Part 11: Organizing a job search: keeping track of it all
Probably one of the most overlooked part of job hunting is record keeping. Most of us just don’t do it.
It’s worth money!
But there is one really good reason to burn the time and energy required to keep records of your job search: money. Yup…it is worth money to keep accurate records of your hunt for a new job: the cost of your job search is tax deductible and, if you are receiving unemployment, an accurate record may be necessary to keep the money flowing.
So, what can you deduct? Well, your tax accountant can give you the finest details, but at the very least, you can deduct any bona fide costs that you can verify…like having résumés photocopied, the cost of large flat envelopes and postage for mailing them, even your cell phone calls to employers and agencies. You probably will not be able to deduct the cost of a new suit or pair of shoes, but gas for the drive to and from interviews and any fees you may have to pay (perhaps you will have some testing for a certification or something like that). If it is directly related to your job search and not usable for something else (like clothing or a hair cut), then you can probably deduct its cost…assuming you have some kind of verification. And to verify those costs, you need to keep records.
The Unemployment Office is a different kettle of fish. Your local office will tell you exactly what you need to do to verify your search, but don’t get complacent just because they are allowing you to “verify” your search by ticking a few boxes and mailing a card back to them…if somebody gets a bee in her bonnet and decides you are spending your time watching soapies and munching bonbons instead of pounding the pavement looking for work, you will be called in to prove your efforts. Your records will keep you living large on the system whereas your lack of records could see the flow of milk and honey from the state halted.
What to keep?
First thing you need is to know what records to keep. You will need to keep track of three things: expenditures, applications, and actual interviews.
For expenditures, you will need to keep receipts and, in the case of travel, a record of the distances driven so you can calculate your deduction. If you use public transport, record the dates and routes you travelled and the cost. Don’t use a metered cab unless you can justify it (there was no other means to get there and the walk was more than a mile or so) as taxi fares could be questioned by an alert auditor; if you use a taxi, get a receipt. If you are away from home during meal time, you can probably deduct the cost of a modest lunch. If you buy something for your job search…like large envelopes for mailing…and you buy other things on the same register receipt, circle the items that pertain to the job search and keep the receipt.
You have to define “applications” rather loosely, as any effort you put forth in getting your name in front of an employer (or an agency) can be construed as applying. So, whether you mail a résumé or hand deliver it, whether you fill out an employment application or not, you are applying for a job, even if there is no job advertised.
If you use an internet café to surf the web looking for job openings, get a receipt and keep it. If you search from home, keep track of the hours you spend hunting for and applying to jobs. Whenever possible, print a copy of your applications and emails. Once you have a record of the amount of time you use the internet for your job hunt, you will know what portion of your ISP bill can be deducted as part of your job search.
In all cases, keep a record of every job you apply to, every place you leave a résumé or fill out an application. If you apply by email or on a website, print out the job description, make a record of the URL, the date and time you applied, the job title and code.
For interviews, keep a record of the date of the interview, the company name and job title, the names of the people with whom you interview (get business cards if you can), and any expenses…how many miles (round trip) to the interview, copy charges for interview packets, etc.
A method for keeping it
Gathering the data is only part of the task. You must now keep the data in a way that you can search it. My recommendation is to keep it in a hybrid system using both computer and hard copy.
You see, you will have to either cut out or copy the ads you find in hardcopy form, like newspapers, you need paper to make notes on, and your receipts are hard copy. Yes, I know you can scan them but this is not such a great idea because 1) it adds a layer of work/complication…and the more complex a system the less likely you are to maintain it over the long haul…and 2) you still need those hard copies for tax and the unemployment office. So, since you can’t to away with the hard copies, the best way is to use them efficiently and to use a very rudimentary spreadsheet to track them.
So, here’s how you do it:
Cut out or copy each ad you find in the newspaper or other paper forms. Before you cut, check the back to make sure you aren’t cutting through another ad you might want to apply to.
Tape or staple the ad to a sheet of plain white paper. In the upper left corner note the date and publication (“SJ Merc June 2 09”). In the upper right corner note the name of the company/agency. If it is a blind ad, note that (a blind ad is one in which the name of the company or agency is not published). In the top middle, assign a simple code number like 06-01 (o6=June, 01=first job application made in June). Think of this as a “job page” and you will file them alphabetically by company name (blind ads are filed under “Blind Ads”). You don’t need a fancy filing system…just keep them in a box in alphabetical order.
Below the advert, note what your response has been and the date you did the action. For example, under the ad write “sent résumé 6/20/09.” Do this for each ad to which you respond. If you are applying on line, print out a copy of the job description and any email you send, and staple together the pages. Make the same notations at the top of the first page.
For expenses, make a page for each date you have an expense. Staple receipts to the page and make notations for mileage. On a mileage notation write down the date, the company you are interviewing with, the simple code number on your job page, the starting odometer reading, and the odo reading at the interview site (which you will double to get total miles).
You will use these pages to keep a journal of your job search activity. When you get a response from a company, add it to the job page. If they send you a “no thanks” postcard, note the date you received it and staple it to the page. If you get an interview, record the info on the page. When you get home from the interview, write the mileage on the page, and also staple to it the business cards you collected.
At the beginning of each month, start a new code…(07-01—first application in July) but continue filing your job pages by company name. Expense pages should be filed separately by date of expense.
A database is not intimidating…
You have filed the job pages alphabetically so you can find them easily if an employer calls to arrange an interview. You should be able to put your hands on their ad in a heartbeat so you sound like you know what you are talking about…you have dozens of applications out there, but the employer has only his one opening to discuss with you…don’t blow it by sounding confused or, worse, clueless. By arranging your job pages alphabetically, you need only get the employer’s name and you can find their ad quickly.
But you may have to find certain information by date…for example, if the Unemployment Office decides you need to prove that you really did hunt for work during a certain period. This is where the database is handy. You can make a simple, searchable one using the Microsoft Word “table” feature. Set up a table with the following categories across the top: Date, Code, Company. That’s all you need. If you hit the “enter” key when you are in the last cell, the table will automatically create a new row and, after each entry, just hit “tab” and the cursor will move to the next cell.
In the Date column, you will put in the date you made application to a job, the date you have an interview, or the date of an expense. In the Code column you will put the simple code you created (“07-01”) for each job page; in the case of expenses, just put in “E” for the code. In the last column you will put in the company or agency name. When all the data is entered, save the table. Each time you send out more résumés, have an interview, or create a new expense page, enter the information in the database and save it.
You can search the database by sorting it: highlight the whole database. Go to the “table” menu at the top of the page and click. Scroll down to “sort” and click. The pop up box will ask you which column you wish to sort by…click the column you wish to have the information ordered by. For example, if you want to know which companies you applied to during a certain period, order the database by Date, then scroll down until you find the dates you are interested in. If you look to the right, you will see the company names and the job page numbers for the dates in question. That makes them easy to locate and retrieve and take with you to the Unemployment Office. Each page will have the date you applied and a record of any activity on that application, making it easy for you to verify that you have, indeed, been looking for work.
Next: Attitude is everything
You can find more of Violet at http://sweetvioletsa.blogspot.com/ and http://svcooks.blogspot.com/
by: Sweet Violet
Tags: agency, CV, employment, employment agency, help wanted, job hunting, job openings, job search, record keeping, resume, unemployed, unemployment, Want Ads
