“In today’s job market, it’s not uncommon to submit applications for many positions. That involves lots of time, and lots to keep track of. You don’t want to squander those precious hours by missing important application deadlines, garbling companies and positions, confusing interview times, or forgetting to follow up.” – Alison Doyle in 10 Easy Ways to Organize Your Job Search
Identifying job opportunities is what we all know. People apply all the time. But if, you could randomly ask the number of people who thought of any significance to keep a record of jobs applied for, I think you’ll be shocked by the number of those who don’t.
Of the many job applications you’ve sent out, how many do you still remember? And of those you still remember, how many have you ever thought of following up?
Job hunting doesn’t begin and end with identifying and applying for vacancies. It entails applying, following up where necessary and finally getting the position. A great majority of people believe there are just no jobs out there, but the truth is only if they cared enough could they have been employed.
1stGig.com on Keep track of job application states that,
“Once you start applying for jobs, you’re going to need to keep track of detailed information about each position. At any point, you might have a dozen or more jobs for which you are somewhere within the application process, and that can stretch over weeks or even months. You never know when some might call you in response to your application, and you need to immediately be able to access information about that specific application- the details of the position, the date you applied, the resume you sent them, the references that would be relevant for that position, the research you gathered on the organization, and so forth.”
It would appear that recruiters keep some applications in their databases long enough. Long enough to look through them within at least a period of a year. This is because they use them to look for useful recruits. They have what you may call recruiters’ pool. And should they want to employ someone urgently, that’s their first option. You never really know what may happen.
Even better, record-keeping will help you to conduct follow-ups. Follow-ups on the status of the application. It’s necessary, if done the right way. In following up you don’t want to offend the party you’re trying to reach out to.
According to Alison on Following up on the Status of a Job Application the following are the ways to follow up:
First check the job listing, as well as the emails or other contact you’ve had with the hiring manager or employer. See if in any of that correspondence includes information on when you can expect to hear back from the company. If they give you a date, be sure to wait until that date to follow up.
Email; if you have an email address for a contact, then you might send an email follow-up message reaffirming your strong interest in the job and mentioning that you would welcome the opportunity to meet for an interview.
Phone call Follow up: mention a few key reasons why you are so interested and point out why the job is a great fit.
In-person Follow up: it is acceptable to stop by an employer in person when you have previously dropped off an application in person. You should be ready to briefly mention the basis for your interest and why you would be qualified. Make sure you give off positive energy, are dressed appropriately, and engage employees or employers in a warm and friendly manner.
Let’s give our job hunt some oomph!