Tracking Your Job Application Success
Searching for jobs can be an arduous task, and the challenge is exacerbated when applying to numerous positions without a clear understanding of your progress. By diligently tracking your job applications, you can glean valuable insights:
Number of Applications: While seemingly self-explanatory, people often overestimate their application efforts. Confronting the concrete numbers can provide perspective, especially when dealing with the emotional impact of rejection.
Stretch Jobs: In addition to standard applications, tracking “stretch”jobs”—those slightly beyond your qualifications—is essential. Applying to such roles is encouraged, but it’s crucial to manage expectations, as it may result in an increased number of rejections.
Performance in Job Types: Categorizing applications by industry or role type can reveal patterns where certain sectors or positions express more interest in your profile. This information can inform a more targeted job search.
Network to Interview Stats: Evaluating the success rates of roles obtained through networking can signal the effectiveness of this strategy. If networking consistently leads to a higher application-to-interview ratio, it’s worth prioritising in your job search strategy.
ZealAdvisory offers insightful articles on effective networking; explore our networking series
Conversion Rates: Arguably the most critical metric, analysing your application-to-interview and interview-to-offer rates helps pinpoint areas for improvement.
A low application-to-interview rate suggests a need to refine your CV, while a low interview-to-offer rate necessitates honing your interview skills. Keep these statistics for future reference during subsequent job applications.
ZealAdvisory has developed a comprehensive tracker to streamline your job tracking journey. Below, we provide detailed descriptions of the fields included in our tracker:
Application Date: The date you submitted the application.
Role Title: Copy and paste the role title and hyperlink the job description for quick reference during the interview process.
Company: The company to which you applied.
Status: Indicates your progress in the interview process.
Still Interviewing: Tracks the number of ongoing applications.
Stretch Role: Assesses your qualification level for the role.
Networked: Indicates whether you attempted to network for this role.
Type: Measures the proximity of your connection with relevant individuals.
People: Lists the names of individuals you reached out to and connected with. Establishing good connections can be beneficial for future opportunities.
# of Outreach: Quantifies the number of people you connected with.
Response: Records the number of people who responded on LinkedIn to your connection requests.
