It’s hard to believe, but even though we’re just days into the Fall 2010 semester, job postings are going up for Spring 2011 and beyond (even 2011-2012 full-time postings!) Whether you’re actually on the job market or just keeping an eye out on activity in your field (always a good idea), there are several tech-based ways to keep up with job postings. Not all job posts will appear through all of these methods. By diversifying the ways in which you keep up, you guarantee better coverage of the market and are more likely to see posts that interest you.
RSS feeds. Many job listing websites publish an RSS (really simple syndication) feed of updates. If you’ve got an RSS reader, adding the job site’s feed to your list is a, well, really simple way of keeping up. Most feed readers also offer quick links for emailing feed items to yourself or a friend, which is a nice way to either archive the posting or forward it on to others who might value the notification. Look for the RSS universal symbol to know that an RSS feed is available.
Listservs/email notifications. Many sites, such as the Chronicle, enable users to sign up for email notifications for jobs that include a certain keyword. Signing up for a discipline-specific job listserv is another good way to ensure that notification makes it to your inbox. And don’t forget that sometimes job postings are included in listservs that aren’t explicitly geared towards jobs, such as the American Physical Society’s Women in Physics listserv (WIPHYS).
Twitter. Many organizations send out notifications of jobs through Twitter. In my discipline (physics, specifically medical physics), lots of info comes out on Twitter from @argonne, @APSphysics, @aapmHQ, and @physicsteachers. Adding these to your list of those you follow inserts those job postings into your daily Twitter intake.
Bookmarks. With all these tools, never underestimate the power of simple bookmarking. Institutions often put job postings up on their own sites before they ever make it to digital sources. When I was job searching last fall, I created a bookmark folder with the jobs pages of all the institutions that interested me. Each week, I opened up all those bookmarks and looked through the sites to see if anything had come available. This is accomplished easily in most browsers by right-clicking the folder and selecting something like “open all bookmarks in a new browser.”
How about you? Have you found success with any of these methods? Maybe you’ve found other tech-based methods for keeping up with job postings. Let us know in the comments.
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13 Responses to Keeping Track of Job Postings
musebrarian - September 15, 2010 at 3:44 pm
In addition to ways to find announcements, I’m trying to figure out a good system for keeping track of where I am in the application process. Anyone have a good suggestion for keeping tabs on the applications you’ve sent out?
abtompki - September 15, 2010 at 4:21 pm
I just have an excel spreadsheet that has info for every job (due date, materials to submit, what they’re looking for, etc) and then there is a column for the date I’ve submitted the materials.
george_h_williams - September 15, 2010 at 4:31 pm
@musebrarian: Like @abtompki, I used a spreadsheet with info for every job, and I color-coded the rows based on where I was in the process for that particular job. Once could do this with either a desktop application like Excel or a Web-based service like GoogleDocs.
phdeviate - September 15, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Currently, I have each job as a separate project in Omnifocus, with each element of applying for the job a separate task, e.g. boxes for CV, writing sample, etc. The great thing about this is that I can use a clipping to get them into my Omnifocus inbox quite easily from anywhere I find them–the URL of the Chronicle or HigherEdJobs site, or mail that has come in. The downside is that it’s not a great way to share with my advisor and other recommenders. I’d like to have a nice way to show them where we are in the process easily. I’m finding myself dreaming of a web application backed by a MySQL database into which I’ve imported all the job details that would generate nice reports for my recommenders. Maybe even thank you notes. And a pony, of course. I suppose I could either spend time developing such an application…or spend time applying for jobs. I suspect tracking and sharing will be done in Excel. I’m sad about it though, I’d love to find ONE place. It’s an incredibly software heavy process isn’t it?Jobs come in via browser and email program, possibly also twitter or RSS which may or may not be running in other software.Date and task tracking must be done somewhere.The actual materials are mostly prepared in a word processor.And usually I port my materials to PDF before sending to ensure formatting. An easier way there surely must be.
aeonelpis - September 15, 2010 at 9:46 pm
I use OneNote to handle all of my job materials. I have a notebook dedicated to the job search, with tabs across the top for active applications, completed applications, applications I thought I was going to submit but did not, and job information. I keep shortcuts to my general Word and PDF files (all stored in DropBox) on the job information tab, along with any and all general job-related information (e.g. links to cost-of-living calculators, negotiation tips, articles about the process, etc.).Within active applications, each application gets its own page. I group them under front pages by month (so, September is a page, followed by all applications due that month). The front page for a month has copied text boxes of the institution and due date. I can see at a glance what is due that month.Each job’s page is organized identically, based on a template. The template includes space for the little box that goes to the front page, essential institutional information, items to submit (with check-boxes), and a space for the full ad and a link to it. Lower down, I include space for courses, faculty, questions I have for them, and other pertinent information. I have found it saves me a lot of time if I don’t have to re-navigate through every institution’s website as I prepare for an interview. I give letter-writers PDF versions of the school profile, and having a consistent format helps to save them time, too.After the application is complete, I move the page to the “completed” tab, and I keep *that* front page organized by where the school is at in their process.
tommoffitt - September 16, 2010 at 8:40 am
Very useful. There are many methods of tracking. It seems like most important is to have a system that is consistently used. For example I use a folder in Dropbox (https://www.dropbox.com/). I copy the location, name it something identifiable, and send it to Dropbox. This method allows me to access the information anywhere from any computer. Hurray for the cloud!
heatherwhitney - September 16, 2010 at 10:02 am
Looks like we need a separate post about keeping up with applications to job postings!
daveparry - September 16, 2010 at 10:13 am
I used DevonThink to handle both keeping track of the job lists, and organizing applications.The other “must have” is interfolio, makes life soo much easier.
bitterlemon - September 17, 2010 at 4:19 am
I am only watching at the moment and not doing any applications, but I used a free programme called theguide http://theguide.sourceforge.net/features.htmlwhen I was applying to graduate schools. It is incredibly simple and small enough to be carried on a stick, this gave it an edge over onenote for me. It is simple to hyperlink to email conversations, websites advertising the position, files on the local computer etc, and also to other items on the list.I also used a snazzy free application called Klok http://www.getklok.com/features.html#versionsOther than the abominable name, it does an excellent job of managing deadlines, keeping track of time, including how much time was spent on a task.However this became too much and eventually I just stuck to theguide for all my needs.
markr - September 18, 2010 at 7:06 pm
The comments have been mostly focused on how to keep track of your existing postings (i.e. one’s you’ve found already, not ones you’re looking for), but no-one has mentioned the Academic Jobs Wiki (http://academicjobs.wikia.com/wiki/Academic_Jobs_Wiki). It’s helpful for providing a compilation of job postings from various sites (Chronicle, HigherEd Jobs, discipline organizations, etc.), with the added bonus of gaining useful (and not so useful) information on the postings.
musebrarian - September 19, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Thanks for the suggestions about keeping track of applications everyone (and sorry markr for hijacking the comments conversation). @phdeviate I’m considering whether project management software that I’ve used before might be a good way to both keep track of where I’m at and share with committee/advisors: * Zoho Project (http://www.zoho.com/projects/index.html)* Basecamp (http://basecamphq.com)Of course, the downside I’ve always found with these tools, is that it takes a fair amount of time just to manage the tool itself. That may be the advantage of lighweight GTD task managers of OmniFocus, etc.
markr - September 19, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I wouldn’t say it was a hijacking, musebrarian. There’re all kinds of aspects to keeping track of job possibilities, and as someone who uses a simple Word table to organize things, some of the software/site suggestions are intriguing.
timewaster123 - September 20, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Seconding onenote. It seems ideally suited for just this task. (Used Excel last year, this is much better.)