The pandemic has been unkind to many. For anyone who has lost their job over the past year – I feel your pain. Working in the tourism industry in London for a company that was thriving financially felt like a secure job. Now around half their staff, maybe more, have had their positions made redundant. So right now I’m in a constant cycle of applying for jobs, getting some interviews every now and then, but mostly I spend my time being ignored by recruiters. Most of my days are spent applying for jobs, so I thought I’d share some of my tips on how I stay organised.

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Track Your Applications

It’s so important to keep a note somewhere of the company and role you have applied for, the requirements of the job, and the date you applied for it. I personally just use Google Sheets for this, but you can track it any way that is best for you. If you get an interview, also note this down!

Did You Receive A Response?

Always keep track of which companies have responded to your application. Some companies will have the courtesy to tell you that they will not be progressing your application this time. Other companies, frustratingly, won’t get back to you at all. The latter is extremely unhelpful, but being able to at least tick off who you have received a response from let’s you focus on the ones you’re still waiting on.

Follow Up With Recruiters

Following on from the above, if it’s been a few weeks and you haven’t heard back from a company, it’s perfectly appropriate to send an email asking for an update on your application. With some applications, they will let you know when you should hear back. If this is the case, make sure you wait the full length of time before enquiring further. 

Set Up Job Alerts

You can set up job alerts on websites like GuardianJobs, Indeed, LinkedIn, and cater them to what kind of roles you are looking for. Now opportunities will be delivered straight to your inbox so you don’t miss anything!

Continuously Update Your CV

Keeping your CV update is an ongoing process. I always feel that with every time I read over my CV, I find something that needs tweaking. Sometimes you will need to change your CV slightly depending on the type of roles you are applying for.

Keep Templates Of Your Cover Letters

Not all companies will ask you for a cover letter, but many do. Cover letters need to be catered towards the company and job role that you are applying for. However, sometimes if you’re applying for similar roles you can write identical things in your cover letters. For this reason I always keep a saved copy of every cover letter I have ever sent. I save them all as “‘Company Name’ – Cover Letter” so if I get an interview I know exactly what I have told them about myself and my experience.

Bookmark Jobs You Want To Apply For

Half of the effort in applying for jobs is actually finding a job to apply for. I tend to dedicate a time slot of my day to bookmarking jobs that I’m going to put myself forward for, noting any deadlines. Then you have a handful of jobs ready to apply for over the next few days. 

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Do you have any tips for organisation when applying for jobs? Let me know in the comments!