Overwhelmed by emails? Practical strategies to help you get organized during your job search.

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How many emails do you get in a day? Tens? Hundreds? More? If you are like many of us, every day you are bombarded by mounds of emails, many which are totally junk. Have you gotten emails like this?

• Gifts under $10 plus FREE shipping!       
• Claim your birthday gift from ABC Company. 
• Prop 100: Be informed!

You delete one email after another, and if you miss a day, an important email may have gotten buried under the junk and could get deleted by accident.

If you are in a job search, missing an important email could be missing out on an opportunity.

The solution—it’s easier than you think. Create a new email exclusively for job search activities. Make it simple for an employer to remember, perhaps your name such as ginger.korljan@gmail.com. (No this is not my email address, so don’t try it to send me anything!). Save this email address for your résumé, for online job applications, when joining professional groups, or if posting a résumé to a job board. Check that email address once a day, making sure you that you reserve it exclusively for job search and professional industry activities.

Another tool to help you remember where you have sent résumés and when is at www.JibberJobber.com. Not only can you track your job search activities, but you can also store exact copies of each résumé and cover letter you tweak for each employer. Created by @Jason Alba, JibberJobber is a spreadsheet tailored to the needs of the job seeker. The best news is that the basic version of JibberJobber is entirely free.

As for the other emails you have to wade through every day, consider unsubscribing from most of them. Do you really need to know the latest sale from some retailer or that a friend has updated his Facebook page?

Take control of your email, and you will have time for more important things in your life!