Track job search progress by being organized right from the beginning to implement simple steps and methods to increase job hunting success.
An unorganized job searcher can miss job deadlines, fail to follow up on teacher job applications promptly or at all, and forget important post-interview etiquette such as sending out a thank you letter.
Disorganization leads to big job search blunders, such as putting the wrong name or company on a cover letter, sending two different resumes to the same job position, or forgetting to put your most relevant job experience on the resume for a targeted position.
When a job interviewer does call – the all-important first impression – you may not be able to access the job description quickly. Consequently, you go blank when asked if you have any questions. Even worse, you may show up to the interview address on the job ad and not the one provided over the phone.
Simple Methods to Track Job Search Progress to Eliminate Errors
Keep a Separate Job Hunt Contact Log
To mount a successful job search campaign, you’ll need to stay organized and track your teacher job search progress. To stay organized and on top of your career quest, you’ll want a log or folder of all the employer contacts you have made in the process of your search. Contact software such as Outlook or Google Contacts has many advantages. Or use a spreadsheet in Google Drive or Microsoft Excel.
Job Application Spreadsheet or Contact Software Can Help
- Easily organize and call up contacts, with name, email, dates applied, date application submitted, interview date, thank you letter sent, application questions submitted, follow-up date, when expected to hear back, known status (rejected, offered, scheduled, and requests for a second interview).
- Use folders, tags, and colors to organize your contacts into systems that make sense to you.
- Program automatic alerts to meet an application deadline or follow up on an application.
- Automatically generate addresses and salutations when responding to requests for additional information and sending out thank you letters, reducing the margin for error.
- Copy and paste relevant online job links and related links.
- Call up job information in seconds.
LinkedIn has become a major career hub for many job searchers. You may choose to organize your contacts and follow-ups from your LinkedIn page. A searchable LinkedIn profile can enhance your education career in many ways.
File All Copies of Job Positions
Swiftly and efficiently answering an education job ad is critical to stay ahead of the competition, or at least get your foot in the door to interview. Collecting job ads and responding to them at leisure could lead to a missed career opportunity. An efficient, organized job position tracking system should prioritize your ads as you discover them. Keep a log or folder of all the positions to which you have applied.
Copies of job positions should be stored in one of the many personal organizers available, such as OneNote, or even saved under a separate category in your contact software. Both options allow you to categorize and sort the information.
Ensure your job search file provides a list of schools and districts hiring in your areas of specialization. If you decide to transition from a teacher with a specialty in applied behavior analysis (ABA) to a consultant, tailor your job search documents to that mailing list. Your software should allow you to link the job positions and contact database.
No doubt, one day, a school will call for a job interview when you are least expecting it. With a few clicks of a mouse, you will call up your file on the school and job position.
Swiftly bringing up your job search log will provide the information you found through research. They could ask, why do you want to work for our school district. A quick, intelligent response to this screening question will score you points in the right direction to landing an in-person interview.
Organize Your Research on Schools and Districts
If you are prepared for the interview, you would have thoroughly researched the school district before sending in your application and again before the job interview. Ensure this research is easy to access and call up before your interview.
Make a template and fill it out after you research each school or district you wish to interview with.
What information to find out when you research:
- Education objectives and mission
- Student profile
- Community profile
- Profile of the school board (critical information if preparing for a board interview)
- Academic performance
- Teaching programs and techniques used
As you deepen your job search and go on teaching job interviews, you will likely want to add to this list.
Practice Answers to Tough Interview Questions
Practice responses to tough teaching interview questions, including questions they may ask you about their school district before arriving for the interview. It shows you are a serious job applicant and will increase your chances of landing a job offer.
A template will allow you to compare the attributes of school districts and schools.
Staying organized is essential for keeping your sanity during your job search and making your career advancement quest as smooth as possible.
Keep detailed notes about each school you’ve contacted or applied to so you can keep the details straight. When you are applying to dozens of schools, you don’t want to worry about remembering which one is, in addition to the usual job search and everyday life challenges.
Prepare a Notebook for Job Fairs and Networking Events
If you are attending a teaching career or job fair, placement exchange, or other events where you will be speaking to many potential districts over a short period, effective teacher job fair preparation will pay off.
Create a notebook that separates each possible education job with dividers. This way, you will have a quick reference of questions you had for that school district or employer, notes regarding past contacts, and information about the hiring representatives with whom you’ve connected in the past.
Depending on your degree of tech-savviness, this notebook could be a three-ring binder with card-stock dividers, or you could create a folder with the appropriate documentation in Google Docs, Evernote, or another online app to view on your mobile phone or tablet.
Either way, you’ll be able to quickly review your notes before meeting with a potential employer and have a fresh perspective on how the two of you might best connect.
Most importantly, being prepared gives you confidence. At your next teacher job fair or networking event, you do not have to feel nervous about asking the right questions because they will be right in front of you.
Organize Your Job Search and Life
Ideally, before even beginning your job search, simplify your personal life and career. Focus on quality, eliminate any distractions in your life and concentrate on applying to legitimate job positions. Don’t focus on quantity; you may become overwhelmed and stressed trying to keep up.
When your life is organized, everything will fall into place quicker. What is the sense of flawlessly landing the job interview you want with the help of your super-organized job search and fail at the last-minute details?
For example, if you forget to bring your suit to the cleaners before the meeting and show up with no extra resume copies or transcripts to hand out to the education interview panel members?
Let’s says you make it to the interview in one piece, but as a result of disorganization, forget to write a thank you letter after your education job interview.
The job could easily go to the teacher job candidate with proper etiquette. After all, you do not want a teacher who will forget to thank students, parents, or other school community members.
If the school asked for employment references and didn’t send them or it took you time to send them, your application for your dream job could move to a pending file.
Wrapping it up!
I hope I have convinced you to spend a day, two days, even a week organizing your life and job search before embarking on your teacher job search.
Do not stop at your job search tools. Next, organize your teaching portfolio by reading up on teaching portfolio tips and what to include.
Explore how a career coach can help you organize and track job search progress and career and life success. Learn more about Candace Alstad-Davies, and you will find links to read testimonials and frequently asked questions.
Need some writing help making a stellar teaching application letter, LinkedIn profile, philosophy statement, resume, or CV curriculum vitae? Take the time to review and order one of our resume packages or individual services.
Have questions, please connect by sending an email to Candace or call toll-free at 1 877 738-8052. I would enjoy chatting with you.
