Job search checklist
How to run a search like a project: CV and pitch, a list of companies, channels, tracking applications, interview preparation and a sustainable pace.

[ ] Define the role you are looking for
    Direction, level, format, industry, location limits. A vague brief produces vague applications and random offers.
[ ] Rewrite the CV for that direction
    Experience as results, not duties. One page, a sensible file name, and no photo unless it is the norm in your field.
[ ] Prepare a short pitch about yourself
    A minute or so: who you are, what you have done, what you can do, what you are looking for. You will use it constantly.
[ ] Collect work samples or a portfolio
    A couple of strong examples with the task and the outcome. Check you are allowed to show them — some work is confidential.
[ ] Update your profiles and visibility settings
    Consistent wording everywhere, current role, open to offers. Check how the profile looks to a stranger.
[ ] Make a list of companies you want
    Searching by company finds what job boards never list. Twenty companies beat two hundred random applications.
[ ] Tell people you know that you are looking
    Referrals have the highest response rate. A specific request works better than a general post: what you seek and where.
[ ] Keep one list of applications
    Company, date, channel, contact, status, what was promised. In two weeks memory fails, in a month it is gone.
[ ] Write short cover notes
    Three sentences: why you fit, why this company, what you attach. A page of text gets read less often.
[ ] Set a weekly rhythm for the search
    Hours for applications, hours for preparation, time for life outside the search. \u201call day on job boards\u201d burns out in a fortnight.
[ ] Prepare separately for each interview
    What the company does, who you are meeting, three or four of your stories matched to their problems. Twenty minutes changes the conversation.
[ ] Prepare your own questions for the employer
    About the work, the team, expectations in the first months, how decisions get made. It is your assessment and a strong signal about you.
[ ] Decide your salary expectations in advance
    A floor, a comfortable number and what else you would negotiate besides base pay. Inventing it live is hard.
[ ] Write notes after every conversation
    What was asked, what was promised, when they will reply, what you owe them. After five companies it all blurs.
[ ] Follow up politely and on time
    If their stated deadline has passed, a short message is appropriate. That is normal practice, not pushiness.
[ ] Check the whole offer before accepting
    Base pay, bonuses, format, probation, duties, holiday. Asking for time to decide is normal and expected.
[ ] Leave time to recover
    Rejections are draining, and that is normal. Exercise, sleep and things outside the search sustain the pace better than ten more applications at night.

Checklist from Unload: https://unloads.me/c/job-search