Job Search Strategy - Manage Your Time For Better Results

Looking for a job can be a full time job in itself and it can take over your life if you don't manage your time effectively. So how can you become more organized and cut back on the amount of time you are currently devoting to job hunting?

First of all you should have a plan. Decide which methods of job hunting you are going to use and how you will maximize your chances of getting the best out of each one.

For example, if you are using employment agencies, you will need to establish which are likely to have the most suitable jobs and which are the best methods of staying in touch. Should you email them once a week or call every day? Is there a particular day or time of day when it's easier to get through? Which method is most convenient for your contact, who, after all is busy dealing with many job seekers and also with employers?

If you are physically visiting the local job centre, what are the best times if you want to be seen immediately? Planning your visits sensibly will avoid wasted journeys and you will get more applications sent in, which will yield better results.

If you are answering classified ads in local or national newspapers, which papers are most appropriate for the type of job you are looking for? Do they have jobs in different sectors on different days of the week? If interviews are arranged by phone, what time does the paper come out at? For anything which needs a fast response, you have to get the paper as soon as it's in the shops.

If you are applying online, have you chosen the most suitable websites, registered with them and uploaded your resume or CV?

Many jobs have a closing date for applications which is several weeks after the advertisement is placed. This allows you time to receive the application through the post or download it and to give plenty of thought to your application. However, the downside is that you may be juggling many different applications, all with different closing dates.

So have you got a system in place which reminds you when each application is due and enables you to see at a glance how far along you are with the process?

Once your applications have been submitted, you need to keep track of them. Is there any follow up you need to be doing? For example, if your employment agency contact or job centre advisor has agreed to submit your CV or resume to several companies, have you checked that this has been done and do you know the outcome?

To make sure everything is running as smoothly as possible and your applications are going in on time, you should create some sort of system. This could be a file in which you keep hard copies of everything and which contains some sort of calender with important dates marked clearly. This will save you the frustration of lost pieces of paper and missed deadlines

Or it could be a file on your computer where you keep everything in one place.

Whatever method you choose, you will be able to reduce the amount of time spent on your job search by managing your time more efficiently. And efficient time management will prevent missed deadlines, wasting time waiting to speak to advisors and will therefore help you reach your goal more quickly.

Keep your your job applications on track - download our free job tracking software today.
For more jobsearch tips, go to http://www.coolercareers.com
Waller Jamison is a qualified teacher and careers advisor, who knows how difficult it can be to achieve your dreams.