Latest / The Marketing Career Podcast with Fexingo: Marketing Jobs, Skills, and Career Growth / How Marketers Use a Career Kanban Board to Manage Their Job Search
Transcript
- Lucas: So, Luna, we've talked about portfolios, skills audits, even career lighthouses. But today I want to get practical about the actual logistics of a job search or a career pivot. The sheer volume of tasks can feel overwhelming. Luna: Right. You've got applications, networking calls, portfolio updates, skill-building courses. It all swirls together. So what's the fix? Lucas: The fix, I'd argue, is borrowing a visual management tool from software development. I'm talking about a Kanban board. You know, the classic columns: Backlog, In Progress, Done. Luna: A Kanban board for your career. I love that. It's like you're managing your job search like a project. And speaking of things that help people manage projects, if these conversations have sparked something you've actually used in your own career, consider supporting the show. It's what keeps us ad-free. You can buy me a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, we really appreciate that. And it helps us keep doing these deep dives. But back to Kanban. The beauty is that it forces you to visualize your work and limit what you're actively doing at any one time. Luna: So let's break it down. What would a typical board look like for a marketer looking for a new role? Lucas: Well, you'd start with a Backlog column. That's your capture zone for everything you might want to do. Update LinkedIn profile, revamp portfolio, reach out to three recruiters, learn more about GA4, whatever. You dump it all there. Luna: So it's like a brain dump. But then how do you decide what actually moves into 'In Progress'? Lucas: That's where the magic happens. You set a work-in-progress limit. Say, three items max in the In Progress column. This forces you to focus. You can't have fifteen things half-done. You pull something in only when you have capacity to actually finish it. Luna: That's such a useful constraint. I read about a content marketer who used Trello for her job search. She set her WIP limit to two, and she said it drastically cut her anxiety because she wasn't trying to do everything at once. Lucas: Exactly. And the Done column is just as important. It gives you a visible record of your progress. When you're feeling discouraged, you can look back and see 'Okay, I've already done fifteen things this month.' It's a built-in motivational boost. Luna: That's a great point. So we've got Backlog, In Progress, Done. Is that it? Lucas: You can add more columns if it helps. Some people like a 'Waiting On' column for things like, you know, you've sent an application and you're waiting to hear back. Or a 'This Week' column if you want a more granular view. But the core three are enough to get started. Luna: And what about the tool itself? Do you have a preference between Trello, Notion, or even a physical whiteboard? Lucas: I'm a fan of Trello because it's simple and visual. But Notion is great if you want to integrate your Kanban board with other stuff like your resume drafts or interview prep notes. And honestly, a physical board works too if you want something you can see every day. The key is consistency. Luna: Right. It's not about the tool, it's about the habit. So how do you make it a habit? How do you keep it from becoming another neglected spreadsheet? Lucas: The answer is a weekly review. Block out thirty minutes every Friday. Move things from Backlog to In Progress, move things to Done, adjust your priorities. That's what keeps the board alive. Without it, it's just a digital post-it note. Luna: And I imagine it works for more than just a job search. Could you use it for ongoing career development, like learning a new skill or building a side project? Lucas: Absolutely. I know a brand manager who used a Kanban board to manage her transition from CPG to tech. She had columns for Learning, Networking, and Applications. It gave her a clear structure for what could have been a chaotic process. Luna: That's a great example. So if you're in a career transition or just want to be more organized, a Kanban board is a simple, effective way to manage your tasks and reduce overwhelm. Lucas: And the best part is you can start today. Just open a Trello board, create three lists, and put everything you're thinking about in the Backlog. Then pick two or three things to start on. You'll feel the clarity immediately. Luna: And if you're already using a Kanban board for your career, we'd love to hear how it's going. Reach out to us on social. But for now, what's one thing you can move to 'Done' this week?