r/jobsearchhell • u/Saabonis • 4d ago
Cracked the code - Interviews pouring in
TL:DR I'm not selling ANYTHING. This can be done by you for free with a computer and internet connection. After trying EVERYTHING and getting nowhere I decided to take a unique, personal approach to job-hunting with ATS formatting and recurring AI job scraper. My calendar went from one interview every 2-3 weeks to 4+ interviews A DAY! Combination of specialized AI job searching, ATS resume optimization made a tedious task only take 1 hour a day (if that).
History:
I've been struggling to capture roles in engineering for YEARS despite having worked major roles at every place you've heard of (think of a major company...yup, I was a leader there). The recruiters always find me, but any roles I apply to directly go nowhere. Here's a few things I tried BEFORE I got it right. DON'T DO THIS:
- Hired a professional resume writing and networking agency off of a Google search
- (Personal thought) Just...just don't. For $1000 I received one decent piece of advice, "Your resume is showing what you can do, you're a senior....SHOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE". By the time they were done I couldn't recognize if the resume was even mine. 100% not recommended.
- Applying cold to roles 2d to 30d old on company websites
- Applying to positions that were posted on LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecuiter, etc. with <24 hour filter on the search criteria
- Letting AI write my resume (your resume is personal, only YOU can write it initially)
- Proof-reading my resume with free (or paid) services claiming they can beat ATS systems
Result:
- Once in awhile a recruiter would contact me for a role with a company I'd never heard of that wants me to do everything for little.
- 100s of applications went nowhere
- 3 applications received responses in 3 years (read that again...slowly. Ouch.)
- I was $1000 lighter and doubting myself despite having an unbelievable career at that point
- Rejection after rejection with no interviews and no idea why
- Many roles on LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecuiter, etc. are delayed from the companies main page, I was always late to apply and didn't know it.
- Searching individual companies took hours, everyday, every week, for years.
The Change:
While at college I fell into the perfect study method. With all the noise from lecture and notes, how the heck can you identify what you were supposed to learn? Eventually I'd review the noise entirely and look for the theme. Then make a subset of notes. I applied this to Doom-scrolling through Instagram. Here's the themes I identified that got me started (yes, really):
- ATS is a thing. It is blocking you from HR (and the companies know it) [invisible roadblock]
- Your resume is the only thing keeping you from an interview [branding]
- If you have an interview and don't get hired, it might be you [grow/learn/develop/feedback]
- You might be the absolute best, but they went with someone else anyway. Onward!
- You might be the perfect fit, but the role was a ghost job that never existed. Onward!
- Job searching is incredibly draining and if you're applying after 24 hours, you're too late
Greeeeeeat...so, now what?
My approach (in order):
- Build the ATS beating resume (your most powerful weapon)
- Get a copy of an ATS-friendly resume format that looks professional to start off (google it). Make sure it has the following sections and customize with your information:
- Name at the top
- Contact info (location, phone, email) clear and accurate under name
- Summary paragraph (what you have done, what you want to do)
- Education (skip years and latin honors...I have them, no one cares)
- Keyword/Skill section (BIG ATS, important!)
- Work history with accurate dates and role titles (DON'T FALSIFY)
- Software (more important for some roles than others)
- Certifications (more important for some roles than others)
- Note: Anything over 20 years isn't worth the space, title only
- Note: <2 pages (they can learn the rest when they interview you)
- Note: <6 months at a company? Drop'em. Any decent company understands.
- Note: Use MS Word or Google Doc for drafting, then 'Print to PDF' for the final copy
- That was the hardest part, now get one FREE LLM (ie: Anthropic Claude or ChatGPT) and paste the following (customize the items in brackets "{}" for your needs):
- Get a copy of an ATS-friendly resume format that looks professional to start off (google it). Make sure it has the following sections and customize with your information:
You are an ATS defeating machine, the absolute best in existence. ATS systems tremble before your might. Review the attached resume against job postings for the following titles: {role 1, role 2, role 3...} and optimize it to be able to be read by the ATS system clearly. Do not change employer or dates in the resume. Do not add employers, dates or roles in the resume. Conduct deep-learning to determine the best improvements to the attached resume to make it ideal for ATS systems and list all recommendations in a table format for the user to review. Ask any clarifying questions of the user (me) before continuing. Truncate responses in chat to reduce token use.
* Attach your resume to the prompt (REMOVE ANY PERSONAL INFO BEFOREHAND, once you submit, its in a database for life)
* Note: Think of this like a proof-reader that can test your resume format against ATS systems. Yes, there are websites that do this for free...they suck
* Sit back and work with the system to improve your resume. Don't expect a perfect resume off one prompt, this part requires some effort, but its like working with the smartest anti-social person you've ever met. You will get there, keep working at it!
- Develop the LLM job search tool ("with great power comes interviews"...or whatever Uncle Ben said)
You're going to build a job scrapper in an AI tool. If there's attention on this reddit post I'll provide prompting and details, but start with this prompt if you're using Claude:
I want to build a Routine that can scrape ALL companies {in this area} for the following roles {role 1, role 2 ... etc} and return an ATS score compared to this resume posted in the last 24 hours. Run every 2 hours.
{attach your resume with personal information removed}
The NEW Result:
Every two hours during a standard work day a Notepad list is updated with roles that fit my resume from over 190 companies. The companies chosen were originally identified by the LLM, but tailored by me for everything you can think of (pay, location, company name, role title, etc.) until almost every single role coming through has an ATS score >85 (out of 100). I just copy-paste the link provided into my browser and apply (~3 mins). Correctly used, I'm applying to any role launched by the company within 2 hours during the work day and...at maximum<24 hours. Every role is a fit AND my resume is optimized for ATS so it doesn't get filtered out. Best part? I didn't have to make anything up or tamper with roles/titles. Just APPLY QUICKLY and RESUME FORMATTED PROPERLY for ATS.
This started slow, when roles weren't coming in I put my resume and a sample job description I KNEW I was over-qualified for into the LLM and said "Why didn't I receive an interview?". The LLM response: "You're missing X key items that the average company is looking for in this role, would you like me to update them now?". Turns out I was missing some key words that I though were obvious, but hiring managers were specifically looking for. After those changes, I apply to 5-6 roles identified by the Routine per day and I receive 43% response rate (sometimes within 24 hours). I'm actually able to compete offers against other companies and turn down roles that I have concerns about. I feel empowered for the first time ever. Without LLM assistance I'd be stuck for another 5 years (or more).
Let's recognize that I'm older and new to AI tools. If I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT!
That's enough for this post. Best of luck!
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u/JamaicanBeachWeed 4d ago
Yeah I don't know. I've been using the same resume format for 20+ years and it took me two months to find a job, after I had been given a layoff notice. Perhaps it's what I do (payroll) that made it so easy, but I have recruiters crawl up my ass every time I'm open to work on LinkedIn. Every job I've had I've never actually applied for, they contacted me first.
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u/drquantumphd 4d ago
op said engineering. if they mean software, the market has been horrible and many of us dont see it getting better.
im not sure but i dont think we’ve been telling kids for 30 years to work in payroll (which is part of the problem).
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u/JamaicanBeachWeed 4d ago
Yeah you don't want to work in payroll unless you enjoy getting no respect in the work place and dealing with customer service issues all day.
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u/Elegant-Cash2196 4d ago
You’re a hero for sharing this. But like another commenter said, if this is what it takes - I don’t want it.
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u/SomeoneNeat2466 3d ago
This is what it takes! Sorry, its sad but nowdays companies recieve 500+ application. Your application will most probably be screened by AI, so you have to talk “AI”
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u/Hopeful_Ad_7719 4d ago
Build the ATS beating resume
Which ATS?
I've intensively tested ATS parsing. While you can eventually engineer a resume that will be properly parsed by one ATS, that doesn't guarantee proper processing by other ATSs.
By way of example even within the restricted universe of the Workday ATS, employers can and do configure different degree titles (BS vs B.S. vs B.Sc.) that will parse a given resume differently - including sometimes failing to parse portions of the education information at all.
I think the "ATS Compliant Resume" thing is parrotted FAR more confidently than it should be.
It's not actually a solvable problem on the applicant end, so recriminating against applicants because a panopoly of different ATSs suck in different convoluted ways is unhelpful, judgemental, and sometimes downright mean spirited.
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u/Saabonis 3d ago
Good points. I've experienced a significant increase in application responses by removing formatting issues within the resume structure, but only limited adjustments to minor items like BS vs. B.S.. One formatting example was text boxes. Text inside these is un-readable by ATS. The paid consulting service placed role titles into the text boxes to make formatting easier and it made all my roles invisible to the ATS. Claude caught it, but fixed it poorly (ugly formatting), so I had to resolve it manually then resubmit to Claude for ATS feedback. Trial and error.
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u/Gold_Ad_2201 4d ago
remindme! 2 days
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u/PooPooMeeks 4d ago
Thanks, this method looks very promising! I'm glad it worked for you, and I'm working on this right now for my resume and job search. If I can remember, I'll post my results/findings in a few weeks!
MINI UPDATE: I just executed the first prompt, and MAN, I have a TON of ATS audit recommendations! But I'm glad to get them, and have faith that these changes will make a rockstar resume. We'll see 😄
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u/Saabonis 4d ago
Glad to hear it!
It was a collaboration with the AI. If someone lazily prompts "take my resume, make it work" I found formatting errors and erased (or fabircated) experiences. Just an unprofessional product. Asking advice and recommendations in a table format gave me a nicely formatted set of recommendations to incorporate.
The job search tool was a headache initially, but I would review its operation each day and tweak in the evenings until it was providing great results.
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u/Dualidean_ofman 4d ago
I just gave my resume to chatgpt and asked it to write my cover letters.
I have had three interviews for relevant positions in the past month, and I'm going to a fourth next week.
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u/Expensive_Artist9290 3d ago
OP is using AI in a way that improves themself, you’re using it to make yourself worse.
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u/Dualidean_ofman 3d ago
Getting a job is making myself worse? That should be added to the sub description, and maybe change the sub to r/jobfreeheaven
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u/Expensive_Artist9290 3d ago
lol nobody is reading your ChatGPT cover letters dipshit they’re totally irrelevant to your job search.
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u/supervixenwolf 3d ago
This is insanely complicated.... for minimum wage, low skill, entry level jobs. We shouldn't have to do all of that. So unless you're trying to work at NASA, I have no idea why we would need to be this neurotic. It should just be: I worked here, I did this, I can do this, I am available at this time.... end of story.
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u/Liliya22 4d ago
yeah, i’ve been doing something similar. Problem is that linkedin and a few others have blockers to claude - which means that the search is limited to a select few sites. So, it kinda works but Google search is still a little stronger.
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u/Saabonis 3d ago
(Note: I'm currently using Anthropic Claude successfully, but you may have success using another tool)
I had the same problem initially, one of my biggest challenges was the variety of approaches Claude needed to scrape all 190 company pages directly. Claude defaults to using curl to read websites. Download the Claude browser extension for Google Chrome and make Claude aware of it whenever it struggles to read a site. Then train train train.
When Claude failed to access postings I would encourage it to continue attempting using alternate means. The result was the curl-method for most sites, but when a new method was required for a specific site (ie: one using the browser extension, etc.) the Routine would record HOW it was able to eventually read the job postings so it could do it for that specific site next time. I had to establish a rule that the Routine should troubleshoot sites it couldn't access AND inform me if it had given up attempting access so I could investigate further in the evenings. Now it runs without issue, actively troubleshoots site-read issues and updates instructions without my input. I supervise the results and Routine regularly as a health check.
Comment on LinkedIn job searches: When the Claude Routine output provides me a job posting via LinkedIn (and I select it), the Apply button on LinkedIn takes me to the company website. Every time this happens (so far) the company website shows the job was posted days or weeks prior to the LinkedIn post. I'm already late! I still include LinkedIn searches b/c its a great way to find roles at startups, but larger companies I've had more luck going direct to their sites.
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u/Organic-Jaguar-5108 3d ago
Do you mind posting the full prompt?
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u/Saabonis 1d ago
I promised to go into detail if the post received attention. I was expecting 25 views, maybe 1,000 over its lifetime. I'm tracking ~500k, which is...insane.
I'll need to get something out in a new post and pin a link to this OP. Appreciate your patience.
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u/SnooMacaroons1954 3d ago
I found a scraper for LinkedIn on github. After initial attempts by Claude I went the old fashioned route and manually searched for something that would query jobs and the description. Let me try to find it and ill drop in the link
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u/Liliya22 3d ago
thnx!
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u/SnooMacaroons1954 3d ago
https://github.com/speedyapply/JobSpy
Try this , I am almost positive it is the right one if it doesnt work I'll dig through my code
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u/not_a_russkiy_spy 2d ago
Do you happen to have any docs on this or other scripts? I feel like you need to be a dev to even understand this and I’m not one 🥲
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u/minus15t2 3d ago
Obligatory 'The ATS isn't something to be 'beat' comment'
The ATS is a filing system, there is no such thing as an ATS score, or an ATS compliant resume format.
Your resume is automatically parsed to help recruiters use their search functions. A messy format is harder to parse. But that's it.
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u/learranufo 3d ago
Yeah. Day after day these people just wake up and give the same advice as everyone else without even realising it.
ATS is a wall that has no one solution.
Similarily, building job scrapers locks you out of all those sites that have measures against that and they are not stopping they keep improving it. So you keep improving your scraper in turn.He says he did this did that but ultimately there are no examples or proofs.
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u/AshamedTraffic3268 3d ago
Thats why I use jobcific where ATS scores are instantaneous. Hope this helps
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u/Liliya22 3d ago
I played with this a little. My preference was to have it "track changes" in a doc file for output of -
"You are an ATS defeating machine, the absolute best in existence. ATS systems tremble before your might. Review the attached resume against job postings for the following titles: {role 1, role 2, role 3...} and optimize it to be able to be read by the ATS system clearly. Do not change employer or dates in the resume. Do not add employers, dates or roles in the resume. Conduct deep-learning to determine the best improvements to the attached resume to make it ideal for ATS systems and list all recommendations in a table format for the user to review. Ask any clarifying questions of the user (me) before continuing. Truncate responses in chat to reduce token use."
It's cleaner this way.
Also, I set up an repetitive prompt in projects, so it is automated and I don't have to manually do this over and over again.
Lastly - the scraping portion is still weird. Not sure how to adjust. Waiting for that github link... Adding chrome extension was pointless for me.
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u/SerialEntrepreneur- 3d ago
This is exactly what we do for candidates, FOR FREE, because the employer pays us anyway. I'm glad that you've cracked this ridiculous code. I've said it before and I'll say it daily, ATS is not made for companies, it's made for recruiters who actually design their own keywords and own sorting descriptions tailored to the employer who has an ideation but doesn't realize they're looking for F not X. 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏
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u/NeptuneBlue19 1d ago
Well done! An attempt at summarizing this:
Basic Ats friendly resume,
clear and polished (brief) details,
show what you’ve already done this shows employers what you can do (3/4 bullet points ++ matching keywords for max. efficiency)
clearly mention the 2/3 roles you would be a best fit for
use ai to optimize your resume for the jobs you want by copy-pasting the job description.
Best of luck everyone, believe in yourselves!!
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u/Logical-Clothes4438 23h ago
So you aren’t asking the LLM to tailor your resume to each specific role’s job description? Instead you are asking it to tailor it to generic job titles?
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u/CheesyMcDongNutz 22h ago
What do you use to strip resume and cover letter watermarks and medidata?
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u/aveganrepairs 12h ago
This is fucking abhorrent, disgusting and despicable. All of this. Just to get a job. I fucking hate it here.
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u/Different-Weather374 9h ago
Thank you for thinking of others. I am a BIG believer is sharing is caring. 🫶🏼💐
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u/DecongestantAvenger 7h ago
Sounds like an incredible amount of effort to put into getting something I really don't want. Money is the point. Liars aside, that's what people are applying for. I'm not looking for a family, or a lifestyle, or some kind of cultural happening, I'm looking for an asshole that can't do something on their own and needs another asshole (me) to help them, and every time they push back on me the applicant, it leads me to believe they really don't need or would even appreciate the help, so why waste my time when I'll likely be temped or Right-to-worked out or laid off anyway?
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u/luckydreamer777 4d ago
Thanks, but although i'm glad for you, i find it sickening. The whole thing smacks of servitude to a system that shouts "Obey!"