Job Search Strategy Template
Strategize a focused job search to find work you want
Starting idea
This template starts your interview with the idea below, so you can skip the blank page
Looking for a senior product role at a Series A or B startup. Currently employed so can be selective. Tried the spray-and-pray approach before and hated it. Want quality over quantity this time.
Questions the interview asks
A sample of what the AI covers for this topic — the full interview adapts to your answers
- Target definition
Beyond 'Series A/B startup' — which domains, company sizes, and product types? A target list of 25 specific companies beats a category every time.
- Non-negotiables
What would make you decline an otherwise good offer — compensation floor, remote policy, equity terms, the manager, the roadmap? Decide before the first interview, not during.
- Positioning
What's the one-line answer to 'why you' for a startup — the outcome you've driven that a Series A founder would pay for?
- Channel
At senior level, most startup roles fill through networks and investors' talent teams before job boards. Who in your network is one intro away from your target list?
- Pipeline math
How many active conversations can you run while employed — realistically 3-5 — and what weekly time budget funds outreach without burning you out?
- Evaluation
How will you diligence a startup back — runway, founder references, retention? Being selective means interviewing them as hard as they interview you.
What your plan covers
The finished plan is organized into sections like these
- Target company list
25-40 named companies filtered by stage, domain, and your non-negotiables — with the VC portfolio pages and databases to build it from.
- Positioning and materials
Your narrative for the 'why startups, why now' question, a resume rewritten around outcomes, and the two-paragraph outreach note that doesn't read like a template.
- Networking engine
Warm-intro mapping across your network, investor talent teams, and communities — with a weekly outreach cadence sized for someone still employed.
- Pipeline management
Running 3-5 conversations in parallel, tracking stages, pacing processes so offers land close together, and the polite holding patterns that buy time.
- Company diligence
The questions that reveal runway and founder quality, reference-checking a startup, and reading an equity offer — strike price, percentage, preferences — like an investor would.
- Decision framework
Scoring offers against your stated non-negotiables, comparing startup equity to your current compensation honestly, and the go/no-go criteria set in advance.
How it works
Three steps from template to complete plan
- 1 Start with the template
Click the button below to load this template into your session with the idea pre-filled.
- 2 Answer AI questions
Our AI interviewer asks targeted follow-up questions to understand your specific situation and needs.
- 3 Get your plan
Receive a clear, detailed, and actionable plan tailored to exactly what you described.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a senior-level job search take?
While employed and being selective, expect 3-6 months: a few weeks building the target list and materials, 6-10 weeks of active conversations, and startup processes running 3-5 weeks each from intro to offer. Senior searches are slower because the roles are fewer and diligence runs both directions — pipeline pacing matters more than volume.
How many job applications should I send?
For a targeted senior search, think in conversations, not applications: 25-40 target companies, warm paths into 10-15 of them, and 3-5 active processes at any time. Cold applications at senior level convert around 1-2%; warm introductions convert at 10x that. If you're sending 100+ applications, the targeting is broken, not the volume.
How do I job search while employed without my employer finding out?
Keep it off employer equipment and time, skip the public 'open to work' banner (recruiter-only visibility exists for this), and schedule calls at lunch or early morning. Tell interviewers you're conducting a confidential search — it's standard and respected. Have your references be past colleagues, and hold your current manager until an offer is in hand.
Ready to plan your job search strategy?
Start with this template. AI handles the questions from here.
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