls, webinars, and running daily operations. These are the tools that allow me to show up...

Social Media Planning: Create Your Annual Content Plan in 30 Minutes

Social Media Planning: Create Your Annual Content Plan in 30 Minutes

Social media planning doesn’t have to feel overwhelming, complicated, or like a full-time job. With the right framework, you can plan an entire year of intentional content in about 30 minutes — without posting 24/7 or burning yourself out. Welcome to Day 2 of our...

30-Minute Launch Plan: Map Your Year for Profit and Peace

30-Minute Launch Plan: Map Your Year for Profit and Peace

30-minute launch plan thinking is the fastest way to move from scattered, last-minute launches to a business built with clarity, profit, and peace. If you’ve been running your business with a “junk drawer” approach—random launches, unfinished ideas, and constant...

90 Day Planner