Running a job search without losing track of it

A job search collapses in the same way a project does: not because any single task is hard, but because nobody is holding the whole picture. After three weeks you cannot remember which roles you applied to, which replied, and which you meant to follow up on.

Keep one list, and keep it small

Ten to fifteen live opportunities is a workable search. Beyond that, follow-up quality drops and you begin applying to roles you cannot describe. Each entry needs five fields: role, employer, date applied, current status, and next action with a date.

Give every entry a next action

An application with no next action is not being managed. Either there is something to do — follow up, prepare, decide — or the entry should be closed. Closing entries is the underused move in most searches; a clean no frees more energy than an open maybe.

Batch the work

• One session a week for finding and shortlisting roles.
• Two or three sessions for writing applications properly.
• One short session for follow-ups and admin.
• No applications at midnight; the quality is visibly different.

Track what you learn, not just what you sent

After each rejection or interview, add one line: what you now know about how you are being read. Patterns show up in about a month — a repeated requirement you keep failing to evidence, a level mismatch, a sector where your background lands better. That line is how a search improves rather than merely continues.

If you use Rice & Bean

Your applications, their current stage, employer messages and interview invitations sit in one dashboard, and stage changes appear as timeline events with dates. Saved jobs hold the roles you are still deciding about. The weekly Bean allowance is also a natural rhythm for the shortlisting session above.