Using the Job Tracker
Complete guide to managing your job applications and maximizing your job search success
Master every feature of Careerkit's Job Tracker to transform your chaotic job search into an organized, data-driven process. This guide covers everything from basic setup to advanced strategies.
🚀 Getting Started
Initial Setup
Step 1: Access Job Tracker
- Navigate to Job Tracker from dashboard
- Or use quick access:
Cmd/Ctrl + T - Mobile: Tap bottom navigation
Step 2: Customize Your Pipeline
Default stages:
- Wishlist - Jobs you're interested in
- Applied - Application submitted
- Screening - Under review
- Interview - Interview scheduled
- Offer - Offer received
- Accepted/Rejected - Final status
Customize stages:
- Add custom stages (e.g., "Phone Screen")
- Rename existing stages
- Reorder pipeline flow
- Set stage colors
Step 3: Configure Preferences
Reminder Settings: ✅ Email notifications: ON ✅ Browser notifications: ON 🔔 Mobile push: ON ⏰ Default reminder time: 9:00 AM 📅 Follow-up schedule: 7 days
📝 Adding Applications
Manual Entry
Quick Add (Minimum Required):
- Company name
- Position title
- Application date
- Current status
Detailed Entry (Recommended):
Company Information: - Company name: TechCorp Inc. - Website: techcorp.com - Industry: B2B SaaS - Size: 500-1000 employees - Location: San Francisco, CA Position Details: - Title: Senior Product Manager - Department: Product - Job ID: PM-2024-SF-001 - Posted date: Dec 1, 2024 - Application deadline: Dec 31, 2024 Compensation: - Salary range: $150k-180k - Equity: Yes - Benefits: Full Application Details: - Applied via: LinkedIn - Resume version: PM_TechCorp_v3 - Cover letter: Yes - Referral: John Smith
Browser Extension Import
One-Click Import:
- Install Careerkit extension
- Visit job posting
- Click extension icon
- Auto-fills all details
- Review and save
Supported Sites:
- LinkedIn Jobs
- Indeed
- Glassdoor
- AngelList
- Company career pages
Bulk Import
CSV Format:
Company,Position,Date Applied,Status,Source,Location TechCorp,Senior PM,2024-12-01,Applied,LinkedIn,San Francisco StartupXYZ,Product Lead,2024-12-02,Interview,Referral,Remote
Import Steps:
- Download CSV template
- Fill with your data
- Upload file
- Map columns
- Import applications
📈 Managing Applications
The Kanban Board
Visual Management:
- Drag & drop between stages
- Color coding by priority
- Quick actions on hover
- Bulk selection mode
Card Information:
┌────────────────────────┐ │ TechCorp 🔴 │ │ Senior PM │ │ Applied: Dec 1 │ │ 📥 Interview Dec 15 │ │ $150k-180k Remote │ └────────────────────────┘
List View
When to Use:
- Managing many applications
- Bulk updates needed
- Detailed sorting
- Export preparation
Available Columns:
- Company
- Position
- Status
- Date applied
- Last activity
- Next action
- Priority
- Location
- Salary
- Notes
Filtering & Search
Quick Filters:
- 🔴 High priority
- 📅 Has upcoming tasks
- ⭐ Favorites
- 📥 Interview scheduled
- 📍 Location type
Advanced Search:
status:interview AND location:remote AND salary:>150000 company:"Tech*" AND applied:last-30-days
Saved Filters:
- "High Priority Remote"
- "FAANG Applications"
- "Needs Follow-up"
- "Stale Applications"
🗓️ Tasks & Reminders
Automatic Reminders
Default Schedule:
Application Submitted: └→ Thank you email (if interviewed): 24 hours └→ First follow-up: 7 days └→ Second follow-up: 14 days └→ Close out: 30 days Interview Scheduled: └→ Research company: 2 days before └→ Prepare questions: 1 day before └→ Day-of reminder: 2 hours before └→ Thank you note: 24 hours after
Custom Tasks
Creating Tasks:
- Click "+" on application card
- Choose task type:
- Follow-up email
- Document submission
- Interview prep
- Custom task
- Set due date/time
- Add notes
- Save task
Task Templates:
- Thank you note
- Reference check
- Salary negotiation
- Background check
- Onboarding prep
Managing Tasks
Today's Tasks View:
📅 Today - December 15, 2024 ☑️ Send thank you to Sarah at TechCorp ☐️ Research StartupXYZ before call ☐️ Follow up on DataCo application ☐️ Update portfolio for DesignFirm
Bulk Actions:
- Mark complete
- Reschedule
- Delete
- Assign to application
📊 Analytics & Insights
Dashboard Overview
Key Metrics:
This Month's Performance: ┌──────────────────────────────┐ │ Applications Sent: 45 │ │ Response Rate: 24% │ │ Interview Rate: 13% │ │ Offer Rate: 4% │ │ Avg. Time to Response: 8 days │ └──────────────────────────────┘
Source Analysis
Performance by Source:
| Source | Applied | Response | Interview | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 6 (30%) | 3 (15%) | 1 (5%) | |
| Referral | 5 | 4 (80%) | 3 (60%) | 2 (40%) |
| Indeed | 15 | 2 (13%) | 1 (7%) | 0 (0%) |
| Direct | 5 | 2 (40%) | 1 (20%) | 0 (0%) |
Time Analysis
Application Timeline:
Average Days Between Stages: Applied → Response: 8 days Response → Interview: 5 days Interview → Decision: 10 days Total cycle: 23 days average
Success Patterns
AI-Generated Insights:
- ✅ Referrals 6x more likely to interview
- ✅ Tuesday applications get 40% more responses
- ✅ Custom cover letters increase rate by 2x
- ❌ Indeed applications underperforming
- ❌ Finance roles low response rate
📄 Document Management
Organizing Application Materials
Per Application Storage:
- Resume version used
- Cover letter sent
- Portfolio/work samples
- References provided
- Notes/research
Version Control:
Resume Versions: - Resume_General_v3.pdf - Resume_PM_TechCorp.pdf ✅ - Resume_PM_Startup.pdf Track which version for which application!
Quick Access
Document Library:
- Recent documents
- Most used versions
- Quick preview
- One-click attach
🤝 Interview Management
Scheduling
Interview Details:
Interview with TechCorp ┌────────────────────────────┐ │ Type: Technical Round 2 │ │ Date: Dec 15, 2024 2:00 PM PST│ │ Duration: 60 minutes │ │ Format: Video Call (Zoom) │ │ │ │ Interviewers: │ │ - Jane Smith (Hiring Manager) │ │ - Bob Lee (Tech Lead) │ │ │ │ Focus Areas: │ │ - System design │ │ - Past projects │ │ - Team collaboration │ └────────────────────────────┘
Preparation Checklist
Auto-Generated Tasks:
- [ ] Research interviewers on LinkedIn
- [ ] Review job description
- [ ] Prepare STAR stories
- [ ] Practice common questions
- [ ] Prepare questions to ask
- [ ] Test video/audio setup
- [ ] Plan outfit
- [ ] Set up quiet space
Post-Interview
Capture Feedback:
Interview Notes - TechCorp Round 2 What went well: - Strong technical discussion - Good rapport with Jane - Answered system design well Areas of concern: - Bob seemed skeptical about startup experience - Salary expectations discussion Questions they asked: 1. Design a distributed cache system 2. Tell me about a difficult stakeholder 3. Why leaving current role? Next steps: - Final round with VP next week - Team meeting if that goes well
💰 Offer Management
Tracking Offers
Offer Details:
TechCorp Offer ┌─────────────────────────────┐ │ Base Salary: $165,000 │ │ Signing Bonus: $20,000 │ │ Equity: 0.05% (4-year vest) │ │ Benefits: Full medical/dental │ │ PTO: Unlimited │ │ Start Date: Jan 15, 2025 │ │ Deadline: Dec 22, 2024 │ └─────────────────────────────┘
Comparing Offers
Side-by-Side View:
| Component | TechCorp | StartupXYZ |
|---|---|---|
| Base | $165k | $155k |
| Bonus | $20k | $0 |
| Equity | 0.05% | 0.5% |
| Benefits | Full | Basic |
| Remote | Hybrid | Full |
| Growth | Stable | High |
🎯 Advanced Features
Automation Rules
Example Rules:
- Auto-archive: Move to archived after 60 days of inactivity
- Priority boost: Mark high priority if salary >$150k
- Follow-up reminder: Create task if no response in 10 days
- Status sync: Update to "Interview" when calendar event created
Email Integration
Connected Email Benefits:
- Auto-log recruiter emails
- Track email opens
- Parse interview invites
- Extract contact info
- Thread conversations
Team Features (Pro)
For Job Search Groups:
- Share opportunities
- Track referrals
- Group analytics
- Accountability partners
- Success stories
📱 Mobile App Features
On-the-Go Management
Mobile Capabilities:
- Quick application add
- Status updates
- Task completion
- Interview notes
- Push notifications
Offline Mode:
- View applications
- Add notes
- Complete tasks
- Sync when connected
🏆 Best Practices
Daily Habits
Morning Routine (10 mins):
- Check today's tasks
- Review upcoming interviews
- Update application statuses
- Plan applications for day
Evening Review (5 mins):
- Log new applications
- Complete tasks
- Update notes
- Set tomorrow's priorities
Weekly Planning
Sunday Session (30 mins):
- Review analytics
- Analyze what's working
- Archive dead applications
- Plan week's applications
- Prepare for interviews
Data Hygiene
Keep It Clean:
- Update statuses promptly
- Archive old applications
- Delete duplicate entries
- Maintain consistent naming
- Regular backups
📊 Reporting & Export
Generate Reports
Available Reports:
- Application summary
- Time-to-hire analysis
- Source effectiveness
- Interview feedback
- Offer comparison
Export Options:
- PDF summary
- Excel spreadsheet
- CSV data
- Google Sheets
- Print view
Master these features to transform your job search from stressful to strategic. Let Job Tracker handle the organization while you focus on landing your dream role! 🌟