How to Plan Your Employment Search Using a Spreadsheet

Seeking out new employment or changing careers is very challenging. Paying detailed attention to how many jobs are applied for is important. Sometimes it is hard to determine when something is not producing the best results. Getting email responses and call backs in a timely manner is important. Here are some tips how to plan your employment search using a spreadsheet.

Searching for new employment is often a time deep of anxiety and uncertainty. Having a plan is one way to track all job related search efforts. Spreadsheets are a great tool to save important job search details. Having the spreadsheet setup before applying is important. This key step will save time and make the job search more efficient.

Create a few headings at the top of the spreadsheet. Create a section for the employer name, job description, URL, response date, salary, online application, and cover letter and resume sent. Some employers will have different methods of responding to the job listing. Simply check if an online application was filled out, or if the employer wanted a brief cover letter and resume. Always respond the way they have instructed.

Saving the ad helps to avoid reapplying to the same position. Time spent job searching can at times seem unproductive, until the spreadsheet is reviewed. If the response rate is low or nonexistent consider tweaking the resume. Use a cover letter template that is very professional so that it can be quickly customized to fit the needs of the job applying for.

Apply to jobs that pay at or above the desired rate of pay.  This helps to avoid receiving a high number of responses for positions that will not pay enough to get by. Look back over the spreadsheet after a week to see if there was an increase in the number of responses.