Organizing Your Job Search with Airtable
Tags: career, tips, jobsearch
Published: 2019-12-20 00:28:28

---
title: Organizing Your Job Search with Airtable
published: true
description: Using Airtable to organize your job search helps you keep track of everything while you focus on your search.
tags: career, tips, jobsearch
cover_image: https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/ddgeghuptlxcsf3v169f.jpg
---

[Airtable](https://airtable.com/), if you aren't familiar, is a powerful web app that allows you to create databases (called “bases”) of information. These bases can be viewed in different ways, such as on kanban board, in a spreadsheet (called a “grid”), on a calendar, or in a gallery.

I recently started a job search for a front-end developer position, sending out multiple job applications a day. It quickly became overwhelming trying to remember if I had applied to a job posting or not, what the job description for each position consisted of, and who I was waiting to hear back from. In a text document, I created a simple list trying to keep track of this information but it  soon became unwieldy and difficult to find the information I needed. I had to find something more comprehensive.

<figure>
![A screenshot of an Airtable base with multiple columns and a bright green header.](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/l94c473r84az7xsuh1s2.jpg)
<figcaption>A screenshot of an Airtable base in grid view showing seven columns titled Company, Role, Job Title, My Notes, Size, Location, and Job Listing.</figcaption>
</figure>

With a free tier of membership, Airtable works as an inexpensive way to keep track of many kinds of data, and in my case it's surrounding a job search. The service has a [basic template for job searching](https://airtable.com/templates/everyday-life/expXOCN6dkEb2oDim/job-hunting) but I found that I needed something more in-depth. Luckily, everything within a base is modifiable so [I created my own](https://airtable.com/universe/exps8RcDgRLgUoZLl/tech-job-applications).

In my job search base, I track the following data in these formats:
- Company: _single line of text_
- Role: _multiple preset choices_
- Job title: _single line of text_
- Notes: _multiple lines of text_
- Size: _single preset choice_
- Location: _single preset choice_
- Job Listing: _URL link_
- Submission date: _date picker_
- Application status: _single preset choice_
- Rejected: _checkbox_

<figure>
![A dropdown menu showing the options for date-type data in Airtable.](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/99bakqd5kpmdbvojydki.jpg)
<figcaption>Screenshot of a date type field in an Airtable base.</figcaption>
</figure>

As well as storing different types of data, that data can then be filtered and sorted so it can be visualized in many different ways. While in a grid view, I choose to sort my list by the date I applied, and then by the step I'm at in the interview process. I also filter out rejected applications from this list and group them in another grid so I can keep track of only the job applications that're active.

<figure>
![A contextual menu showing an Airtable base sorted by date and job application status.](https://thepracticaldev.s3.amazonaws.com/i/hiq0tapqxkqpx1rcsuva.jpg)
<figcaption>Screenshot of sorting an Airtable base by date and job application status.</figcaption>
</figure>

Data types are editable as well, so I've updated some of them as more data comes in. As an example, I initially started with three or four preset cities for my locations, but I can add new locations within my grid as I add a new position I apply for. That new location is then available to me in my location options the next time I add a new position to my base.

With this handy app, I'm worrying less about whether I'm keeping track of all the information I need to, and spending more time focused on myself and my search. 

If you're looking for an inexpensive way to keep track of this kind of data for your current or upcoming job search (or any kind of data!) I hope this helps you, too!🙌🏻