Job Search Checklist
Last month, I became one of the more than 100,000 U.S-based technology workers laid off in 20231. As a fan of resources like Getting Things Done and The Checklist Manifesto, when faced with important projects like finding a new job, I quickly turn to strategies such having a daily checklist. In this post, I share the daily checklist I created for my job search. Hopefully, it can be helpful to others in a similar situation.
Starting the day
My first few tasks are similar to my standard working-mode morning checklist and are administrative preparation for planning the day.
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Create new daily roam node
My daily file serves multiple purposes, including being a gratitude journal, a to-do list, and a note dumping ground. Keeping this task on my daily list ensures I keep up with my gratitude practice during a stressful time while helping to support a more focused effort during the job search process.
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Clear inbox
Clearing the inbox is a standard GTD practice. I capture tasks throughout the day and use this time to process them, such as adding due dates and putting them into existing projects.
Identify what to do
My next batch of tasks aims to identify what to do for the day. My potential task list centered around two goals: handling offboarding from my old job and looking for a new job.
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Check
waitingtagThis is another copy from my standard morning checklist and another core concept in the GTD space. If I am waiting on someone, I tag a task with
waiting; reviewing items with this tag can identify people I need to follow up with. Examples include: waiting for HR to send information on how to roll over a 401(k) or waiting for a recruiter to share information about a company they are working with. -
Review “unemployment” perspective
The term "perspective" comes from using OmniFocus as my task manager. Perspectives are saved filters, so this equates to "review all available tasks in the unemployment folder." This focused view helped me keep my focus on relevant tasks and avoid the distraction of personal efforts.
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Review “offboarding with old job” project file
Somewhat redundant with the previous task, I had a file in which I was collecting useful information related to offboarding from my old job. While my task manager had the tasks I needed to complete, this file would include the details of how to do them.
For example, for my 401(k) rollover project, my task manager has tasks such as "figure out if I can do a direct rollover" and "send checks into IRA account" and my project file includes links to resources about rollovers, notes from calls with the 401(k) management company, and account numbers.
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Review “new job search” project file
A task manager is not intended to track everything related to the job application process. To assist, I leveraged an Org mode file to track where I applied, the status of my applications, and details about each company, including their mission and values, job description, and interview notes.
I would review this file in the morning and:
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create tasks as necessary
For example, I may have made a note during an interview the day before that I should get more familiar with a topic that came up during the conversation.
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update my application status
I had a top-level table tracking the status of my application with each company. I would update this to the current state (e.g., waiting for feedback after an interview).
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Org mode is unnecessary and, for most, would be more of a hindrance. You can use your preferred text format or a tool like Trello.
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Check
jobstag in elfeedI found a few RSS feeds that I could use to track new job opportunities. I would use Elfeed, an Emacs RSS reader, to check for posts from these sources.
Because I was specifically searching for roles in the Elixir space, these are not widely useful, but I will share them here for other Elixirists:
Start doing the work
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Create daily tasks as-needed
After reviewing what I need to do, I should know what is most important to work on for the day. I would transfer the top few items (~3) to my daily file for tracking.
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Prepare for any calls
Once I had a few applications out there, it became commonplace to have a call scheduled. Before I started working on other tasks from my list, I would prep for any calls I had. This is a relatively short list, but sometimes my prep could take a while if I needed to research interviewers or review and interview topics.
- Check calendar
- Create meetings in notes for any calls
- Are there any other prep items or tasks for the call?
Conclusion
I hope these tasks and some of the practices I used can be helpful to others in the job-searching process. Please reach out if there is anything you would like to learn more about. Best of luck to everyone in their job search 💜.