Friday, December 05, 2003

Job Search Tracking - Keeping It All Straight

Does anyone else remember a time when you send in a resume and literally count the minutes between the time it was sent and the phone ringing? Well, back in the day, it was just not as difficult to track the old job search. A binder, a spreadsheet, even your Sent Mail folder would do.

When I embarked upon my most recent job search, just over a year ago, I realized that none of these methods were quite right. I kept
bookmarking job descriptions on the big job boards, only to go back later to find they had been removed. In order to better track the specifics of the jobs I was applying to, I ended up developing a very simple web-based job tracking system where I could store all of the job related information in one place (including the resume and cover letter I sent it), and retrieve it on demand. After using the application for several months, I turned it into a free public job portal so that anyone can use it.

With all of the job related web sites out there, I'm surprised that no one has done this until now. The closest thing I've seen has been on private career center sites which provide some job search tools for their paid clientele. Other than that, there are some sites that let you track the jobs you applied to through their interface, but none of them let you track all of your job inquiries, regardless of source. If you've seen anything else like it out there, please let me know. Also, if you'd like to share how you're tracking your current job search, please add a comment below.

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