We built Kiter out of a need for way to track the complicated and often frustrating journey of applying to jobs in the internet age. It has never been easier to find exciting companies that are hiring and to apply. On the bright side, this means you can send out dozens of applications without even picking up the phone or writing an email. Unfortunately, this also means that each application now faces many multiples more competition from your counterparts doing the same. The ease of an online portal also makes the worthwhile actions of writing a cold email or leaning on your network seem burdensome in comparison. The new landscape on which the job hunt is conducted requires new approaches, and Kiter is the launchpad from which they can be pursued.
Too Many Applications
The quantity of applications needed to get an offer is increasing. Our users routinely are applying to 50+ positions and seriously pursuing a dozen or more. This combines with reduced tenure across the board where almost everyone, especially younger professionals, is monitoring future job opportunities. In the face of this, taking minute notes on every resume that you send or company you become interested in may not be needed. What can be helpful is the ability to quickly log these opportunities in your Kiter board, allowing you to maintain a high level view of what you have really done so far. This can keep you grounded in the amount of outreach conducted as well as where future time might be best spent. If you receive an interview weeks or months later, you can jump in and reprioritize the application.
Tracking actions is only the start. Understanding the numbers at play in the job search and the success probability of each applications further reduces ambiguity. We have used information from applicants on Kiter and market research to piece together a formula that assigns points to various events (applying, interview, second interview) to give an applicant a sense of how close to an offer they might be. Someone who has been referred to five positions and has one interview is much closer to an offer than someone who has sent out ten cold applications, al else equal. While this sounds obvious, it is helpful to see this number as you survey your work and helps to encourage activities that have a higher success outcome.
Having a clean slate and building a picture of what you have done, provides a launch pad for determining what to do next. Noting that it has been 3 weeks since you have send out any new applications might be the impetus to dedicate more time instead of waiting to hear back. Action in the face of unknown outcomes is always difficult, but an organized approach can offer the reassurance necessary that you are marching down the right path.
Kiter made everything easier and quickly replaced all my spreadsheets.
– Kiter User
