When to use
Reach for this when you're job-hunting and want a system instead of scattered applications — defining who to target, building a pipeline, running outreach, and tracking everything to conversion. Use after car-career-plan (target set) and alongside car-resume, car-linkedin, and car-interview-prep, which supply the assets each stage needs.
Not for: the employer side. Building the hiring funnel and moving candidates through stages is hr-recruiting-pipeline — the mirror image. This skill runs your search as the candidate.
Method
- Define your target — role, level, industry, company size, location/remote, and comp floor. Decision point: too broad wastes effort; if unclear, run car-career-plan first.
- Build the target list — 30-50 companies/roles that fit, tiered A (dream, tailor hard) / B (strong fit) / C (volume). This is your pipeline top.
- Choose channels by yield — referrals convert far better than cold applications, so weight outreach and network over job-board spray. Decision point: for A-tier, always find a warm intro before applying cold.
- Run outreach — for each target find a connection or relevant person; send a short, specific message (who you are, why them, one ask). Track sends and follow up once after 5-7 days.
- Tailor and apply — for A/B, tailor resume + letter (car-resume, car-cover-letter); for C, apply lean. Never mass-send one generic resume.
- Track the funnel — a tracker with stage, date, contact, next action. Review weekly; if a stage has low conversion, fix that stage (more outreach, better resume, more interview reps).
Example
Target: mid-level PM, B2B SaaS, remote, $140K+ floor. List: 40 companies tiered 8 A / 18 B / 14 C. Week 1: 12 outreach messages via warm connections, 8 tailored A/B applications. Tracker shows 40 applications → 6 screens → 2 onsites → 1 offer over six weeks. Low screen-to-onsite rate flags interview prep as the stage to fix — so you double down on car-interview-prep.
Pitfalls
- Spraying one generic resume at 200 postings — high volume, near-zero conversion, and burnout.
- Ignoring referrals and applying only cold, when warm intros convert several times better.
- No tracker, so you forget follow-ups, double-apply, and can't see which stage is leaking.
- Treating rejection as feedback-free; diagnose the failing stage and adjust the system.
Output format
Target: role | level | industry | size | location/remote | comp floor
Target list: company | tier (A/B/C) | role | warm connection?
Outreach template: who you are | why them | one specific ask
Weekly cadence: # outreach | # tailored apps | # follow-ups
Tracker columns: company | role | stage | date | contact | next action | notes
Funnel review: stage conversion rates → weakest stage → fix
1---2name: car-job-search-strategy3description: Design a job-search strategy — targeting, pipeline, outreach, and tracking — run like a repeatable funnel.4---56## When to use78Reach for this when you're job-hunting and want a system instead of scattered applications — defining who to target, building a pipeline, running outreach, and tracking everything to conversion. Use after car-career-plan (target set) and alongside car-resume, car-linkedin, and car-interview-prep, which supply the assets each stage needs.910**Not for:** the employer side. Building the *hiring* funnel and moving candidates through stages is hr-recruiting-pipeline — the mirror image. This skill runs *your* search as the candidate.1112## Method13141. **Define your target** — role, level, industry, company size, location/remote, and comp floor. Decision point: too broad wastes effort; if unclear, run car-career-plan first.152. **Build the target list** — 30-50 companies/roles that fit, tiered A (dream, tailor hard) / B (strong fit) / C (volume). This is your pipeline top.163. **Choose channels by yield** — referrals convert far better than cold applications, so weight outreach and network over job-board spray. Decision point: for A-tier, always find a warm intro before applying cold.174. **Run outreach** — for each target find a connection or relevant person; send a short, specific message (who you are, why them, one ask). Track sends and follow up once after 5-7 days.185. **Tailor and apply** — for A/B, tailor resume + letter (car-resume, car-cover-letter); for C, apply lean. Never mass-send one generic resume.196. **Track the funnel** — a tracker with stage, date, contact, next action. Review weekly; if a stage has low conversion, fix that stage (more outreach, better resume, more interview reps).2021## Example2223Target: mid-level PM, B2B SaaS, remote, $140K+ floor. List: 40 companies tiered 8 A / 18 B / 14 C. Week 1: 12 outreach messages via warm connections, 8 tailored A/B applications. Tracker shows 40 applications → 6 screens → 2 onsites → 1 offer over six weeks. Low screen-to-onsite rate flags interview prep as the stage to fix — so you double down on car-interview-prep.2425## Pitfalls2627- Spraying one generic resume at 200 postings — high volume, near-zero conversion, and burnout.28- Ignoring referrals and applying only cold, when warm intros convert several times better.29- No tracker, so you forget follow-ups, double-apply, and can't see which stage is leaking.30- Treating rejection as feedback-free; diagnose the failing stage and adjust the system.3132## Output format3334```35Target: role | level | industry | size | location/remote | comp floor36Target list: company | tier (A/B/C) | role | warm connection?37Outreach template: who you are | why them | one specific ask38Weekly cadence: # outreach | # tailored apps | # follow-ups39Tracker columns: company | role | stage | date | contact | next action | notes40Funnel review: stage conversion rates → weakest stage → fix41```
Matrixx0070