Apply, track and reach the people who hire
One board for every application, a message to the recruiter that gets a reply, and the forms filled without retyping your resume.
Done here when every application is on the board with a follow-up date, and the recruiter has your message.
Job application tracker: every application on one board
A free board for every application: save jobs from a link, paste an interview, rejection or offer email and the card follows, get follow-up reminders and ready emails. Saved in your browser and, when you sign in, to your account.
Open onThe trackerExcel and Sheets templateOpen my boardMessage to a recruiter: write one now, plan the follow-ups
Add the recruiters, managers and alumni you want to reach. Pick a plan. Each day: who to write to, the message ready and checked, and the follow-up booked in working days.
Open onLinkedIn message and planCold emailPlan my outreachReferral and recruiter finder: who you know at the company
Drop your LinkedIn connections file and see who to ask first at each company you want, with a 200-character note and a referral request for each.
Find who can refer meJob application autofill you check before you submit
Save your details and answers once. A free bookmark fills your name, email, phone and links on any job form; ClapAssist Apply, coming to Chrome, sends Greenhouse applications after you check every answer.
Set up auto-applyTrack every application, then reach a person
- Put the job on the board before you apply. The job application tracker saves a job from its link, moves it from Applied to Interview to Offer, and reminds you when to follow up. Prefer a spreadsheet? The Excel and Google Sheets template has the same columns and imports back into the tracker.
- Fill the form once, not forty times. The auto-apply assistant fills the contact and link boxes on a job form from your saved profile and gives copy-ready screening answers; you check each one before it is sent.
- Find a person, not only a portal. The referral and recruiter finder works out who at the company can refer you or is hiring for the team, and writes the short note that fits in a LinkedIn invite.
- Send a message that gets a reply. The message to a recruiter tool writes it, checks it and books the follow-up in working days. For email rather than LinkedIn, the cold email page writes the subject line and the message.
The follow-up is where most people stop. One polite line after the date they gave you, then move on. The board remembers the date so you do not have to.
How do you apply for a job so a person actually reads it?
Applying is not only pressing submit. It is five small jobs per application, and each one raises the chance that a human opens yours.
Read the post twice before you open the form
The first time, read for the work. The second time, mark the skills and the must-haves. If you miss a must-have that is a hard rule, such as a license or a right to work in that country, skip the job. If you miss a nice-to-have, apply anyway.
Change two things, not everything
Rewrite the top of the resume so it names this role, and move the two results that best match the post to the top of your latest job. That is enough for most applications. If the form has a cover letter box, write three short paragraphs: why this role, the proof, and when you can start.
Treat screening questions as a short interview
Questions like "Why do you want this job?" or "Describe a project you led" are often read before the resume. Answer in two to four sentences with one real example. Answer yes-or-no questions about location, notice period and work rights honestly; a wrong answer there ends the process later, after more of your time is spent. The auto-apply assistant gives copy-ready answers built from your profile, and you edit each one before it goes.
Look for a person while the application is fresh
A referral or a note to the hiring team gets your name in front of someone who can move it. Find one person: the recruiter for the role, the manager of the team, or someone you know who works there. Keep the first message short and specific: the job, why you fit, and one easy ask.
Log it and set the follow-up date the same minute
If it is not written down, it does not get followed up. Add the job to your board with the date, the link, the person you contacted and the date to follow up. A week later you will not remember which of twenty forms asked what.
Application mistakes, and the better move
- Mass-applying with one resume. Volume without fit brings silence. Fewer applications, each checked against its post, bring more replies.
- A message that is all about you. "I am looking for opportunities" gives the reader nothing to do. Name the job and ask one clear thing.
- Asking a stranger for a referral in the first line. Ask a question about the team or the role first, or ask if they would be open to it. Make it easy to say yes or no.
- Following up every few days. Once after the date they gave, or about a week after applying, then one last time later. After that, put your energy into the next job.
- Losing track of what you sent. When a recruiter calls, you need the post in front of you. Save the job description on the board, because posts get taken down.
What a good application week looks like
Each job on your list has a checked resume, an application sent, a person contacted where you could find one, and a follow-up date on the board. When a reply turns into an interview, open the saved post and start with interview preparation for that role.
Done here? Next: prepare
When an application turns into an interview invite, preparation starts: Prepare: the questions, your answers, out loud. The first tool there is the Interview answer generator.
Lost? The interview readiness quiz asks eight questions and tells you which tool to open next.