Measuring your job hunting success

For starters, you should be keeping a record of all your pursuits: e-mails sent, follow-up phone calls, any and all correspondence. Dates are very important in maintaining an accurate view of a job search campaign. It also helps if you jot down notes referring to what was discussed in a previous phone call or meeting. When you start to accumulate contacts and manage multiple job pursuits, it can be tricky to keep track of every detail. Keep your records up-to-date so that you can run occasional evaluations and progress assessments.

If you’ve applied to more than ten suitable positions and haven’t been invited to interview, it may be a sign that your cover letter or resume are not doing their job. Typically you should hear from an employer with in a few weeks of a competition close date but it can sometimes take up to a month or longer. However, failure to get a single interview invitation to jobs for which you are qualified is a bad sign.

On the other hand, if you have had success at getting invited to interview but fail to make it past the first round, this may be indicative of another problem. Many employers will conduct a multiple interview process, where a first round of candidates is screened and narrowed down to just a few finalists. This is an indication of one of two things: one, you are not living up to the impression your resume is making; or, two; it could be your interview skills need polishing.

In networking, the criteria for measuring success are similar. If you are not receiving replies to your introduction emails or requests for meetings, especially if you were referred, then you may wish to change your approach. If you have had meetings and fail to get referrals from the people who have met with you, assess what you may be conveying that is causing reluctance on the part of the contact to forward you along to someone else.

In the end, it could be simply a case of timing or circumstances; but, it’s better to assess, admit, address, and ultimately improve your rate of success.