Applying
Cover letters, screening questions, timing, referrals and how much to apply.
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7 guides
Does Anyone Read Cover Letters?
Sometimes, by some people, in some situations. How to tell which you are in, and what a letter can do that a CV cannot.
Screening Questions, and the Ones That Actually Disqualify
These are the real automated filter — every recruiter uses them. Which answers are binary, which are judgement, and where applications quietly fail.
Applying Early: What the Timing Data Suggests
Recruiters say the first two or three days matter more than almost anything about the CV. What that changes about how you organise a search.
Referrals: How to Ask Someone You Barely Know
A referred application enters a different queue. The ask is uncomfortable mainly because people do it in a way that makes it hard to say yes.
Following Up Without Becoming a Problem
When a follow-up helps, when it does nothing, and when it costs you. The timing, the wording, and how many is too many.
Applying to a Role You Are Not Fully Qualified For
Postings describe an ideal that rarely exists. Which requirements are binary, which are aspirational, and how to apply without pretending.
Volume Versus Targeting
Both extremes fail: two hundred generic applications and four perfect ones. Where the useful middle sits, and how to tell which side you are erring on.