Everyone always talks
about getting yourself organized for the Job Search, but no
one really offers practical advice on how to do it. Oh yes,
they say to keep adequate records, but they give little more
in the way of advice. Well now you'll have it. I'm going to
tell you how to get yourself organized daily for your Job Search.
Assuming you are using
a computer, then you automatically have access to one of the
easiest forms of accurate record maintenance of which jobs
you applied to and where you found them. This wonderful resource
is called your "Text Editor!"
That's it really.
That's all you need. If you're still confused, let me offer
some steps to make it clearer. Pretend you are on the Internet
and you just found this "Absolutely Fantastic" position on
Job Board XYZ. OK, let's first stop right there.
If this is
the perfect job for you, then let's make sure we don't' do
a couple of things to mess it up forourselves.
First of all,
let's make sure you haven't applied for this position already
either
via another Recruiter, another Job Board, or through the Company's
Homepage. If you have been keeping records, then this should
be relatively easy, if not, then let's just hope your memory
is good. Also, let's make sure you are absolutely qualified
for the position. Gone are the days where you could slide
by with 50% of the qualifications for the job. Nowadays with
the specialized skill sets that people have, you almost have
to be 100% qualified for the position to get a second glance.
I assure you, if you aren't qualified, someone else is, so
you're probably just wasting your time applying.
Cheer up, it gets
better. You checked your records and can't find anywhere else
that you've applied to this same position. That's great. Now
you won't have multiple Resume submissions going into an HR
Manager or Hiring Manager's E-mail inbox or fax machine.
So now we want to
apply for the freelance / work at home job position.
Assuming you have done so, what is
the easiest method of keeping a record of this job? I mentioned
it before, your Text Editor. Whatever brand of Internet Browser
you are using, it has the ability to SAVE a web page.
Follow
these simple steps to save the freelancing job record's web page with all the necessary
information for adequate records keeping.
1. At the top of your
browser window, choose "FILE"
2. Then choose "SAVE AS"
3.
When the smaller window pops open, change the "SAVE IN" field
to a place on your Harddrive that is easy to remember. Maybe
you'll create a folder called "Jobs."
4. Then change the "SAVE
AS TYPE" to "Text file (*.txt)"
5. Enter a name for the job
such as the name of the company or Recruiter and then the
title of the position. For example you could save it as something
like, "Company ABC Technical Writer.txt" Now when you later
look at your list of saved Jobs, you'll automatically see
the Name of the Company and the Job position. It will make
is much easier to search for jobs that you've already applied
for.
Another nifty thing
about using this method of saving Jobs is that you can go
into your file browser (File manager for those still using
WIN95 or lower) and sort these files by date. Each time you
modify the file, or I should say add a status to the file
whether it be a conversation you had, an email you sent, whatever;
each time you add something to the file, it will automatically
update the latest date stamp. This way you will automatically
know just by looking at the date of the file, which ones need
a follow up and which ones have been chased to death.
Be sure to add any
new information you receive about this job position into this text
file as soon as you receive it.
Also, most jobs and their
contact information are not usually kept on the same Internet
page. So if you save a job description, be sure you "copy
and past" the contact information into the .txt file as well.
You don't want to be digging around on the net a week later
just to get the telephone number or name of the person who
posted the job.
Again, this is an
easy method of keeping your Freelance Resume applications straight.
It requires no special software. If you have Windows, you
have a text editor.
Good luck with your
Job Search and keep a good attitude.
Chris Souther
Chris is a Corporate
Writer and Trainer in the Atlanta area. His professional services
include a wide array of corporate and private writing. In
his spare time, he enjoys his family, his yard, and writing
freelance articles. Check out his websites at: http://www.AtlantaCopywriting.webalias.com
http://www.mindspring.com/~csouther
Chris Souther may
be contacted at http://AtlantaCopywriting.webalias.com
csouther@mindspring.com.
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Christopher Souther is a Copywriter and Freelance Writer in
Atlanta, Ga. On the side he has published articles on a variety
of topics including, Children's Education and today's Job
Market. He is currently revising his free Online Guide to
Job-Hunting for publishing as well as working on another Non-Fiction
book dealing with Adoption.