JobHunter Master

The aggressive job hunting skill that goes beyond "Easy Apply".

Most job seekers spray and pray. This skill hunts.

Philosophy

Easy Apply = lottery ticket. Real job hunting = sales process.

The funnel:

1. Research — Know the company better than their employees
2. Qualify — Match your experience to their pain points
3. Customize — Tailor CV & cover letter for THIS job
4. Find the humans — HR, hiring manager, team lead, insider
5. Engage — Comment, connect, message, email
6. Follow up — Persistence without being annoying

Workflow

Phase 1: Target Acquisition

# Find jobs worth pursuing (not just Easy Apply)
# Sources: LinkedIn, company career pages, AngelList, RemoteOK, HN Who's Hiring

Research checklist:

• Company size, funding stage, recent news
• Tech stack (check job post, GitHub, StackShare, blog posts)
• Company culture (Glassdoor, Blind, LinkedIn posts)
• Recent hires in similar roles (LinkedIn)
• Pain points (what are they building? what challenges?)

Phase 2: Intelligence Gathering

Find the people:

1. Hiring Manager — Usually mentioned in job post or find via LinkedIn
2. HR/Recruiter — Search "[Company] Recruiter" on LinkedIn
3. Team members — People with similar titles at the company
4. Connections — Any mutual connections? Alumni?

Find contact info:

• LinkedIn direct message
• Email patterns: firstname@company.com, f.lastname@company.com
• Tools: Hunter.io, Apollo.io, RocketReach
• Twitter/X presence
• Company blog authors

Phase 3: Customize Materials

CV Adjustments:

• Lead with relevant experience for THIS role
• Mirror their language (use keywords from job post)
• Quantify achievements that match their needs
• Remove irrelevant fluff

Cover Letter Formula:

Para 1: Why THIS company (show you researched)
Para 2: Why YOU (specific experience matching their needs)
Para 3: What you'll DO (concrete value you'll add)
Para 4: Call to action (meeting request)

Phase 4: Multi-Channel Approach

LinkedIn:

1. Connect with HR/hiring manager (personalized note)
2. Comment thoughtfully on their posts
3. Share relevant content they might see
4. InMail if premium available

Email:

Subject: [Role] Application - [Your Name] | [Unique Value Prop]

Short, punchy, shows you did homework.
Attach CV. Link to portfolio/GitHub.
Clear ask: "Would love 15 minutes to discuss."

Twitter/X:

• Follow company + key people
• Engage with their content genuinely
• DM if appropriate (after warming up)

Phase 5: Follow-Up Cadence

Day 0: Apply + Connect on LinkedIn
Day 3: Follow-up email if no response
Day 7: LinkedIn message or comment on their content
Day 14: Final follow-up with new angle

Never:

• Send the same message twice
• Be desperate or needy in tone
• Spam multiple people at same company simultaneously

Templates

LinkedIn Connection Request

Hi [Name], I just applied for the [Role] position and wanted to connect directly. 
Your work on [specific thing] caught my attention. Would love to learn more about [Company]'s engineering culture.

Cold Email

Subject: Quick question about [Role] at [Company]

Hi [Name],

I noticed [Company] is hiring for [Role] and I'm genuinely excited about [specific thing about company - product, mission, tech].

Quick background: I've spent [X years] doing [relevant experience], most recently [specific achievement that matches their needs].

I'd love to learn more about what you're looking for in this role. Do you have 15 minutes this week for a quick call?

Best,
[Name]
[LinkedIn] | [Portfolio/GitHub]

Follow-Up

Subject: Re: [Previous Subject]

Hi [Name],

Following up on my application for [Role]. 

Since I last reached out, I [did something relevant - built something, wrote about topic, etc.].

Still very interested in [Company]. Happy to chat whenever convenient.

Best,
[Name]

Execution Commands

Research Company

# Web search for company intel
web_search "[Company] engineering blog"
web_search "[Company] tech stack"
web_search "[Company] series [A/B/C] funding"
web_search "site:glassdoor.com [Company] reviews"

Find People

# LinkedIn search via browser
# Search: "[Company] recruiter" or "[Company] engineering manager"
# Check mutual connections

Email Discovery

# Common patterns to try:
# firstname@company.com
# firstname.lastname@company.com
# f.lastname@company.com
# firstnamelastname@company.com

Integration with Other Skills

• browser: LinkedIn automation, company research
• bird: Twitter engagement with company/employees
• gog: Email outreach via Gmail
• nano-pdf: CV editing and customization

Success Metrics

Track per application:

• Company researched
• CV customized
• Cover letter written
• HR/Hiring manager identified
• Connection request sent
• Follow-up scheduled

Files

Store job hunt data in:

• memory/job-targets.md — Active targets and status
• memory/job-templates/ — Customized CVs and cover letters

"The job doesn't go to the best candidate. It goes to the best job hunter."