Because most job searches follow a set pattern, using software to track your social media contacts and your steps on that path makes a lot of sense. Enter job-search organization tools. Not only do these babies help you organize the many moving parts, contacts, and job applications that are part of the job search, but they also allow you to store your data after you get your job.
Not all of these solutions are free. However, when considering that investing in software may help you speed up your job search, remember that shaving a month off of the search could mean gaining a whole month of salary. So see it as an investment, not just an expense.
CareerShift
If you recently graduated from college, you may recognize CareerShift because it supports many colleges’ career centers as well as individual accounts. One of CareerShift’s most impressive features is its job-board aggregation service. You can search every major job board from right inside your account, and the database is frequently updated with the newest opportunities.
CareerShift offers a feature with stunning value: It actually tells you who you need to meet at each company, along with e-mail addresses and phone numbers for those people. This feature saves you hours of research identifying key hiring managers.
CareerShift also provides document management (so you can organize your résumés and cover letters) and campaign management (so you can keep track of which companies you’ve applied to). It also has a robust calendar feature that helps you track what you need to do each day of your job search.
JibberJobber
Jason Alba started JibberJobber.com in 2006 and can claim development of the first online job-search platform. By far, JibberJobber offers job seekers the most comprehensive set of tools for managing relationships, job searches, and careers. Here are just some of its features:
Contact-management tools so you can import contacts, see where they are in a map, and even show interrelationships between contacts
A database feature for companies you want to research so you can quickly import target organizations or recruiters
Job-application management so you can track the progress you make for each job as well as RSS feeds of job boards so you can see new jobs coming in
Activity reports so you can take a summary view of your job-search efforts or report to an unemployment office
An interview-preparation database so you can record questions you may be asked and how you plan to respond
A library of articles and books from other members and career experts
CareerLeaf
CareerLeaf gives job seekers an all-in-one job-search management platform complete with a profile, aggregation of job boards, and job-search-process organization. Its mobile optimized platform looks good when you’re on the go. And by partnering with recruiters, you can even get invited to live interviews through this platform.
After you use your LinkedIn profile to instantly create a profile, you can use the Application Manager to track which jobs you’ve applied for and what their status is. To add new opportunities to your manager, use the built-in job board or the Tracklet, which lets you import a job from any outside website.
JobFully
If you’re looking for a tool to help you manage more than just where you sent your résumé, JobFully does a great job. It’s like getting a full-service outplacement experience in a simple software solution. Whereas other job-search organization tools focus just on keeping track of what applications you’ve sent in on advertised jobs, JobFully actually has you go through a process of discovering your values and passions.
Then the program helps you keep track of your networking efforts to grow warm job leads. In addition to offering organization tools, like to-dos and calendars, it has career-coaching videos you can watch to help you stay focused and on track.
StartWire
StartWire helps you keep track of jobs you’ve applied for by using special software that actually knows when your status has changed. Because it has hooks into many applicant tracking systems (ATS), it can tell you if your status has changed from “waiting” to “reviewing,” perhaps giving you hope for some jobs and helping you let go of others.
The StartWire dashboard also offers social media tools so you can see who else in your network works at the companies where you’ve applied for jobs. You can also satisfy those annoying unemployment benefits requirements by simply printing off a Job Search History Report.
Huntsy
To use Huntsy, you first have to add a job to track. Huntsy makes this easy with its bookmarklet, which is a button in your browser bookmarks that can scrape out a job listing from anywhere on the web and bring it back to your account. After the listing is imported, Huntsy notifies you if anyone in your Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter network currently works there.
The program then recommends some actions for you to take, like applying for the job, following up on the application, or scheduling an interview. This way, if you’ve applied to many jobs, you know where you stand with each of them.
Clever Careerist
Favored by career coaches because they can get a bird’s-eye view of their client’s activities, Clever Careerist offers a complete project-management platform for job seekers. You can keep track of all the people you’ve contacted and what you’ve said to them, and you also get the help of a résumé builder and tracker so you can see who you send an application to and schedule follow up tasks for yourself.
JobCannon
The JobCannon approach is pretty simple. You use its search engine, which combines Indeed, SimplyHired, craigslist, and LinkedIn, to find and import jobs you like. Then you use its guided notes section to keep track of where you are in the process, what contacts you’ve made, and the results of your interviews. This platform is the simplest of all the options.