This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s fall editorial intern Jason Tsoi. Find him on Instagram at @jason.tsoi. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
We’ve all been through the job search cycle: applying to jobs, waiting for responses, getting ghosted or denied, and then starting the process over again. It’s an experience that is discouraging and frustrating, often leading to feelings of self-doubt. But it’s also a tedious process that is easy to lose track of. If this sounds all too familiar, consider trying a new approach, like creating a job search spreadsheet, setting a schedule, or rewriting your resume. Here’s a list of tips and ideas to make your job search less stressful and more productive.
Create A Job Search Spreadsheet
When applying to jobs, it’s helpful to keep an organized spreadsheet next to you. This way, you can track the number of jobs you’ve applied to, as well as the type of position, location, salary and status of the job. With a spreadsheet, you can skip the hassle of searching through your email for job details and cross-referencing them with other positions you applied to. When you receive an update on your application, record the information to your spreadsheet. A great resource to build your own spreadsheet is Google Sheets.
When you first set up your spreadsheet, create column headers on the first row. This is where you will customize your spreadsheet by typing in the company, job title, salary, location and the status of your application in separate columns. Another column header that I recommend adding is a section for website URL, which will allow you to easily access the job description when necessary. In order to make your column headers stand out, fill the row of headers with a light color that fits your style. To do this, select the row of column headers and then select “fill color” on the toolbar. Now that you’ve created your own job tracker, you can begin trying it out.
Set Up A Job Search Schedule
There is no set rule about what time of day you should start your job search. But, it’s important to set time out of your day to job search. The job search process can be physically and emotionally draining, which is why you should try to schedule up to two hours of your day for job searching. I recommend job hunting in the morning and afternoon hours. From my own experience, I see more job postings during these times than at night. While setting up your schedule, you may also want to think about setting goals, such as the amount of jobs you will apply to each day. But, how do you keep an organized schedule?
One way to maintain a steady schedule is to utilize the apps on your phone. If you have an iPhone, the Reminders app is a useful tool to notify when to start your search. When scheduling your job search, make sure to have it on repeat, so you don’t have to make a new reminder every day. Alternatively, you can also use Google Calendar to create your daily reminders. Then, you can set an alarm based on how long you prefer your job hunt to last. Following an organized schedule will help you establish a routine that will keep you from being overwhelmed.
Rewrite Your Resume
One of the most important aspects of the job application process is your resume. It’s something that can either make or break your chances of moving forward. If you’re having trouble making it far in the application process, it may be time to think about restructuring your resume. When it comes to formatting, companies are looking for professional and clean resumes. While writing a resume, try to aim for one page, using 10-12 point fonts, like Times New Roman, Arial or Calibri. At the top of your resume, include your city and state, your full name, phone number, email and a hyperlink to your LinkedIn profile. Then, your resume should be divided by section headers, like work experience, education and skills.
To make your section headers stand out from your list of texts, it’s best to embolden your headers. This way, it will make it easier for recruiters to read your resume. Since many companies use the Applicant Tracking Systems — a software that allows companies to filter through resumes, consider tailoring your resume to the jobs that you’re applying for. This can be accomplished by adding keywords from the job description into your work experience. When you finish working on your experience section, make sure to check for grammatical or spelling mistakes.
Ways To Stay Motivated While Job Searching
Oftentimes in our job search, we tend to lose focus or motivation in job searching. The process is demoralizing, whether you’re competing against over 100 applicants or seeing job postings with unrealistic qualification requirements. To stay motivated, keep reminding yourself of your career goals and the reasons why you’re applying to jobs in the first place.
But, job searching can also be quite dull due to the amount of repetitive tasks involved in the process. To make the job hunt less tedious, try putting on music or a film in the background. But make sure not to get too distracted during your search. Another way to make the process more enjoyable is to do job searches with a friend or family member. This way, you can have someone to talk to while you’re looking for jobs.
However, it’s important to remember that it’s okay to step away and take a break from job searching. Whether you pause your job search for a few days or weeks, new opportunities will always be out there. It’s also worth remembering that everyone is on a different path in their lives. Your job search journey may be different from other people and that’s okay.
Will you be including any of these ideas into your job search? Let us know in the comments.
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