Printable checklist

Weekly Job Search Plan

A job search that runs on a schedule finishes sooner and feels less like a grind. This plan assumes about ten focused hours a week; scale it to your situation.

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Monday: plan and alerts

• Review new alerts from your two or three job sites
• Shortlist 5 to 10 postings that are under a week old
• Check your tracker for follow-ups due this week

Tuesday and Wednesday: apply

• Complete 3 to 5 quality applications a day on employer portals
• Tailor the first lines of your résumé to each posting's title and keywords
• Log each application immediately with job ID and follow-up date

Thursday: people

• Message one or two contacts who could refer you (see our referral guide)
• Visit or call your American Job Center if you haven't yet
• Register with one staffing agency in your field

Friday: follow up and review

• Send follow-ups for applications 7 to 10 days old with no response
• Count applications, assessments and interviews for the week
• If applications are up but interviews are flat, change your résumé or targets rather than your volume

Every day

• Check email and voicemail twice; respond to employers within a few hours
• Complete any assessment the day you receive it
• Stop at the planned time. Rest is part of the plan.