Job Search Strategy

Create a systematic, efficient job search plan that maximizes your chances of landing the right role. Treats job searching as a project with clear goals, channels, and metrics.

Usage

Provide your target roles, industries, location preferences, salary expectations, and timeline. The skill produces:

• Target Profile: Ideal role, company size, culture, and compensation range
• Channel Strategy: Where to find opportunities (job boards, networking, recruiters, direct outreach)
• Application Tracker: Spreadsheet template with status tracking
• Weekly Schedule: How to allocate job search hours across activities
• Networking Plan: Who to reach out to, how, and templates for outreach
• Pipeline Metrics: Target numbers (applications, conversations, interviews) per week
• Timeline: Realistic milestones from start to offer acceptance

Examples

1. Active Search: "Create a job search plan. Target: Senior Product Manager at a mid-size tech company. Bay Area or remote. Timeline: want an offer within 8 weeks."

1. Passive Search: "I'm happily employed but open to the right opportunity. Design a low-effort strategy to attract opportunities without actively applying."

1. Relocation: "Planning a job search for relocating from NYC to Austin. Software engineer, 5 years experience. Need to start in 3 months. No network in Austin."

1. New Grad: "First job search strategy for a recent CS grad. Goal: software engineering role at a startup. No professional network yet. $80K+ salary target."

Guidelines

• 70% of jobs are filled through networking — prioritize relationship-building over mass applications
• Apply to 5-10 quality-matched positions per week, not 50 spray-and-pray applications
• Track everything: company, role, date applied, contact, status, follow-up dates
• Set a weekly review cadence to assess what's working and adjust strategy
• Prepare your materials (resume, portfolio, LinkedIn) before starting applications
• Follow up on applications after 5-7 business days if no response
• Treat every conversation as a potential lead — tell your network what you're looking for