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Search plan

Job search strategy: a weekly plan you can follow

Applying more is not a plan. Forty applications and two calls back tells you something, but only if you count. Here's a search plan in five steps: a target list, job alerts that work, referrals, applications that fit, and a weekly count that shows where you drop out.

Get the weekly plan Find your leak

Updated

An example job search funnel: 40 applications, 6 recruiter screens, 3 interviews, 1 offer. The plan finds the step where you drop out. EXAMPLE Four weeks of one search Applications 40 Recruiter screens 6 Interviews 3 Offers 1

The job search plan in five steps

Each step feeds the next. Skip the count at the end and you can't tell which step to fix.

The plan in five steps: a target list, job alerts, referrals, applications that fit, and a weekly count 1 Target list 2 Alerts 3 Referrals 4 Apply to fit 5 Measure
One pass through the five steps takes a week. Then the count tells you which step needs the time next week.
  1. 1

    Pick a target

    One job title, a place (or remote) and a pay range. Then a list of 20 to 40 companies that hire for it. A target turns a day of scrolling into a list to work through.

  2. 2

    Let the jobs come to you

    Set job alerts on two or three boards and follow the target companies' careers pages. Reading alerts once a day replaces most of the searching.

  3. 3

    Ask before you apply

    For every company on the list, check who you know there. A referral puts your name in front of a person instead of a pile.

  4. 4

    Apply where you fit

    Apply where you match most of what the posting asks for, and tailor the top of your resume to it. Fewer, closer applications are easier to follow up and to prepare for.

  5. 5

    Count every Friday

    Applications, recruiter screens, interviews, offers. Log each one in a tracker, and use the leak finder below to see where people stop calling back.

A weekly job search plan template

About eight hours a week, in short blocks. If you're searching full time, double the blocks, not the number of postings you skim. Copy it, fill in the brackets once, and reuse it.

A week of job search: Monday read alerts and shortlist, Tuesday and Thursday tailor and apply, Wednesday ask for referrals, Friday follow up, count and practice MON Read alerts Shortlist TUE Tailor and apply WED Referral asks THU Tailor and apply FRI Follow up, count, practice
Friday is the day that matters most: the follow-ups, the count, and one question practiced out loud.

  1. Copy into your notes or calendar

    Weekly job search plan

    Fill in the brackets once. Reuse it every week.

    Subject: My job search plan, week of [date]

Target role: [job title], [city or remote], [pay range]
Target list: [number] companies, kept in my tracker
This week's goal: [number] applications that fit, [number] referral asks

Monday (1 hour)
- Read this week's job alerts.
- Shortlist the postings that match most of what they ask for.
- Add each one to the tracker with its link and date.

Tuesday (2 hours)
- Tailor my resume to the first half of the shortlist: the top lines match what the posting asks for.
- Apply, and log each one.

Wednesday (1 hour)
- Ask [number] people for a referral or a 15-minute call.
- Check the target companies' careers pages for new jobs.

Thursday (2 hours)
- Tailor and apply to the rest of the shortlist.

Friday (1 hour)
- Follow up on applications older than a week, where there's a name to write to.
- Count: applications, recruiter screens, interviews, offers.
- Practice one interview question out loud.

How to set up job alerts and filters

Every big board can email you new jobs that match a saved search. The settings below work on any of them. Set them once, then read the alerts instead of searching from scratch.

One job alert, five settings: keywords, location, date posted, level and type, and frequency ONE SAVED SEARCH Keywords 2 or 3 versions of the job title Location A city and radius, or remote Date posted The last day or week Level and type Experience level, full or part time Frequency Daily for a narrow search
Make one alert per version of the job title, rather than one alert with every word in it.
  • Search by title, not one keywordMake one alert for each version of the title (“support team lead”, “customer success manager”). A single broad word fills your inbox.
  • Set location or remote on purposeA city with a radius you'd commute, or remote. Some boards don't treat remote as a location; use their remote filter instead.
  • Filter by date postedThe last 24 hours or week. An early application is read before the pile builds.
  • Add level and job typeExperience level and full or part time cut most of what you'd skip anyway.
  • Daily for narrow, weekly for broadA daily email for a search with a few results a week; weekly for a broad one you only skim.
  • Prune every two weeksTurn off an alert whose results you never open, and add one for a title you keep seeing.
BoardHow oftenGood to knowTheir steps
LinkedInDaily or weekly, by email, app notification, or bothTurn on the alert from a search's results. Up to 20 alerts at once.LinkedIn help page
IndeedDaily or weekly emailSign in, search, then turn on the alert for that search. No new matching jobs means no email that day.Indeed help page
GlassdoorDaily or weeklySet a job title or keyword and a location, then pick how often.Glassdoor help page

From each board's own help page, read on October 9, 2026. Menus change; their page has the current steps.

Referrals and the hidden job market

The hidden job market is the jobs that get filled before a posting draws a crowd, or without one: through a referral, a recruiter's own list, or a manager who already knows someone. You reach it through people, not boards.

Many jobs are filled through someone who knows you: a former coworker, a classmate or a friend passes your name to the hiring manager You A former coworker A classmate A friend at the company Hiring manager
You don't need to know the hiring manager. You need someone who can pass your name along.

Where to start: list former coworkers and managers, classmates, and anyone at a target company. Ask for one specific thing: a referral to a posted job, or a 15-minute call about the team. A specific ask is easy to say yes to.

  1. Message

    Asking for a referral

    To someone you know at the company. Send it before you apply, so they can refer you.

    Subject: Quick question about [company]

Hi [name],

I hope [something true about them: the new role, the move]. I'm applying for the [job title] role at [company] ([link to the posting]).

It fits what I've done at [current or last company]: [one result, with a number].

Would you be open to referring me, or to a 15-minute call about the team first? Either way, thanks for reading.

[Your name]

The numbers to watch: find your leak

A search is a funnel: applications, recruiter screens, interviews, offers. Put in your last four weeks. The first step with people going in and nobody coming out is the one to work on. This is a rule of thumb from this page, not an industry benchmark.

Count the last four weeks, from your tracker. The numbers stay in this browser.

Why it's so hard to find a job right now, in numbers →

Job search tips that change the count

Each one moves one of the four numbers above.

  1. MORE SCREENS

    Put the posting's own words at the top

    Your headline and first bullets should name the skills the posting lists, if you have them. The first reader decides fast.

  2. MORE SCREENS

    Apply early

    An alert set to the last day means you apply while the pile is small.

  3. MORE INTERVIEWS

    Have your two-minute answer ready

    The recruiter screen opens with “tell me about yourself” and why you're looking. Here's how to answer it.

  4. MORE OFFERS

    Practice out loud, not in your head

    Answers sound different spoken. How to prepare for an interview.

  5. FASTER

    Follow up once, with a name

    A week after applying, a short note to a recruiter or a contact at the company.

Questions about job search strategy

How many jobs should I apply to each week?

As many as fit and you can tailor well. There's no right number for everyone. Count your recruiter screens: if most applications get no reply, sending more of the same won't fix it; changing the resume or the targets will.

How do I find a job fast?

Narrow the target, set alerts for the last day, ask people you know for referrals first, and practice the recruiter screen before the calls start. Speed comes from fewer wasted applications, not more of them.

Is the hidden job market real?

Yes, in the sense that some jobs are filled through referrals or a recruiter's own contacts before many people apply, and some are never posted. You reach those through people, which is why the plan has a day for referral asks.

Should I set alerts on every job board?

Two or three is enough for most searches, plus the careers pages of your target companies. The same jobs often show up on several boards.

What should I do when screens don't turn into offers?

Then the interview is the leak, not the resume. Practice the questions out loud and look at how your answers come across.

If screens don't turn into offers, the interview is the leak

Practice the recruiter screen before the next call. An AI recruiter asks the questions out loud, follows up on thin answers, and scores how you came across.

Your free mocks show the score. The Interview-Ready plan shows you how to raise it.

  • As many scored mocks as you want, in every round
  • Why you lost points on each skill
  • Your weakest answers rewritten, with why the new version scores higher

$29 a month if you join by October 31, and you keep it while you stay (regular $49). 14-day refund from your account. See the plan

Practice the recruiter screen
Next: step 4 of 7, Apply AI auto-apply tools → What they do, the real risks, when they help, and four types compared on facts.

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