I ran into a tool today that could be helpful in a job search. The tool, HappyJobSearch, allows a job seeker to create an online account to track their job search activity.
What I like about this tool is how it organizes your job search. It is very easy in a job search to forget where you have sent resumes. In my job searches earlier in my career, I organized organized everything with lots of paper. I printed each job description, information from the company’s website and news on the company, and kept it all in a file folder with notes. This was effective, but tedious.
Using an online database should make the process more efficient. Additionally, the tracking system at Happy Job Search allows you to set the next action for each opportunity. The display of the opportunity is sorted by the next action, so it’s very easy to go to your top priorities.
The website does have some limitations. For example, it doesn’t allow any type of scheduling. Knowing your next action is helpful, it’s also important to know when to complete this action. Additionally, the database stores the link to the job description – not the actual posting. Many job descriptions are only posted for a specific time – typically 30 days. After this, the link won’t work. Printing or saving the description is important if you want to ensure you can go back to it.
I’m interested in how useful this is for an active job seeker. If you decide to try this out, let me know your experience with it.