Want to know how to better track and organise your remote job search? You probably answered, “yes!” Why? Looking for remote work is a full time job. Tracking and organizing your remote job search should be carried out with painstaking detail. This will help you improve your productivity and increase your effectiveness. As with most major projects, when you’re looking for remote work, you’re probably considering that quantity over quality is the key to securing a remote job.
Therefore you may have taken the tactic to apply for numerous positions at the same time. With several CV versions and ideally multiple interviews across different indstries, it’s easy to become disorganized. But don’t lose your focus. Today we have updated this article to provide you with the remote job search tools you need. In this manner you won’t get bogged down.
Keep reading or click here for page one (Suggested Daily Tasks) of the Remote Job Search Tool Kit.
Here are a few pointers to help you successfully plan your job hunt, arrange tasks in sequential order, coordinate your ‘to do’ lists seamlessly across dates and time, and track your progress so that you can adapt and re-position yourself based upon the feedback received.
1. Don’t use your desire to be organized as an excuse to put off your job hunt
This is an important point. Particularly as the upcoming recession haunts us. You want to get ahead of your competition to increase your chances of getting hired for a remote position before the economic bottom falls. I know it is simple to convince yourself every day that you’ll start looking for work as soon as you finish planning your job search; but take one small step.
That small step can get you gong. Set a time limit — a few days, maybe a week at most — to get your ducks in a row and then get started on actually applying to jobs. Don’t forget our Remote Job Search Tool Kit can be of assistance if you are procrastinating.
2. Get rid of clutter
It’s really tough to think clearly if your workplace is cluttered with books, papers, leftover pizza from last night, and invoices. Also, its far easier to get distracted when extraneous items unrelated to your goal are sprawled arcoss your workdesk. Spend a few hours tossing away all the stuff you don’t need and organizing the things you do. Productivity and clutter are intertwined.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the average U.S. CEO loses six weeks each year searching for misplaced information on their untidy desk and files. For a $75,000-a-year executive, it equates to a loss of $9,221, or 12.3 percent of their total earnings. That’s quite a hefty price to pay for ignoring clutter.
Keep reading or click here for page two of the Remote Job Search Tool Kit.
3. Create a method for organizing your job search
When you need to achieve your ultimate goal of obtaining the perfect remote job for you, systems of organization are critical. You’ll need a system for keeping track of the companies and jobs you’ve applied to, as well as the status of each application. You can click here for page two (Weekly Job Search Schedule) of the Remote Job Search Tool Kit.
When it comes to follow-up, tracking your application is crucial. If you’ve interviewed with a company but haven’t heard back, you’ll need to keep hold of that information so you can make a follow-up phone call or send an email. Plus, you definitely need to maintain a system of arranging exactly what you told one employer regarding your interests, skills, and abilities and how you may have emphasized one particular abilitiy over another depending upon the interviewer, the job and the company.
Who wants to realize in mid-sentence that you are errorenously focusing on one key aspect of your major accomplishments based upon the feedback received from employer 1 when the current potential employer 2 could care less about it? That’s why the systemization of your job search is vital to your success.
It is important that you consider creating a comprehensive spreadsheet that tracks all relevant details of your job search, such as the job title, company, contact information, date you applied, details of any scheduled interviews, whether you followed up, and the status of your application. And now, there is no need to create the remote job search spreadsheet from scratch, we’ve created a remote job seeker tool kit just for you!
If you’re the type of person who forgets to update the spreadsheet we have created, however, look into free online project management solutions such as Trello.
You can automate your job hunt using tools like Trello. You can, for example, be reminded when to send a follow-up letter to the hiring manager or recruiter. You may also keep track of your meetings using free apps such as Microsoft OneNote or Evernote. A sticky note may be the right solution if you’re a visual person.
4. Create a timetable
Set aside time every day to concentrate on your job hunt. We have prepared, hour by hour, a suggested time table in the Remote Job Search Tool Kit, to help you. The quantity of time you set aside is typically determined by whether you are already employed, as well as other time constraints and family/work commitments. If you’re currently employed, it may be as little as two or three hours each week. Whether it’s two hours every Sunday or three hours every weekday, no matter how much time you have to devote to your job hunt, make a commitment to stick to a strategy.
We need to mention that commitments to yourself and your ultimate success are important. That is why we developed an affirmation page with the job seeker’s signature required.
Its like making a binding contract with yourself. If you are serious about getting a remote job, you gotta act like it. Think about it everyday, set aside major portions of your day completing tasks to achieve your goal, and seeking and receiving feedback so that you can re-position your approach and modify your game plan.
5. Revise and improve your CV
When you start looking for employment, you’ll need to have your finest résumé possible ready to go. Depending on your industry, you may need more than one résumé on hand to apply for a range of job titles. There is a wealth of information available online on how to write a CV. Make sure your resume is tailored to each position.
Additionally, keep your resume short, simple and to the point. No one wants to read a dramatic expose about your and your exploits. Just stick with the requirements of the job as you tailor your resume to showcase how your experience aligns with the job opportunity.
6. Use keywords
Focus on keyword usage. Why? Today, it is often that human eyes don’t even look at an application or resume once it is submitted until the final stages of candidate selection. Human resources departments make ample use of algorithms to pre-screen applicants.
If you failed to mention the keywords and their derivatives at least three times in your application you will not pass robotic screening. So as you revise your resume based upon the position for which you are applying, use the same keywords written in the job description to describe your experience.
7. Make a list of potential employers
Where would you like to work? Begin by investigating the reputation and culture of at least a dozen businesses you believe are excellent places to work. Of course, you should continue to network, reply to Internet job listings, and interact with recruiters, but it’s helpful to have a list of specific businesses to target.
8. Make a list of internal contacts
After you’ve compiled your list of potential employers, perform research on each organization. Who is their CEO? What is their organizational history? Do you know anything about its core mission? Who are their primary competitors?
Yes, after you have completed your secondary research using the internet, Wikipedia, business directories and the media, now is the time to make internal connections.
Consider conducting informational interviews. This will give you key information. Straight from the mouth of a current employee or at a minimum someone who is actively working in the industry. They will provide insight to help you personalize your resume and cover letters. They may even give you the inside scoop on the company’s major players, corporate culture and climate. This will be a tremendously help as you work through the interview process and reply to feedback.
8. Begin or expand your network
A corollary to making a list of internal contacts is to expand your professional network. In seeking out internal connections within a targeted organization, you may come across another opportunity that may offer a better fit. Also, lots of people manage to get a job simply by networking. It is important to network online, virtually and in person in the physical space.
So try to get out there and meet new people. Ask for guidance and find out who else you should be talking to. For each person that you meet, your last question before leaving should be, “is there someone else I should reach out to?” Think about it for a moment, who in your target organizations may you be able to network with? Or do you know someone who can put you in touch with someone?
9. Organize your job hunt using LinkedIn
When you look for jobs on LinkedIn, you may bookmark positions that interest you. If you can’t apply right away, you’ll end up with a rolling list of interesting jobs to choose from when it’s time to concentrate on your job hunt.
Spruce up your LinkedIn profile by promoting yourself using material from your CV to communicate what you are looking for clearly. Bring your profile up to 100 percent, or at the very least 90 percent.
Obtain references from as many of your contacts as possible, with a focus on clients, supervisors, subordinates, and corporate colleagues. These will indicate to prospective employers what kind of employee you are.
If you don’t have an email address for someone who works for one of your target firms, you can contact them using LinkedIn Groups. If you’re in the same LinkedIn group as them, you may send them a free message using the site.
10. Apply for the appropriate positions
Many job searchers assume that the more positions they apply for, the more likely they are to obtain an interview. As a result, they apply for each remote job they come across. However, applying for jobs you are ineligible for is a waste of time, not to mention an easy way to get disorganized.
Further, recruiters can easily determine when a resume was submitted in a “mass submission’ effort. This is when the applicant takes his resume and sends it out in bulk to any position open for which he may be tangentially qualified.
The best approach would be to apply for appropriate positions for which you have ample experience and qualifications. How do you determine this?
Basically, if you already hold the same job with a similar title, but are looking for higher pay, better working conditions or expanded benefits (flexible work schedule, remote work, for instance), you are a prime candidate for quickly obtaining a new job. Why?
Because employers are looking for remote workers with proven, demonstrable experience in the job for which they are advertising. This is why recruiters and human resources professionals tend to poach from their competitors. There is no need to train. Further the candidate holds value according to a competitor. The theory is that this candidate may retain his/her value with the move to a new company. Why not use this tactic to your advantage?
11. Monitor your remote job search efforts every week
It’s easy to become overwhelmed when searching for a remote job. This is why you need a strategy to perform certain activities and arrange your job search week by week. Set aside one or two hours each week to browse job boards—most job boards will send you updates through email. We’ve made it easy to monitor and track your remote job search efforts by creating a Remote Job Search Tool Kit, see pages one and two for suggested activities.
There are many things to keep track of when job hunting, but by following these easy suggestions, you’ll be able to track and organize your remote job search efficiently.
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