Build a focused job search and verify the opportunities

Create a small, useful application record

Start with a list you can maintain rather than a complicated system. For each opportunity, record the employer, job title, official vacancy link, location, deadline, date applied, resume version and next action. Keep notes about essential requirements and why the role fits you.

These are fictional examples, not live vacancies. Add only opportunities you have verified. A record of a job-board listing does not prove the role is still open.

Use job boards as a starting point

Our job-source and company-career tools link to third-party sites. They do not provide a verified feed of current vacancies or represent the employers. Read the listing on the destination site, check its date and compare it with the employer's own careers page when available.

When two listings conflict, prefer instructions you can verify directly with the employer. Check the location, work arrangement, qualifications and application deadline before spending time tailoring documents. An attractive title alone does not establish that the role fits your circumstances.

Pause when an offer asks for money or sensitive data

The US Federal Trade Commission warns about fake job offers that request payment or ask a candidate to deposit a cheque and send money onward. Treat pressure to pay for a promised job, purchase gift cards or transfer funds as a serious warning sign. Verify the organisation independently rather than relying on the contact details in the message.

Use the employer's publicly listed website to check whether a recruiter and vacancy are genuine. Avoid sending identity or banking information simply because a message uses a familiar company logo. Processes vary by country and employer; a legitimate-looking message still deserves verification.

Reference: FTC guidance on job scams. This resource describes US reporting options; use the relevant local reporting service if you are elsewhere.

Set a weekly review that changes your next action

At the end of a week, ask which applications fit well, which were rushed and which need follow-up. Track your own outcomes instead of comparing application counts with other people. A lack of replies can have many causes and does not by itself identify a resume problem.

1. Remove closed or unsuitable opportunities from the active list.
2. Pick a manageable set of roles for the next week.
3. Improve one weak piece of evidence or portfolio explanation.
4. Prepare for any scheduled conversations.
5. Follow up only where the employer's instructions allow it, using the actual application details.

Do not store passwords, identity documents or private recruiter information in a publicly shared tracker. Keep only the details you need to manage the search.