# 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