03 · Search like an operator · Chapter 20 of 35
Use your funnel to diagnose problems
Your search data can show which stage needs improvement. Do not diagnose a strategy from five applications.
8 min read
| Pattern | Likely issue | What to change first |
|---|---|---|
| No screens after 20+ targeted apps | Targeting, resume parse/relevance, or applying through black holes | Revisit role family, rewrite summary and top bullets, apply on the company site, add 5 warm contacts |
| Screens but no interviews | Verbal positioning, salary mismatch, availability, or a Yes you cannot defend | Script the 90-second pitch; audit keywords vs. evidence; practice the recruiter screen aloud |
| Interviews but no offers | Shallow stories, weak role knowledge, poor questions, mis-fit you also feel | STAR bank, fundamentals refresh, close with 90-day picture; be willing to disqualify a bad job |
| Offers | You have a decision problem, not a search problem | Offer matrix: compensation, work design, benefits, growth, stability—not salary alone |
Sample sizes matter. Five applications is noise. Twenty targeted applications with notes is a dataset. If you changed three variables at once (new resume, new titles, new city), you will not know what worked. Change one major variable per week after the foundation is built.
Do this now
- Once a week, count applications → screens → interviews → finals → offers in the Workbook dashboard.
- Pick one improvement for the next seven days. Only one.
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