Looking for a job always has been a daunting task, but now it's become downright overwhelming.
Nowadays, about 6.3 workers are vying for each job opening, and millions of applicants have resorted to spamming employers with resumes in an effort to take advantage of any opportunity that can help land a new gig. But this means job seekers, like employers, face the chore of juggling numerous contacts, openings and job descriptions. A new rule of thumb: Be organized, or lose the opportunity.
Recruiters tell of candidates who are called by hiring managers but fail to remember the details of the job they applied for. Says Ester Frey, a recruiter with Robert Half Technology: "Candidates have to savvy about tracking their jobs during a search."
Now, there's an app to help you do it.
J.R. Rodrigues, co-founder of JRBM Software in Cumberland, R.I., is part of the team behind an application that allows you to manage your job-hunting process in much the same way a salesman organizes contacts and leads. He believes that looking for a job is a classic solutions-sell, because the successful applicant is the solution to a problem a manager is trying to solve.
"Late last year, I starting getting calls from former colleagues, family and friends - all of whom described the job-hunting process as a nightmare," says Rodrigues. Many were using Microsoft Excel to track their job leads and contacts, which Rodrigues likens to using a hammer to paint. "It's the wrong tool," he maintains.
His solution: Job Hunt Express. It's a Windows application built around a set of vertical and horizontal panes. Along the left side of the screen, a "Job Contact" pane contains a job contact tree, which allows users to store and structure job leads, recruiters, network contacts, job fair dates and other data in a structure much like an outline. Close by is more detailed information about items in the contact tree, like company name, contact name, address and phone numbers. A "To Do List" tab helps you track each action you've taken on a particular company and its job openings, while the "Miscellaneous" tab gives you a place to you record hot topics about the job, like when you applied and when to expect a decision.
One particular of the application is that it's static. You can't click on an e-mail address to send a message from your default e-mail program, for example. Nor can you click and be taken directly to a Web site, or on a phone number to dial it if you have an internal modem. Plus, there's no field for Skype or Internet voice service.
However, one key helpful feature is the application allows you to generate a pdf or text file that contains a complete data dump on that company, so the day of your job interview all you need to do is generate a report that gives you all the important contact details and research you have stored in the file about the company and the people you are about to interview with.
Learn more, or download Job Hunt Express for $19.95, here.
-- Sonia R. Lelii