A template to manage your job hunt. (Also created in Trello, in a form much easier to copy and use: https://trello.com/b/TW3i4byR/job-hunt)
As you add new job cards, filling them out with details and adding color coded labels about their status, you'll get a view of the big picture of your job hunt pipeline! It's helpful for keeping all the details at hand, and it's also reassuring as you see a record of all the hard work you're doing for your hunt.
To use this template, duplicate it following the steps here: https://help.github.com/en/github/creating-cloning-and-archiving-repositories/duplicating-a-repository. You have to do this instead of forking, since public forks cannot be made private.
Then copy the project board info from this repo to your new repo, following the steps here, https://help.github.com/en/github/managing-your-work-on-github/copying-a-project-board
Then start filing issues!
There are two kinds of issue templates, Careers and Jobs.
"Careers" issues are for links to multiple job listings. That could be a jobs page for one company, or some general saved search you have set up on a site like GlassDoor or LinkedIn.
To kick off your job search, open an issue and link to a general search based on a job title you're going for.
From there, you might get an idea of some companies to cultivate. Pick a company, look at their open jobs, and add a link to their jobs page or to a useful search of their open positions.
Pick a job to apply for. Apply for it! You will need a resume and some kind of brief cover letter.
Now open a jobs issue and fill out the template.
It's very important to copy the entire job listing and paste it into your job issue! The listing may disappear from a company web site during the interview process when they close off new applications, but it's very handy to refer to it as you prepare for your interview.
Add any people you know who work there (or even used to work there) into the issue with their contact info.
Once you have a few issues filed, click "Projects" heading in your repo and select the Job Hunt Tracking project. You should then see a page with several columns: Resources, Applied, Interviewing, On-site, and Nope.
On the upper right of this page, click "Add cards". You should see a popup slide out that holds your untriaged cards. Drag them to the correct column.
You will likely want to switch back and forth between viewing the jobs issues as Issues and viewing them as part of the project board. The issue view is very convenient for adding comments and labels.
Every time you have contact with someone about this job, record it in a comment on the issue that you've filed. This will give you a timeline with (rough) date stamps for the progression of your interviews.
Record each person you're talking to in the main body of the issue, right at the top, with their best contact info and their job title. During the process you may talk to 3 or even more internal recruiters, as well as 3 or many more interviewers.
Don't forget to add name and contact info for anyone you know who works there. Tell them about your application! Ask them to refer you! Mention them in your brief cover letter! This is very, very important to get you that first contact as it will bring you to the notice of internal company recruiters.
Tip: You can look them all up on LinkedIn or in general to get an idea of their background and how to connect with them. This is often useful just to be clear whether you're speaking with a recruiter, an engineer, or a manager/director/VP. After interviwing you might want to follow each person on LinkedIn, with a short thank you message for the interview.
Once you are contacted by someone about your application, move the card from Applied to Interviewing. Congratulations, you have a foot in the door!
You can add Scheduling in progress or Waiting for a response labels to the issue, or, once something is on your calendar, change that to Interview scheduled. This status will bounce back and forth as you go through recruiters, phone screens, and short phone or video interviews with the people who may become your new co-workers.
Jobs will likely remain in this column for a while.
At some point, you're either going get an invitation to an on-site interview, or you'll get a rejection. Move the card to On-site or to Nope as applicable.
Don't let the "Nope" column depress you. They are dead ends in a labyrinth, not measures of your worth, and they represent work you did that you can be proud of.
Every day, maybe a few times a day, go through your email and LinkedIn messages and so on, and put all relevant information into your jobhunter issues and board. This is now your "source of truth" so you don't have to dig through a zillion email threads.
Every day, have a look at the links to job listings on one or more of your "resources" cards. Try to add at least one new "Applied" card every day.
Look up companies you used to work for. Look up all the people associated with them. Add contacts on LinkedIn. Ask them to refer you. Make sure your
You will likely end up using the same core for your brief cover letters. But each one should have some specific connection from your skills and experience to the job description and title! You can save each letter as a comment on the issue card.
It can be super useful to add the label for "study" to your issue cards for interviews coming up soon.
How to study!!!!! Useful tips!!!
- Read the company's Wikipedia page
- Read the "about" page of the company
- Look for a blog relevant to your prospective role (technical posts are great)
- Look up the company size, funding, reviews on GlassDoor, Hacker News posts, and so on
- Be able to describe what this company does, coherently!
- Who are the competitors to this company?
- Who are their customers?
- What tech stacks do they use?
- Do they have any public repos or technical documentation you can cruise?
- Do a little reading about their underlying technology and jargon. Fall down some Wikipedia ratholes.
- Look up some definitions of the specific job title or things mentioned in the job description.