CareerTunersJob Search Checklist
Print out and laminate the checklist you feel the most comfortable using. You can use a dry-erase marker to make checks and erase them.
Employed, Passive Job Seeker
If you’re a passive job seeker, and are relatively happy with your job, dedicate an hour every week to your job search.
At the start of your search:
Jot down a list of your accomplishments.
Try finding a portfolio piece for each accomplishment.
Put together your portfolio in a binder. Take this with you to interviews.
Make sure your resume includes all your accomplishments. Consider investing in my resume writing services if you need my help.
Ask for lots of recommendations.
Every week:
Day 1 -- (possibly a weekend when you can set aside a few minutes to really focus).
Use my search engine guide to research companies for 9 minutes. Which seem like a good fit for you?
Research those companies a bit further on LinkedIn and Google. Who works there? Connect with them and add their emails to your Streak boxes. Spend 11 minutes finding at least two decision-makers and two champions.
Look at job boards for 4 minutes and add or remove skills from your resume’s skills table to focus it to the jobs that seem interesting to you. Apply to those jobs ONLY if you feel your resume is 100% and gives off no red flags.
Look up recruiters on LinkedIn using the advanced search feature, add them to your Streak boxes, and send them a mail merge (mass email) with your cover note. Do as many as you can in 3 minutes.
Now send at least two cover notes to decision-makers (5 minutes) and two notes to champions (13 minutes).
Throughout the rest of the week
Do your follow ups as part of your daily email routine.
Day 3:
Connect with 50 people on LinkedIn who work in the industry and geographic location that you’re interested in. This will boost your LinkedIn search rankings and add traffic to your profile.
Employed, Active Job Seeker
If you have a job, but are looking for a change, dedicate three hours every week to your job search.
At the start of your search:
Jot down a list of your accomplishments.
Try finding a portfolio piece for each accomplishment.
Put together your portfolio in a binder. Take this with you to interviews.
Make sure your resume includes all your accomplishments. Consider investing in my resume writing services if you need my help.
Ask for lots of recommendations.
Day 1 -- (possibly a weekend when you can set aside a few minutes to really focus).
Use my search engine guide to research companies for 27 minutes. Which seem like a good fit for you?
Research those companies a bit further on LinkedIn and Google. Who works there? Connect with them and add their emails to your Streak boxes. Spend 33 minutes finding at least six decision-makers and six champions.
Look at job boards for 12 minutes and add or remove skills from your resume’s skills table to focus it to the jobs that seem interesting to you. Apply to those jobs ONLY if you feel your resume is 100% and gives off no red flags.
Look up recruiters on LinkedIn using the advanced search feature, add them to your Streak boxes, and send them a mail merge (mass email) with your cover note. Do as many as you can in 9 minutes.
Now send at least six cover notes to decision-makers (15 minutes) and six notes to champions (39 minutes).
Throughout the rest of the week
Do your follow ups as part of your daily email routine. Because you sent out 15+ notes over the weekend, following up may seem tedious and overwhelming. But remember, this makes up the crux of your job search. Any candidate can blast notes to people. The one that stands out is the one that follows up strategically. According to marketingdonut.com, 8% of sales reps get 80% of sales. After interviewing those sales reps, Marketing Donut found that they spent a lot of time on follow ups.
Day 3:
Connect with 50 people on LinkedIn who work in the industry and geographic location that you’re interested in. This will boost your LinkedIn search rankings and add traffic to your profile.
Unemployed Job Seeker
Because you need a job ASAP, consider spending two hours every day on your job search.
At the start of your search:
Jot down a list of your accomplishments.
Try finding a portfolio piece for each accomplishment.
Put together your portfolio in a binder. Take this with you to interviews.
Make sure your resume includes all your accomplishments. Consider investing in my resume writing services if you need my help.
Ask for lots of recommendations.
In the first half of your day…
Use my search engine guide to research companies for 18 minutes. Which seem like a good fit for you?
Research those companies a bit further on LinkedIn and Google. Who works there? Connect with them and add their emails to your Streak boxes. Spend 22 minutes finding at least four decision-makers and four champions.
Look at job boards for 8 minutes and add or remove skills from your resume’s skills table to focus it to the jobs that seem interesting to you. Apply to those jobs ONLY if you feel your resume is 100% and gives off no red flags.
If you are a “traditional” candidate, look up recruiters on LinkedIn using the advanced search feature, add them to your Streak boxes, and send them a mail merge (mass email) with your cover note. Do as many as you can in 6 minutes.
Now send at least four cover notes to decision-makers (10 minutes) and four notes to champions (26 minutes). Use the mail-merge (mass mail) feature for decision-makers.
In the middle of your day…
I’m sure you spend a lot of time thinking about jobs you applied to and what sort of response you’re going to get. Job searches are incredibly stressful because there’s so much uncertainty involved. Take some time off to relax (1 hour). Cook yourself a nice meal, have a cup of tea with a friend, or go for a long jog.
If you feel stressed out or depressed, make a list of all your fears and the causes of each. Then, make a list of actions you can take to prevent each fear and each cause.
Understand that these are facts you cannot change:
- The ratio of emails you send out and the responses you’ll get will probably be less than 50%.
- You will probably go to three interviews for every offer you get.
- The average job search in the United States lasts 7 months.
Prevent feeling hopeless by avoiding getting attached to any job in particular. Stick to this routine, cast a wide net, and know that while the numbers above may seem less than ideal, they are not against you.
Towards the end of your day…
Do your follow ups as part of your daily email routine. Because you send out 8+ notes every day, following up may seem tedious and overwhelming. But remember, this makes up the crux of your job search. Any candidate can blast notes to people. The one that stands out is the one that follows up strategically. According to marketingdonut.com, 8% of sales reps get 80% of sales. After interviewing those sales reps, Marketing Donut found that they spent a lot of time on follow ups.
Connect with 10 people on LinkedIn who work in the industry and geographic location that you’re interested in. This will boost your LinkedIn search rankings and add traffic to your profile.