This solution does not eradicate the black hole, but it does help you see which jobs are getting sucked in. We are going to build a job tracking system using Trello and a little ‘power up’. Along the way you’ll find this tool great for managing the job hunt in general.
Things you’ll need
- Free Trello Account.
- That’s it.
How to
1/ Create your account on Trello if you haven’t done so already.
2 /Add the following rows to your board (adjust to taste).
- Saved – jobs you have seen but not actioned.
- Applied/With Recruiter – jobs you have applied for or are in the application process with a recruiter.
- Phone Interview – any applications that have reached a preliminary interview or screening process.
- Interview – for applications that have reached a full interview.
- Offer – for the jobs you have managed to receive an offer for.
- Dead – any jobs you know your application was unsuccessful.
3/ Add any jobs to the board you currently have live.
4/ Use the ‘card ageing’ power-up. This feature is accessible via show menu => Power-ups => Ageing cards menu links.
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5/ Add notes and move cards across the board as the job develops.
6/ Monitor the transparency of a card. The older they become the more transparent they get.
The result
What you end up with is a board that, at a glance, you can tell which jobs have not moved. When those cards become stale it is probably time to move them to the ‘dead’ column and consider the job unsuccessful. Often with several applications in limbo it can be hard to recall when they are due a chaser or response from the hiring manager. I hope this solution helps keep things easy to track without having to set arbitrary deadlines.
How long should you wait?
That really depends on the type of work you do. Some industries take a painfully long time to process applications. But I believe in most trades you can expect quite a quick turn around of 5 working days before hearing back. Sometimes organisations are just awfully arranged and can be delayed in their response, but for the most part they are nice surprises in your inbox rather than a rule of thumb. Any company that takes hiring seriously, which is most, will be on it and actively be managing your application should you be successful after each stage.
Bonus
Trello is a great place to add notes to each application. So when one calls you have all the key data right there in front of you. On my board I have added labels to indicate the source of the role. It Lets me see which source is generating the best leads. I also add key contact names to the cards so I know who i’m talking to.
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Denzel Washington