by S McIntyre

When you’re actively job searching online, it’s very important to be organized. How many of you have applied at the same company twice without realizing you already did? How about a company contacting you weeks or months later and offering you a position you couldn’t remember applying for? Have you forgotten or lost the employer’s name and contact information? This wouldn’t have happened if you kept proper track of your job searches.

There are several systems you can use to manage and stay organized during your job searching online. Many use spreadsheets created in Excel; use Word or a notebook with handwritten notes which can become messy, unreadable and time consuming. If these are your choices make sure you keep adequate information on them and keep them updated.

First, have all versions of your resumes, cover letters and follow up letters organized in a folder on your computer and have them backed up on a CD, external hard drive or on a web backup system like Mozy.com. You may have to make several folders and sub folders to keep track of all job posting ads from the different companies. It’ll be easier if you had sub folders labeled with the job position details you applied for. For example customer service, article writer and so on. You can copy and paste the job description on Notepad and use this as a reference or reminder of what the job entailed. This is especially helpful when the company takes weeks or months to get back to you. Read More→