Applying to Jobs Like a Pro
You've overhauled your resume. Let's put it to good use and get you interviews.
" In 2019, I was sitting in my college dorm, haphazardly applying to jobs, never hearing back. I internalized rejections as if they defined my worth. Little did I know I wasn't the problem—it was my approach.
The hardest part of applying to jobs is not knowing what's working and what's not. In this module, we're going to create a system that illuminates the signal from the noise so you can land interviews."
— Jim
🧠The Strategy
When I applied to jobs, I wasn't just sending resumes into the void—I was playing the game with intention. Here's what actually worked for me:
📊 1. Track Everything Religiously▼
When I was applying to jobs in 2019, I thought I applied to so many and just wasn't hearing back. Looking back, I actually applied to no more than 30 jobs. Tracking keeps you honest.
Just as importantly, it gives you the signal on what's working: your callback rate, how referrals affect your success, which companies respond fastest, and what interview stages you're getting stuck at.
Pro tip: Use the trackers below to stay organized in interview loops and note key information like recruiter names, salary ranges, and next steps.
🧩 2. Stack Referrals Aggressively▼
If you can get referrals, leverage that. Imagine being a recruiter or hiring manager with hundreds of applications. Only a few come from referrals. It's the lowest hanging fruit differentiator from the pack.
Employees get paid to refer (Google pays you $3000 for referring someone who gets hired) you—so you're not "bothering" them. I used platforms like Blind and LinkedIn to cold-DM folks for referrals if I really wanted a certain company, and I pulled from every network I had—including old friends, past coworkers, and even a guildie from WoW.
🧠3. Apply in Focused Batches▼
Don't do one-off, reactive applications. I'd carve out 1–2 hour blocks to batch apply to jobs in sprints. You'll notice in my job application tracker that I rarely applied to one off jobs. Instead I applied to a batch of 5+ jobs every so often. It's monotonous work so just block off some time, get in the flow, and grind it out.
Context switching kills momentum. Don't go from applying to jobs for 30 minutes then interview practice for 30 and then back to applying.
👊 4. Go Direct When Needed▼
Reaching out directly to recruiters or hiring managers is underrated. Best case? You skip the entire application pool of thousands of other candidates. Worst case? You get ignored. It's asymmetric upside.
When my first Google recruiter kept ghosting me, I didn't give up—I activated a LinkedIn Premium trial, found a recruiter someone else was using, and messaged her directly.
She scheduled me for interviews within a week. If I didn't advocate for myself, I wouldn't have ever stepped foot into a Google office.
Don't assume that cold DMs or emails are a waste of time. It takes 2 minutes to draft one using ChatGPT and it can change everything.
✅ Job Hunt Tracking Systems
These are evergreen resources that you can come back to time and time again whenever you are looking to level up to your next role.
🧠Notion Tracker
If you like aesthetics, robust tracking, and a clean UI, this Notion tracker is perfect for you.
Get the Notion Template📊 Google Sheets Tracker
My original tracker. If you like simplicity, flexibility, and raw control, this is for you.
Get the Google Sheet📅 Example Daily/Weekly Workflow
Here's a sample daily/weekly job application workflow to help you stay on track and make progress. Frame your success as following the process rather than the outcomes. Remember, it doesn't work until it does.
Daily (60 minutes)
- •Check email for recruiter responses
- •Follow up on any new communications
- •Update tracker with any new information
Weekly (2-3 hours)
- •Batch apply to 10+ new jobs
- •Reach out to 3-5 new connections for referrals or direct recruiter/HM outreach
- •Review and update your tracker metrics
Next: Master Interviewing
Now that you've organized your job search, let's prepare you to ace your interviews. You'll learn how to:
Structure compelling STAR format responses
Schedule and prepare for different interview types
Handle tough questions with confidence
If you're building freedom too — or thinking about what comes next — you can follow my journey here: