Finding real openings · 5 min
How to find jobs directly on company career pages
A plain routine for finding openings on company career pages: where the pages live, how to search many at once, and how to check a posting is still open.
Guides for a search you want to finish.
16 plain guides to finding real openings, choosing what to apply to, and sending applications you are glad you sent. Every claim is sourced.
01 · Where to look
Finding real openings
How employers actually publish jobs, how to reach the original posting, and how to tell a real opening from a stale or fake one.
Finding real openings · 5 min
Ghost jobs: how to tell if a job posting is real
What ghost jobs are, what the surveys behind the headlines measured, the signs a posting is stale, and a two-minute check to run before you apply.
Finding real openings · 5 min
Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, Ashby: an applicant's guide
What Greenhouse, Lever, Workday and Ashby each mean when you apply: accounts, emailed codes, autofill, and what the vendors' own help pages say.
Finding real openings · 5 min
What is an applicant tracking system (ATS)? A plain guide
What an applicant tracking system does with your application, what it can reject on its own, and why the 75% of resumes figure has no study behind it.
02 · What to apply to
Choosing what to apply to
How many applications are worth sending, how to read a posting against your own experience, and how to search for a role that goes by ten names.
Choosing what to apply to · 5 min
How many jobs should you apply to per week?
There is no magic number of applications. Here is what federal survey data says about applications, interviews and offers, and a weekly pace you can keep.
Choosing what to apply to · 5 min
How to find remote jobs that are actually remote
Many jobs tagged remote turn out to be hybrid or limited to certain states. How to check a posting before you apply, and how to avoid work-from-home scams.
Choosing what to apply to · 5 min
Job title variations: how to search every name for your role
Employers call the same job by different names, and a search for one title misses the rest. How to build your list of titles and search them all at once.
Choosing what to apply to · 5 min
Should you apply if you don't meet every qualification?
Most people skip jobs they could do because they read the requirements as rules. What the research says, and how to read a job description line by line.
03 · How to apply
Applying as yourself
Where to apply, what automation does to an application, and how to write the answers that are actually about this job.
Applying as yourself · 5 min
Apply on the company website or through LinkedIn or Indeed?
Where your application goes from LinkedIn, Indeed or the company website, what the employer sees, and when applying direct is worth the extra minutes.
Applying as yourself · 5 min
Do auto-apply AI tools work? What the evidence shows
Auto-apply bots promise hundreds of applications while you sleep. What recruiters and researchers report, what is unproven, and where AI help is reasonable.
Applying as yourself · 5 min
How to answer "Why do you want to work here?" in writing
A plain method for the "Why do you want to work here?" box on a job application: what employers look for, a three-part structure, and what to leave out.
Applying as yourself · 5 min
Should you use AI to write your job applications?
What hiring managers say about AI-written applications, what two studies found, and a way to use AI for job applications without sounding like everyone else.
04 · Getting through the form
The form itself
The questions every application asks, what you do and do not have to answer, and how to keep track of what you sent.
The form itself · 5 min
Common job application questions and how to answer them
Plain answers to common job application questions: work authorization, visa sponsorship, salary expectations, salary history and start date. US-focused.
The form itself · 5 min
Criminal history question on a job application: what to answer
How to answer the criminal history question on a job application: when employers may ask, what you can leave out, and your rights in a background check.
The form itself · 5 min
How to track job applications (and why it matters)
How to track job applications: what to record, a simple spreadsheet layout, when a log is required for unemployment benefits, and a weekly review routine.
The form itself · 5 min
Voluntary self-identification: do you have to answer?
Voluntary self-identification questions on US job applications: why employers ask about race, gender, veteran status and disability, and what changed in 2026.
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