Insights · Notes from the practice

Field notes
from a search.

Crawlable guides and essays built from live reverse-recruitment work: direct ATS sourcing, resume strategy, senior positioning, interview loops, and the psychology of long searches.

Essay 0112 min read · Apr 2026

The hidden tax of LinkedIn Easy Apply

Easy Apply optimizes for the wrong metric — applications submitted, not applications read. A breakdown of why direct ATS routing is 4-7× more effective, with data from 200+ recent searches.

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Search channels7 field notes · Updated Jun 2026

Direct ATS sourcing and hidden-market job search

How to find better roles earlier, avoid crowded aggregator queues, and build a direct company-sourcing system.

Includes: How to source 30 target companies in an evening

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Resume systems15 field notes · Updated Jun 2026

Resume, ATS, and per-role tailoring guide

A practical guide to ATS parsing, resume tailoring, cover letters, JD mirroring, and recruiter-readable positioning.

Includes: How to read a job description like a hiring manager

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Interview loop16 field notes · Updated Jun 2026

Outreach, interviews, follow-up, and offer strategy

Field-tested notes on referrals, recruiter outreach, interview prep, follow-up, salary questions, and offer decisions.

Includes: How to handle salary questions in early conversations

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Search operations24 field notes · Updated Jun 2026

The senior job search operating system

How to run a senior search as a measured operating system: target lock, trackers, daily cadence, funnel data, and recalibration.

Includes: How to research a company in 20 minutes (and why it shapes your application)

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Positioning17 field notes · Updated Jun 2026

Senior positioning and LinkedIn signal

How senior candidates choose target titles, test positioning, write clearer summaries, and make LinkedIn support the search.

Includes: How to write LinkedIn DMs that get replies

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Search psychology17 field notes · Updated Jun 2026

Job-search psychology, confidence, and persistence

The emotional and identity side of a long search: silence, rejection, confidence, patience, and staying steady without pretending.

Includes: Most senior professionals arrive exhausted

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Practice method9 field notes · Updated Jun 2026

Reverse recruitment method, buyer guide, and client-side search craft

A transparent look at reverse recruitment as craft work: sourcing, tailoring, approval gates, trackers, quality controls, and buying criteria.

Includes: The 35-Minute Application: What Reverse Recruitment Actually Is

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Career strategy30 field notes · Updated Jun 2026

Career pivots, AI shifts, and senior professional strategy

Guides for senior professionals navigating industry pivots, AI-driven role change, career coaching, and next-chapter decisions.

Includes: AI-written cover letters are now a liability

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Market reality15 field notes · Updated Jun 2026

Hiring-market anti-patterns and what works instead

A synthesis of what changed in the 2026 hiring market, why spray-and-pray fails, and what focused search strategy does differently.

Includes: Just apply to more jobs is the worst advice in 2026

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After the offer4 field notes · Updated Jun 2026

First 90 days, onboarding, and landing well

How senior professionals turn an offer into a durable landing: first-90-day plans, onboarding rhythm, and early trust-building.

Includes: How to build a 30/60/90-day plan for an interview

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