Finding the right job is hard. From researching different companies and their cultures, different positions, new industries, customizing a resume and cover letter for each application, and then actually filling out an application the job search is most definitely like a full-time job. After researching and applying for many different positions it can become overwhelming to keep track of all the information you have acquired and all the steps that are still left to complete in order to make the job hunt as successful as possible. In our new app-centric world there are many project management and note-taking solutions (Evernote, Wunderlist, OneNote,etc) that would work well. My favorite, however, would have to be: Trello.
What is Trello?
Trello is a free project management program with a focus on using Kanban, a concept from LEAN manufacturing principles, to visualize all the work that you currently have in progress. This makes it very easy to see the progress you have made at any particular point during a project and what areas need the most attention.
For each new project you undertake you can make a new board (this would be the equivalent of a new notebook in Evernote). In each of the boards you can begin to add columns and you can then label the columns and start adding cards to the columns (see image below for an example). The idea of each board is to resemble a Kanban whiteboard with post it notes representing work that needs to be done.
You have the flexibility to label each column any way you want, but most Kanban systems typically have a To-Do, In-Progress, and Done column. A card is moved from the "To-Do" column into the "In-progress" column and stays there until the task is fully completed. After a card is moved into the “Done" column, you can begin working on the next task. Although this is the typical flow for a Kanban board, Trello provides users the ability to customize each board to the needs of their particular projects.
How does this help with the job search?
So, even though all this talk of LEAN and Kanban is fascinating (seriously, if you want to learn about it you can read more here), the big question is, how will this help me be more effective in my job search? As we mentioned earlier, there are many tasks that need to be tracked when performing a thorough job search. If you look at the sample Kanban board I referred to earlier, you will notice it has been designed in a way that someone looking for a job in the technology sector might proceed with their job search. There is a column with the companies the candidate would be interested in, a column showing positions that need to be applied to still, a column showing which applications have not been completed, a column for any interviews that are pending, and a few columns for following up after the interview and for when a position is no longer in consideration.
From looking at the board someone who knew nothing about this particular candidate’s job search, would be able to tell exactly what type of progress they had made: the candidate had one interview scheduled, one application submitted, one application in-progress, and five positions they still needed to start applying to. By being able to see all the work there is to do, it becomes much less overwhelming to try to manage all the information in your head or through all the emails in your inbox. Trello can help you become even more organized as each of the cards in a column can be clicked on to reveal additional organization options. Each card allows users to create checklists, make notes and comments, set due dates, and even assign tasks to people collaborating on the same board.
Overall, the main idea of the program is to allow users to get organized and visually manage their work. As seen in the board used throughout the post, these philosophies can definitely be applied to the job search to try to make candidates lives at least a little bit easier throughout an already stressful process.
Open a Trello Account
You can easily open an account for free by going to Trello.com and creating a username/password (you can also create an account with your Facebook or Gmail account). Once you have completed the registration process you can start setting up your job search Trello board and hit the ground running on your job search! Trello is a great option to work on projects for yourself or collaboratively as any board you create can be share with other Trello members. If you have any ideas on cool ways you would use Trello feel free to leave a comment below!
**If you would like to use the Trello board I used for this post as a template you can find and copy it here.