job-application-optimizer

Activate on:

• "optimize my resume for this job"
• "should I apply to this job"
• "tailor my resume"
• "ATS optimization"
• "keyword optimization"
• "job search strategy"
• "application strategy"
• "resume SEO"
• "job fit score"

NOT for:

• Initial career narrative creation (use career-biographer)
• Portfolio website design (use cv-creator directly)
• Market positioning analysis (use competitive-cartographer)
• General resume formatting (use cv-creator directly)

Treat job applications like search engine optimization:

| SEO Concept | Resume Equivalent |

|-------------|-------------------|

| Search query | Job description |

| Web page | Resume |

| Keywords | Skills & requirements |

| Meta description | Professional summary |

| H1 heading | Job title/headline |

| Content quality | Achievement metrics |

| Keyword density | Skills frequency (2-4% optimal) |

| Backlinks | Referrals & endorsements |

| Page speed | Scan time (<6 seconds) |

1. Opportunity Qualification

Before optimizing, determine if the job is worth applying to:

APPLY signals:

• Match score >65% on core requirements
• <3 years experience gap
• Transferable skills cover >50% of gaps
• Company culture aligns (green flags)
• Compensation in range

SKIP signals:

• Match score <50% with hard blockers
• >5 years experience gap
• Required certifications you don't have
• Multiple red flags (rockstar, wear many hats)
• Major relocation required (if not willing)

2. Keyword Research

Like SEO keyword research, extract and prioritize:

Primary Keywords (must include):

• Job title (exact match)
• Top 5 required skills
• Required certifications
• Industry/domain terms

Secondary Keywords (should include):

• Preferred skills
• Technology stack specifics
• Methodology terms (Agile, Scrum)

Long-tail Keywords (nice to have):

• Specific tools mentioned
• Soft skills emphasized
• Cultural values expressed

3. Tailoring Levels

LIGHT Tailoring (match >80%)

• Time: 15 minutes
• Reorder skills to match job priority
• Add 2-3 missing keywords to summary
• Ensure job title alignment
• Risk: None

MEDIUM Tailoring (match 60-80%)

• Time: 30 minutes
• Rewrite summary with top keywords
• Add skills section entries
• Emphasize relevant experience bullets
• Add 1-2 relevant projects
• Risk: Low

AGGRESSIVE Tailoring (match 50-65%)

• Time: 1 hour
• Complete summary rewrite
• Restructure skills by relevance
• Modify experience bullets with keywords
• Add quantifiable metrics
• Create variant resume
• Risk: Medium (over-optimization possible)

4. ATS Optimization Checklist

Before submitting, verify:

Format:

• [ ] Single-column layout
• [ ] Standard fonts (Arial, Calibri, Georgia)
• [ ] No tables, columns, text boxes
• [ ] No headers/footers (info gets lost)
• [ ] PDF or DOCX (DOCX preferred for ATS)
• [ ] No images or graphics

Structure:

• [ ] Contact info at top (not in header)
• [ ] Standard section headers
• [ ] Reverse chronological order
• [ ] Consistent date format (Month YYYY)
• [ ] 1-2 pages maximum

Content:

• [ ] Word count 400-800
• [ ] 5+ quantifiable achievements
• [ ] Action verbs at bullet start
• [ ] No buzzwords/clichés
• [ ] Keywords in first 1/3 of resume

Keywords:

• [ ] Keyword density 2-4%
• [ ] Both acronyms and full forms (AWS/Amazon Web Services)
• [ ] Skills in dedicated section
• [ ] Keywords in summary
• [ ] Exact match for proper nouns

5. Application Batch Strategy

For job search campaigns:

Daily:

• Apply to 5-10 jobs (quality over quantity)
• Track applications in spreadsheet
• Follow up on week-old applications

Weekly:

• Review which resumes got responses
• A/B test resume variants
• Adjust keyword strategy based on results

Monthly:

• Analyze conversion rates
• Update master resume with new achievements
• Refresh networking outreach

This skill works with:

cv-creator-mcp:

```

analyze_job → score_match → suggest_tailoring → score_ats

```

career-biographer:

Provides the structured CareerProfile that cv-creator-mcp uses.

competitive-cartographer:

Provides positioning strategy and differentiators.

```markdown

Step 1: Analyze Job

• Required: Go, Kubernetes, PostgreSQL, 5+ years
• Preferred: Kafka, gRPC, AWS
• Signals: Remote-friendly ✓, Equity ✓

Step 2: Score Match

• Overall: 78/100 (GOOD_MATCH)
• Matched: Go, Kubernetes, PostgreSQL, Kafka, gRPC
• Missing: None critical
• Gap: 0 years (8 > 5 required)

Step 3: Recommendation

• Apply: YES
• Tailoring Level: LIGHT
• Estimated Time: 15 minutes

Step 4: Tailoring Actions

1. Reorder skills: Go first, then K8s, PostgreSQL
2. Add to summary: "Specialized in event-driven microservices"
3. Ensure "Senior Backend Engineer" exact match in headline

Step 5: ATS Check

• Score: 85/100 ✓
• Quick wins: Add AWS certification date

Step 6: Apply

• Resume: alex-chen-techcorp-v1.pdf
• Cover letter: Generated with connection hook
• Tracking: Added to spreadsheet

```

1. Keyword Stuffing - >4% density triggers spam filters
2. Generic Resume - Same resume for every application
3. Ignoring ATS - Pretty resumes that machines can't read
4. Over-tailoring - Claims that can't be backed up
5. Skipping Cover Letter - Many ATS weight it heavily
6. Wrong File Format - PNG/JPG images of resumes
7. Missing Contact - Email in header that ATS loses

| Metric | Target | Alex Chen Example |

|--------|--------|-------------------|

| Applications/week | 20-30 | 25 |

| Response rate | >10% | 16% |

| Interview rate | >5% | 8% |

| Offer rate | >2% | 4% |

| ATS pass rate | >80% | 92% |

| Avg match score | >70% | 78% |

When optimizing, produce:

1. Match Analysis Report

- Score breakdown

- Matched/missing keywords

- Gaps and recommendations

1. Tailored Resume

- Modified summary

- Reordered skills

- Keyword-optimized bullets

1. Cover Letter

- Job-specific opening

- Achievement highlights

- Keywords integrated

1. Application Tracker Entry

- Date applied

- Version used

- ATS score

- Follow-up date