AIU Career Services: Staying Organized in Your Job Search

October 26, 2011 •Career Services, Alumni • 0 Comments

Networking, applying online, interviewing, following up…there are a lot of steps involved in job searching, and if you’re not on top of them, it can be easy to get overwhelmed and lose track of important dates and times.  Job searching is challenging enough as it is – don’t make it any harder on yourself!  Take the time to get and stay organized for a more productive search.

• Find what method works for you.  Not everyone organizes their tasks the same way.  Some people use spreadsheets, some use their phones, and some like to write things down on paper.  Go with what works best and feels natural to you – if you don’t, you are more likely to get frustrated with your organization method, and less likely to stay motivated enough to follow through with it.
• Keep all job search tools and correspondence in one place.  Try not to have business cards and resumes scattered all over your house.  Keep everything in one specific place or room of your house – if you need to reference or access something, you’ll know exactly where to find it.
• Don’t underestimate the importance of a planner.  Keep track of application dates, interviews, days you indicated following up, and other meetings or appointments on your calendar.  Writing these dates down will help you remember them, and if you use a computer or phone, you can even schedule alerts as reminders.
• Check out the tools available to you on the Virtual Campus (Career Services - Resource Center -Career Tools).  There is a tab with a job search checklist that will help you make sure you are not leaving any steps out of your search, as well as a job search journal where you can write entries about the different actions you have taken in your search.
• Contact your Career Services Advisor for additional tips on how to get organized.  Your Advisor can even send you a job search tracking spreadsheet where you can list resume submissions, networking contacts, interviews, and career websites you use in your search.  The Career Services Department can be reached at 877-221-5800 ext. 15060 or careerservices@aiuonline.edu.

Comments

What do you think?