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Ever feel like your job search is going nowhere fast? You’re not alone. 

I’ve talked to countless job seekers who are putting in tons of effort but can’t seem to make progress. The problem? They’re not tracking their activities. 

Without a system to monitor what you’re doing, it’s impossible to know what’s working and what’s not. But don’t worry – I’ve got some simple strategies to help you take control of your job search and start seeing real results. Let’s dive in and turn your job hunt from a guessing game into a well-oiled machine!

I remember asking a job seeker how many jobs they had applied for in the past week.

Their response: “A lot.”

Probing further, I asked for a number – even a range.  The person couldn’t estimate how many. (This isn’t unusual.)

How can you fix your job search if you don’t know what’s broken?

Job Search Activities To Track

Your job search requires working on many activities at the same time. After a while, it becomes difficult to keep track of things without a system or tool for tracking. 

We all tend to procrastinate and avoid things we don’t like doing. That’s pretty much every task in your job search. But not taking certain actions or procrastinating, can stall your job search. You want to engage in a variety of job search activities, consistently, to shorten your job search. 

Here are some of the most important activities you’ll want to keep track of. 

• Jobs you are interested in 
• Jobs you have applied for
• Resumes you used to apply to different jobs
• Executive recruiters/3rd party recruiters you have spoken to about jobs
• People you have reached out to 
• People you plan to reach out to
• Networking conversations you had
• Followup conversations with people you’ve networked with
• Email communication to new people
• LinkedIn or other social networking communication
• Social media posts and comments
• Company research
• Salary research
• Industry trends research
• Skills update/training
• Professional association/networking events
• Interview preparation and practice
• Interviews (screening, first interview and next interviews)

Tools For Tracking Activities

There are lots of ways to track your activities. You can create your own spreadsheet or use a system someone else has created. I don’t like re-inventing wheels, so below are solutions that work well!

Teal Job Tracker This free tool helps keep track of the jobs you are interested in and have applied to plus it helps you schedule followup.

Huntr.co is a free tool that track contacts, notes, dates, tasks, documents, job descriptions, salaries, locations, company data and more.

Notion is an online productivity tool. There are pre-made templates for job search and tracking networking. Top 10 Free Personal CRM Templates

Orville Pierson wrote The Unwritten Rules of a Highly Effective Job Search.  I’ve found his productivity chart to be super effective at tracking and evaluating job search activities!

Here’s my version of Job Search KPI Tracker

I’ve heard people complain that tracking this stuff is time-consuming.  At first, yes, but it becomes easier once you get used to it.

Tracking Time

They say searching for a job is a full-time job. There are many parallels between your job search and work. You need structure and goals. But don’t overwork yourself.

• 25-30 hours a week is a good goal to work towards if you are unemployed.
• If you are employed and looking, it will be challenging to carve out time, but strive for 3-5 hours a week.

It’s important to carve out time for your well-being. This could be meditation, exercise, or a hobby or activity you enjoy. Make sure you set time aside every day to reenergize and take care of yourself. 

Learn how to use time blocking to create a schedule for yourself by reading this Structure Your Week During Job Search

Goal Setting

Use SMART goals to give yourself something to strive for and accomplish. It’s often said that small steps lead to big results. 

Your ultimate goal is to secure a new job, but there are many things you can do to help make that happen. 

SMART stands for 

• Specific
• Measurable
• Action-based
• Reasonable
• Time Sensitive

Start by setting 1 or 2 SMART goals per week and then increase the number of weekly goals. You’ll get better at goal setting the more you use it.

When you treat your job search like a project, with goals, your job search activities will become more productive and you’ll feel like you are making progress. Plus, you can assess your progress based on data rather than a hunch or feeling. 

Weekly Assessment

The best way to assess what is working and what isn’t working in your job search, is to look at the results. Ask yourself these questions weekly:

• Did you meet your weekly goals?
• What prevented you from reaching your goal?
• Which job search activity generated results?
• How much time did you spend on non-productive activities?
• What are your goals for next week?
• Is there an issue or problem you need advice on?

Setting and achieving goals, besides landing a job, will help you feel like you are making progress and allow you to assess what is working.

Measuring Is Only A Part Of Your Job Search

To really get the most out of tracking your activities and time, meet regularly with an accountability partner and review it with them. Job seekers who try to do this solo have a very difficult time. They lose motivation when faced with rejection or indifference. Find someone to meet with regularly to discuss your progress and challenges. 

Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.