Job Search 101 - Keep Your Search Organized

Looking for a job in Philadelphia can be overwhelming. Sometimes, it seems like it is just too hard, there is too much to do and when you aren't getting responses as quickly as you like, it is easy to lose hope and start to become frustrated.

They say that to make a task easier, you have to break it down into small steps. So, let's keep breaking down the job search steps, to make sure that you have all of your bases covered:

• Keep your search organized – Once you stop trying to paper the world with your resume, you will be sending out fewer applications, but devoting your time to the ones that matter the most. You can use your newly liberated time and energy to get your job search organized. When you are sending out fewer, but more targeted, resumes, it is easier to keep track of each application.
  
  
  Keep records of which jobs you sent in resumes for, along with a copy of the resume and cover letter you sent them. This way, even though you have tailored the documents for the particular job, you can easily bring the exact copies with you to the interview.
  
  
  It is also a good idea to keep a record of when you applied, when you had an interview and when you followed up. You might also want to keep notes of the main ideas discussed in the interview and any new information you received about the job or the job description.
  It works best if you write down your thoughts after the interview, when you are still going over how it went in your mind. You can write down your impressions of the company, how you think the interview went and if you think that this company will be a good fit for you. Write down an honest list of the things you like about the job and the drawbacks to it as well.
  
  
  This may seem like overkill, but if you get asked to interview at several different places, the information is easy to forget. It has been my experience that I will have a great interview one week, and another a few days later. And then, once the ball is rolling, I might have another one or two in the next week. Then nothing. Finally, after another three weeks of so, company number two calls me in for a second interview or, better yet, offers me the job. But, it never fails that the minute I accept a job, the other companies I interviewed with start calling to make offers as well.
  
  
  And while that is great, I have already made a commitment, and besides, I can't really remember what happened during those particular interviews or why one of them would be better than the other. By keeping these sorts of records, you can easily refresh your memory if you need to later.
  
  
  Keep an eye out for the next installment of Job Search 101.
  
  
  By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for Phillyjobs, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel. To read more of Melissa's blogs, check out Phillyjobsblog.