Lots of updates

2026-03-18 23:32:45 -04:00
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+# Job Search Strategy
+
+Systematic approach to finding quality backend engineer positions that match your criteria.
+
+---
+
+## Your Non-Negotiables ✅
+
+**Hard Requirements:**
+- Remote (100% or work-from-home)
+- No on-call/pager duty
+- $130K+ salary
+- Backend engineer role
+- Technologies: Python, Go, Rust (preferred)
+
+**Red Flags = Auto-Skip:**
+- On-call rotation mentioned
+- Pager duty / 24x7 support
+- "Startup hustle" culture
+- Heavy mentoring expectations
+- Not truly remote
+
+---
+
+## Three-Tier Search System
+
+### TIER 1: Daily (5 min)
+
+**Purpose:** Stay aware of new postings, catch great opportunities early
+
+**Boards:**
+1. **WeWorkRemotely** (https://weworkremotely.com)
+   - Filter: Dev Engineering, Remote
+   - Look for: Established companies, explicit remote culture
+   - Why: Curated, trusted companies post here first
+
+2. **RemoteOK** (https://remoteok.com)
+   - Filter: Backend, Python/Go/Rust, Remote, $130K+
+   - Look for: Salary upfront, time zone info
+   - Why: Smart filters, no guessing on salary
+
+3. **Built In** (https://builtin.com/jobs/remote/dev-engineering/)
+   - Filter: Remote, backend engineer, Python/Go
+   - Look for: Startup and scale-up companies
+   - Why: Good quality postings from growth companies
+
+**Action:** 5 minutes, check each board, bookmark promising roles
+
+---
+
+### TIER 2: Weekly (20 min)
+
+**Purpose:** Broader search, check secondary sources, targeted platforms
+
+**Boards:**
+4. **LinkedIn** (https://linkedin.com/jobs)
+   - Filter: Remote, Backend Engineer, $130K+, Mid-Senior level
+   - Setup: Create saved search for notifications
+   - Look for: Direct company postings, recruiter outreach
+   - Why: World's largest network, catches hidden roles
+
+5. **DailyRemote** (https://dailyremote.com)
+   - Filter: Dev, Remote
+   - Look for: Freshly posted daily listings
+   - Why: Curated daily, less saturated than Indeed
+
+6. **Indeed** (https://indeed.com)
+   - Filter: Remote, Backend Engineer, $130K+, Python/Go
+   - Setup: Notification alerts
+   - Look for: Less covered roles, niche companies
+   - Why: Largest job board, catches everything
+
+7. **Cord.co** (https://cord.co)
+   - Just browse your matches
+   - Look for: Companies interested in YOU
+   - Why: Passive matching = less competitive
+
+8. **Language-Specific Boards**
+   - Golang.cafe — https://golang.cafe (if interested in Go)
+   - RemotePython.com — https://remotepython.com (Python focus)
+   - RustJobs.dev — https://rustjobs.dev (Rust focus)
+
+**Action:** 20 minutes, check each board, bookmark 1-3 interesting roles
+
+---
+
+### TIER 3: Monthly (45 min)
+
+**Purpose:** Deep search, check specialized sources, target specific companies
+
+**Secondary Boards:**
+9. JobServe — https://jobserve.com
+10. JustRemote — https://justremote.co
+11. Totaljobs — https://totaljobs.com
+12. Hiring Cafe — https://hiring.cafe
+
+**Target Company Careers Pages:**
+
+**High Priority (Check Weekly):**
+- Stripe — https://stripe.com/jobs
+- GitLab — https://gitlab.com/careers
+- Automattic — https://automattic.com/jobs
+- Zapier — https://zapier.com/jobs
+
+**Medium Priority (Check Monthly):**
+- Cloudflare — https://cloudflare.com/careers
+- Vercel — https://vercel.com/careers
+- Shopify — https://shopify.com/careers/search
+- Twilio — https://twilio.com/careers
+
+**Growth Companies:**
+- Segment — https://segment.com/careers
+- Datadog — https://www.datadoghq.com/careers/
+- Figma — https://figma.com/careers
+- Notion — https://notion.so/careers
+
+**Action:** 45 minutes, check secondary boards and target company pages, find 2-5 promising roles
+
+---
+
+## Filtering Workflow
+
+### Step 1: Title & Location Check (10 seconds)
+```
+Does it say "Backend Engineer" OR "Platform Engineer" OR "Infrastructure Engineer"?
+Is it marked "Remote" or "Work from home"?
+→ If NO to either: Skip immediately
+```
+
+### Step 2: Salary Check (10 seconds)
+```
+Can you see the salary?
+  → If shown: Is it $130K+?
+  → If not shown: Check company size/location clues
+→ If clearly below $130K: Skip
+```
+
+### Step 3: On-Call Check (20 seconds)
+```
+Search job description for:
+  - "on-call"
+  - "pager duty"
+  - "24/7 support"
+  - "production ownership"
+  - "incident response"
+→ If ANY found: SKIP IMMEDIATELY (hard requirement)
+```
+
+### Step 4: Tech Stack Check (20 seconds)
+```
+Does job mention:
+  - Python? Go? Rust? (preferred)
+  - Or Java? C? JavaScript? (acceptable)
+→ If only: C++, C#, .NET, Java only: Lower priority but consider
+→ If only: Frontend-heavy or full-stack: Consider lower
+```
+
+### Step 5: Company & Culture Check (30 seconds)
+```
+Company mission: Does it align with your values?
+Company size: Startup? Scale-up? Established?
+Team size: How many engineers?
+Growth: Profitable? Funded? Stable?
+→ Red flags: "Hustle culture", "startup energy", "move fast/break things"
+```
+
+---
+
+## Verification Process
+
+Found a position that passes filters? Verify it's real:
+
+### 1. Find on Job Board ✓
+- Position found on WeWorkRemotely, RemoteOK, etc.
+- Note the posting date
+- Screenshot or bookmark
+
+### 2. Go to Company Website
+- Search: "[Company Name] careers" in Google
+- Or go directly: company.com/jobs
+- Example: stripe.com/jobs, gitlab.com/careers
+
+### 3. Find the Exact Role
+- Look for same job title and team
+- Verify posting date (not old)
+- Check if "Apply Now" button is active
+- Read full job description for red flags
+
+### 4. Get Direct Application URL
+- Copy the direct link from company site
+- This is what you'll use to apply
+- Save in job_search.html dashboard
+
+### 5. Final On-Call Check
+- Read full job description one more time
+- Search for: "on-call", "pager", "24/7", "incident response"
+- If found: Flag as red, skip application
+- If not found: Proceed to applying
+
+---
+
+## Application Workflow
+
+Once you've found and verified a great position:
+
+### 1. Get Job Description
+- Copy full job description
+- Save it
+
+### 2. Build Resume
+```
+/build-resume [paste job description]
+```
+This creates:
+- Customized resume
+- Customized cover letter
+- Job breakdown with strategy notes
+- PDFs ready to submit
+
+### 3. Apply on Company Site
+- Use direct URL from company careers page (not job board)
+- Submit resume and cover letter
+- Optional: Write personalized cover letter
+
+### 4. Log Application
+- Update `/home/paul/.claude/projects/-home-paul-Public-resume/memory/applications_tracker.md`
+- Record: date applied, company, role, fit score
+- Set reminder for follow-up (1 week)
+
+### 5. LinkedIn Connect
+- Find hiring manager or team member
+- Send connection request with personal note
+- Mention: "Just applied for [Role] at [Company]"
+
+---
+
+## Batch Application Strategy
+
+Research shows **3-5 focused applications per week** is better than:
+- ❌ Applying to 20+ per day (low quality)
+- ❌ Waiting weeks between applications (momentum loss)
+- ✓ 3-5 quality fits with customized materials
+- ✓ Consistent follow-up cadence
+
+### Week 1: Find & Apply
+- Mon: Search, find 3-5 positions
+- Tue-Thu: Build resumes, customize cover letters
+- Fri: Submit all applications
+
+### Week 2: Follow-Up
+- Connect on LinkedIn with 3-5 hiring managers
+- Check email for responses
+- If no response from initial batch: Pursue interviews from interested companies
+
+### Week 3: Build on Interest
+- Interview prep for interested companies
+- Continue search for new positions
+- Repeat cycle
+
+---
+
+## Search Optimizations
+
+### Set Email Alerts
+- Indeed: Daily email for "remote backend engineer $130K"
+- LinkedIn: Weekly digest for saved searches
+- WeWorkRemotely: Weekly job alert email
+
+### Use Advanced Filters
+**Indeed search:**
+```
+(backend engineer OR platform engineer OR infrastructure engineer)
+AND remote
+AND salary:130000
+```
+
+**LinkedIn search:**
+```
+Title: Backend Engineer, Platform Engineer, or Infrastructure Engineer
+Location: On my own terms
+Salary: $130K-$300K
+Experience: Mid-Senior
+```
+
+**RemoteOK search:**
+```
+Skills: Backend, Python, Golang, Rust
+Min Salary: $130,000
+Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
+```
+
+### Customize Searches by Tech
+If you want Python-heavy roles:
+- Add "Django" or "FastAPI" to search
+- Check RemotePython.com weekly
+
+If interested in Go roles:
+- Add "Go" or "Golang" to search
+- Check golang.cafe daily
+
+If interested in Rust roles:
+- Check RustJobs.dev weekly
+
+---
+
+## Tracking & Metrics
+
+### Track These
+- Positions found per week
+- Positions verified
+- Applications submitted
+- Response rate
+- Interview conversion
+
+### Weekly Metric Goals
+- **Find:** 5-10 positions from daily searches
+- **Verify:** 3-5 verified on company sites
+- **Apply:** 3-5 quality applications
+- **Response:** Track replies, interviews, offers
+
+### Save Search Results
+After finding and verifying a position, save to search folder:
+```
+/job-search track-found [company] [role] [URL] [fit-score]
+```
+
+This saves search results to `/home/paul/Public/resume/search/` and updates `/home/paul/Public/resume/job_search.html` with your new position.
+
+---
+
+## Red Flags Checklist
+
+### Skip Immediately If:
+- [ ] On-call/pager duty mentioned
+- [ ] 24/7 support required
+- [ ] "Startup hustle" or "move fast" culture
+- [ ] Non-remote (despite claiming "remote friendly")
+- [ ] Heavy management/mentoring emphasized
+- [ ] No salary transparency
+- [ ] Unclear role responsibilities
+- [ ] Negative Glassdoor reviews about work-life balance
+
+### Yellow Flags (Research More):
+- [ ] Equity-heavy compensation (low base)
+- [ ] Very high meeting culture
+- [ ] Frequent "emergency" incidents mentioned
+- [ ] Rapid team turnover (from research)
+- [ ] Vague about on-call expectations
+
+---
+
+## Tools & Resources
+
+**Files in your project:**
+- `/home/paul/Public/resume/JOB-BOARDS-TO-SEARCH.md` — Complete board list
+- `/home/paul/Public/resume/job_search.html` — Dashboard of 35+ positions
+- `/home/paul/.claude/projects/-home-paul-Public-resume/memory/applications_tracker.md` — Your application log
+
+**Related skills:**
+- `/build-resume` — Build customized resumes and cover letters
+- `job-search` — This skill, for finding and filtering positions
+
+---
+
+## Monthly Check-In
+
+Once per month, evaluate:
+- **Quality:** Are positions good fits?
+- **Quantity:** Finding enough positions?
+- **Success:** Getting interviews? Offers?
+- **Strategy:** Need to adjust boards or search criteria?
+
+Update `JOB-BOARDS-TO-SEARCH.md` (in this skill directory) if:
+- A board is consistently low-quality
+- A board is consistently excellent
+- You discover new boards to add
+
+---
+
+**Last Updated:** March 18, 2026