Job Search Starter Kit

Cost

One bill: $20 a month.

My goal is the cheapest job search that works. You pay Anthropic $20 a month for Claude, plus any tax, and that's the cost. The kit is free, nothing comes to me, and there's nothing else to buy.

Claude's plans come with a usage allowance, and the less the kit uses, the further $20 goes. So I keep reworking it to use less: job-alert emails watch for new jobs, each day starts in a fresh short chat, a helper fills in long forms in a few steps, and Claude spends your plan on checking and deciding. Whenever I find a way to make $20 go further, this page gets the new version.

The kitFree
Claude, Pro plan$20 a month, to Anthropic
HelpersFree
Paid to meNothing

The price is from when this was written. Check today's at claude.com/pricing. A larger plan is optional: it lets a second Claude run all day. You don't need it to start.

What it does

It runs the search. You show up for the interviews.

Finds jobs

Each day it checks employers' careers sites from your list, a few at a time on the $20 plan, and reads your job-alert emails. It remembers every job it has seen, so nothing is read twice.

Scores them

Every job gets four scores before anything is sent: the pay, the place, the work itself, and how well you fit. Only the ones that score high enough go through. You set how high.

Applies

It fills in each application from facts you've confirmed, attaches the right résumé and sends it. Three checks stop it applying to the same job twice.

Saves up what needs you

Sign-ins, codes and signatures wait in one list, quickest first, with the minutes each takes. You clear them in one sitting.

Knows who you know

It spots people you know at each company, lines up the best open job there and the right résumé, and drafts the note. You send it.

Tells you who replied

Once you connect Gmail, it reads your inbox and tells you who wrote back. It flags scams, and applications that failed to send.

New: the fast-fill helper

A 30-question form, in five steps.

Typing a form one box at a time is the slowest part of an application. So the kit now has a small helper that lets Claude list every question, put in every answer at once, and read them all back.

I tested it on a real 30-question form, with the same answers both ways. Both got all 30 right. The first real application went out with it the same day.

It works on three common application systems: Greenhouse, Lever and Ashby. Claude fills every other form the usual way.
It never sends a form, attaches a file or touches a password box.
Your Claude asks you before it uses it the first time. You can say no.

One test on one form, so read it as a strong hint. It's a short script, and you can read every line of it.

Steps Claude took

By hand15

With the helper5

Minutes

By hand9.1

With the helper1.9

Trust

Is this safe?

Who made it. I'm Ankit Lulla, @ankit_lulla on Instagram. I built it for my own job search after I was laid off in September 2026, and I'm sharing the setup for free.
You don't download a program from me. The kit is a set of written instructions for Claude. It's ordinary text, and you can read every word of it at the bottom of this page first.
One optional piece is a short script. The fast-fill helper runs inside the job page, only if you say yes, and only to fill in the form. You can read it too.
What you install. The Claude app and its add-on for the Chrome browser, both from Anthropic, the company that makes Claude. Nothing else.
The money goes to Anthropic, not to me. The plan is monthly and you can cancel it.
It never asks you to type a password, a Social Security number or bank details into the chat. You type those yourself, on the real website, when a form needs them.
It works in one folder that you create. Delete the folder and the kit's files are gone. "How do I stop?" under Questions lists everything else to switch off.

Before you start

What you need.

A Mac or Windows laptop or desktop. Not a phone, a tablet or a Chromebook.
Claude's $20-a-month plan, called Pro. Claude plans have usage limits: one that resets every five hours on most plans, and one that resets every week. If you hit one, you wait and carry on.
The Google Chrome browser. It's free. Claude fills in application forms through an add-on for Chrome, made by Anthropic. Claude walks you through adding it.
Your résumé, as a file. A PDF is best. If yours is in Google Docs: File, Download, PDF Document. It lands in your Downloads folder. No résumé? Start anyway.
About an hour of your time. You can stop and come back. It can be spread over a day if you reach your plan's limit and wait for it to reset.

Setup

Set it up in seven steps.

Tick each step when it's done. Your ticks are saved only in this browser. Keep this page open, and switch between it and the Claude app.

Install the Claude app
- Go to claude.com/download and click the button for Mac or for Windows.
- Open your Downloads folder and double-click the file whose name starts with Claude.
- On a Mac: drag the Claude icon onto the Applications folder, then open Claude from Applications. On Windows: it installs itself. Open Claude from the Start menu.
- If your computer asks whether you're sure you want to open it, that's normal for an app downloaded from a website. Click Open.
It worked if the Claude app opens and asks you to sign in.
Done
Make an account and choose the $20 plan
- Sign up with your email or Google. It may open your web browser for a moment, then bring you back to the app.
- Click Code at the top of the bar on the left. If you only see small pictures there, hold your mouse over each one until one says Code.
- If it asks you to upgrade, choose Pro. That's the $20 plan, billed monthly.
It worked if Code opens without asking you to upgrade.
Done
Make a folder for your job search
- Make your windows smaller so you can see your desktop. That's the main screen behind them.
- Right-click an empty spot on it. On a Mac trackpad, that's a click with two fingers.
- On a Mac, choose New Folder. On Windows, choose New, then Folder.
- Type job-search and press Enter.
It worked if a folder called job-search is sitting on your desktop.
Done
Open that folder in Claude
- In the Claude app, click Code again. You won't write any code. It's the part of the app that can work with files on your computer.
- Look at the row of small buttons just under the message box. The first one should say Local, which means "on this computer". If it says something else, click it and pick the first line under Local.
- Click the folder button next to it and choose Open folder…. A file window opens. Click Desktop on the left, click job-search once, then click Open or Select Folder. The folder is empty for now. That's fine.
- If your computer asks whether Claude may use your Desktop folder, allow it.
- Save yourself some clicking: in the same row, click the button that says Manual and choose Accept edits. Claude can then save files in this folder without asking you each time.
It worked if you can see job-search next to the message box.
Done
Give Claude the kit
- The quick way. One click copies a short message. Claude fetches the kit's files itself, which takes seconds and uses very little of your plan. Your computer will ask you to allow a few small steps: the download, the unzip and the tidy-up. Say yes to each.
This screen won't let the button copy, so do it by hand. The message is highlighted in the box below. Press Ctrl+C, or Command+C on a Mac.

Would you rather not have anything fetched? Copy the whole kit as text instead. It does the same job, and takes a few minutes longer.
- One click copies the whole kit. You paste it once, and Claude does the rest. There's nothing to copy file by file.
This screen won't let the button copy, so do it by hand. The kit is highlighted in the box below. Press Ctrl+C, or Command+C on a Mac. If the highlight goes away, click in the box and press Ctrl+A or Command+A first.
- Switch to the Claude app and click inside the message box.
- Paste. That's Ctrl+V on Windows or Command+V on a Mac. You'll see a block of text, or a small card saying text was pasted. Either is right.
- Press Enter.
- Claude creates all the files in your folder by itself, then starts asking you questions. If it shows you a file with a button to approve it, approve it. If it stops partway because of a usage limit, come back when the limit resets and type "continue".
It worked if Claude lists the files and tells you what happens next.
Done
Answer Claude's questions
- It asks for your résumé first. Click the + next to the message box and pick the file, or drag it onto the Claude window. Not sure where it is? Tell Claude what you remember, and it helps you find it.
- Then it asks what jobs you want and where. Answer the way you'd text a friend. There are no wrong answers.
- After about 15 minutes it shows you your first list of jobs, each one scored for how well it fits you.
- Then it asks for the details forms need, like your address and work history, and makes a résumé for each kind of job you're going for. You open each one and say yes before any is used. That part takes 30 to 40 minutes, and you can stop partway.
- Last, it walks you through adding Claude to your Chrome browser, which is what lets it fill in forms and attach your résumé.
You can type any of these at any point:
- Explain that
- Skip for now
- Stop for today
It worked if you're looking at a list of real jobs with scores.
Done
Set it going

Claude tells you when setup is finished. From then on:
- Once a day, start a new chat in your job-search folder and type run today's search. To start a new chat, use the new-chat button at the top of the list on the left, and pick the folder the same way as in step 4.
- It tells you what it's about to do and asks if it's OK to start. Say yes.
- Stay for the first application. Your computer asks a few permission questions at first: may Claude save files, use Chrome, open this company's site. It waits at each one. Choose "always allow" where you're comfortable. A website it hasn't opened before can ask again, so look in on it now and then.
- While it works, keep your computer on and awake, and keep Chrome's window open on the screen, not minimised.
It worked if Claude starts searching and tells you what it's doing.
Done

The free helpers

Four ways it makes $20 go further.

None needs a new account. You do the signing in, and Claude does the reading, the matching and the typing. It never types or asks for a password.

Finds jobs

Job alerts by email

Job sites email you when a new job matches. Reading one email costs far less than searching a site.

You: Switch on alerts on the job sites you already use.
Claude: Tells you which words to use, reads the emails, and finds each job on the employer's own site.

Finds people

Your connections list

LinkedIn lets every member download their own list of connections. With it, spotting someone you know at a company is one quick look.

You: Download the list from LinkedIn's settings. Claude gives you the clicks.
Claude: Matches it to companies that are hiring. It never signs in to LinkedIn.

Saves typing

The fast-fill helper

A small script made for this kit. On a long form it puts in every answer in one step, where Claude would otherwise type each box.

You: Say yes the first time your Claude asks to use it.
Claude: Chooses the answers from your confirmed facts, checks every one on the form, and sends it the usual way.

Saves usage

A short chat each day

Every step Claude takes re-reads the whole conversation, so long chats cost more. The kit keeps everything in files, which lets each day start fresh.

You: Start a new chat each day and type "run today's search".
Claude: Picks up from the files, and reads text before it takes screenshots.

I measure before I claim a saving, and the numbers go on this page. Tools I've tested and left out are covered under Questions.

After setup

A few minutes a day.

Starting it takes a minute. Open Claude, click Code, start a new chat in your job-search folder, and type one of these:

Run today's search
What needs me?
Let's do the ones that need me
Show me my shelf
Check my inbox
Prep me for my interview
Help

Tell it what you want in plain words: "no jobs under $50k", "Chicago first", "skip that company". It writes each one down and follows it from then on. "Check my inbox" works once you've connected Gmail.

It runs on its own. At setup it asks how hands-on you want to be. Say "send them on your own" and it applies to every job that scores high enough, then tells you what it sent. Say "show me each one first" and it waits for your yes on each. You can switch whenever you like.

A few steps always need a person. It saves these up and tells you exactly what to click:

signing in, or creating an account, on a company's site
"I'm not a robot" checks, and codes sent to your email
anything you sign

Many large employers make you sign in before you can apply, so expect a short sitting like that most days.

About me

I'm Ankit. I got laid off, so I built this.

Ankit Lulla · @ankit_lulla on Instagram

I was laid off in September 2026, at 23. Filling in forms all day sounded like a bad second job, so I built a system inside Claude to do it for me.

It has sent 1,341 applications to 908 companies. All of that went out while I was posting content every day, training for an Ironman, lifting, playing tennis a couple of times a week, and travelling to see friends in other cities. Some of it went out while I was driving.

I'm sharing the whole setup for free, and I'm documenting my own search until I'm hired, one piece of the system at a time. The next parts are on Instagram at @ankit_lulla. If the kit gets you an interview, tell me.

How it got built

Eight weeks, one fix at a time.

Nearly every part of the kit started as a mistake or a number I didn't like.

Week 1 · September

One chat and one résumé.

I opened Claude and started applying, a handful of jobs at a time.
Week 1

The same job got three applications.

My list of what I'd applied to had gaps.

RuleBefore every form, check the tracker, the inbox and the page itself.
Week 1

One chat became a team.

A worker that applies on its own, a driver that works with me when a site needs a sign-in, and check-ins that run on a timer.
Week 2

200 custom résumés, zero interviews.

I had been rewriting my résumé for every company. None of those applications led to an interview.

RuleA small set of résumés, one for each type of job.
Week 2

Every job gets a score first.

Would I thrive there, would I love the work, and would the hiring manager pick me. Low scores never get sent.
Week 2

It got a memory.

A list of every posting it has ever read, so nothing is read twice. That list has passed 73,000.
Weeks 3 to 5 · October

More applications, fewer replies.

About 640 went out in 17 days. Only 1.6% of them led to a request to talk.
Week 5

Fit first.

I raised the bar and narrowed the search to jobs I closely matched. Of the next 370 or so, 3.5% led to a request to talk.

RuleUnder a 6 out of 10 on fit, it doesn't apply.
Week 7 · November

Off the job boards.

Job boards were mostly noise. Now it checks the careers sites of the companies on my list for new postings, and reads my job-alert emails.
Week 8 · November 11

I gave it away.

I posted the video and shared the setup as this free kit.
Week 8 · November 12

Rebuilt for $20, with its own form helper.

The kit now runs on Claude's $20 plan, and the fast-fill helper cut a 30-question form from 15 steps to 5.

What to expect

Where my own search stands.

applications: 1,341
companies: 908
interviews and recruiter calls: 33

This kit won't get you hired on its own, and everything it submits goes out under your name. About 2 in every 100 of my applications got a reply asking to talk, and some of those went several rounds.

What raised the number was applying to fewer, closer-matched jobs: during the busiest stretch 1.6% of applications led to a request to talk, and after I got pickier 3.5% did. The numbers are small, so read that as a strong hint.

My search ran two chats all day on a large plan, and it reached further than this kit does. So expect fewer applications than my count, and judge it by the conversations you get.

Questions

Stuck, or just curious.

If you're stuck, the fastest fix is usually to tell Claude what you see on your screen and ask: "what do I do next?"

Stuck during setup

I can't find Code in the app

Check that you're in the Claude app you installed, not the Claude website in your browser. Code needs a paid plan. If it still isn't there, update the app. On a Mac, click Claude at the very top of the screen, then Check for Updates. On Windows, click Help, then Check for Updates.

The buttons under the message box don't match step 4

Apps change. Type this to Claude in any chat: "I want to start a Code session in my job-search folder on my Desktop. Tell me exactly what to click." Then carry on from step 5.

I pasted and nothing happened

Click inside Claude's message box first, so the cursor is blinking in it. Then paste, and press Enter. If the yellow button couldn't copy, use the box that appeared under it.

Claude keeps asking me to approve things

Out of the box, Claude asks before it creates or changes files and before it opens a website. Say yes to saving files in your job-search folder and to opening employers' websites. If it asks about anything outside that folder, or anything about payment, stop and ask it why.

You can turn the asking down. Click the button under the message box that says Manual:

Accept edits lets it save files in your folder without asking each time.
Auto, if your app shows it, lets it work without asking at each step. A built-in safety check still stops risky actions.

It asked me something I don't understand

Type "explain that in plain words". Or type "skip for now" and come back to it later.

I closed the app, or my computer restarted

Nothing is lost. Everything is saved in your job-search folder. Open Claude, click Code, open the folder again as in step 4, and type "continue".

It says I've reached a limit

Claude plans have usage limits: one that resets every five hours on most plans, and one that resets every week. You don't need to buy more. The message says when yours resets. Come back then and type "continue". Nothing is lost.

It wants me to do something I'm not sure about

Ask it: "Why do you need that, and is there a simpler way?" You can always say no. Claude should never ask you to type a password, a Social Security number or bank details into the chat. If anything does, stop.

Good to know

Is $20 a month really enough?

That's the goal the kit is built around: one short chat a day, with job-alert emails bringing new jobs to it. On that plan it does one pass a day and checks a few employers each time, so it sends fewer applications than a setup running all day.

I ran my own search on a larger plan, so I'm still measuring what a normal week costs on $20, and I'll post the numbers here. If you reach the limit, nothing breaks: you wait for it to reset and type "continue". I keep cutting how much the kit uses, and this page always has the newest version.

What is the fast-fill helper, and do I have to use it?

It's a short script I made for this kit. On a long application form it lets Claude list every question, put in every answer in one step, and read them all back, where it would otherwise click and type each box. In my first test on a real 30-question form that took 5 steps and about 2 minutes, against 15 steps and about 9 minutes by hand, with the same answers.

It runs only inside the tab with the job form. Nothing is installed on your computer.
It never sends a form, attaches a file, or touches a password box, a signature or an "I'm not a robot" check.
It works on Greenhouse, Lever and Ashby forms. Everything else is filled the usual way.
Your Claude asks before the first use, and checks that the script is exactly the one the kit names.

You don't have to use it. Say no and Claude fills forms the usual way. You can read the script here.

Can it run all day?

Yes, on a larger Claude plan ($100 or $200 a month). A second chat, called the worker, keeps finding jobs and applying while your main chat stays free to talk to. Everything it needs is already in the kit: tell your Claude "I've upgraded". You never have to do this.

Can it apply without me checking each one?

Yes. That's what it's built for. At setup it asks how hands-on you want to be. Say "send them on your own" and it applies to every job that scores high enough, then tells you what it sent. Say "show me each one first" and it lists the jobs it found and sends only the ones you say yes to.

I'm busy. How much of my time does it take?

About an hour to set up, and you can split that over a few sittings. After that you start it once a day and it works while you're away from the keyboard, as long as the computer stays on and awake. It needs you for a short sitting most days, to sign in to the company sites it couldn't get into, and for the interviews.

Can I use an autofill add-on like Simplify with it?

You can, but it isn't part of the kit. I tested Simplify, a free Chrome add-on that types your details into application forms, and left it out of the setup for three reasons.

Its rules don't allow an AI assistant to operate it, so you'd be running two things, not one.
On one real form filled twice, it typed 21 answers correctly the first time and 12 the second, and marked two empty boxes as filled.
A form it fills can carry its name in the web address, so the employer may see it as where your application came from.

That test is why I wrote the kit's own fast-fill helper. If you already use an add-on, press its button yourself and then ask Claude to check the form. Claude checks every answer on the employer's form, whoever typed it.

How does it know who I know?

You tell it. If you use LinkedIn, you download your own list of connections from LinkedIn's settings, which LinkedIn offers every member, and put the file in your job-search folder. Claude never signs in to LinkedIn and never looks anyone up there.

It matches the companies on your list with the companies that are hiring, checks each match with you, and builds your shelf: the person, the best open job at their company, the résumé to use, and a short note. You send every message yourself.

Will it make things up about me?

No. It fills in forms only from answers you've confirmed. If a form asks something new, it saves that application for you and moves on. It answers a form's yes/no questions truthfully, even when the truth rules you out.

Does it work for my kind of job?

It works for any field where employers post jobs on their own websites: journalism, marketing, nursing, teaching, engineering, sales. It's weaker for jobs that are mostly found through job-listing sites or word of mouth.

Where does it find jobs?

On employers' own careers pages, starting with the employers you name, and in your job-alert emails if you connect Gmail. It doesn't use job-listing sites such as LinkedIn and Indeed, because their rules don't allow software to use them for you. Use those yourself and turn on their job alerts.

What can it see on my computer?

The kit tells Claude to work in your job-search folder. With Claude's normal settings, it asks before it does anything else on your computer. Through the Chrome add-on it works in your own Chrome, in its own tabs, so it could open any site you're signed in to. The kit tells it to open employers' sites only, and Claude asks you before it visits a new website. It sees your email only if you connect Gmail.

Where does my information go?

Your answers are saved as files on your own computer. Claude reads them to do the work, so they pass through Anthropic's service like anything else you type to Claude. I collect nothing from you. Never put passwords, government ID numbers or bank details in those files.

How do I stop, or undo all this?

Type "stop" in any chat that's working. To undo everything:

If you set them up, tell Claude "turn off the schedules" and "delete my dashboard".
Delete the job-search folder.
Remove Claude's add-on from Chrome's extensions page.
Disconnect Gmail under Connectors in the Claude app.
Cancel your Claude plan in the app's settings, and uninstall the app like any other.

Will this get me a job?

Not on its own. The numbers from the search it came from are on this page, under "Where my own search stands". What it does is keep a search moving, organised and honest, and point it at jobs you actually fit.

Under the hood

Everything in the system.

I built this piece by piece over eight weeks and 1,341 applications. The kit sets up every part below, on every plan. A bigger plan only lets it run for longer.

files of instructions: 33
rules it follows: 22
application systems mapped: 18
scores on every job: 4

Chats: On the $20 plan, one chat a day does the finding, the scoring and the applying. On a larger plan a second chat, the worker, keeps going all day while the first stays free to talk to.
Résumés: It makes a résumé for each type of job you're going for, from facts you've confirmed. It checks that each one fits the page and reads cleanly to hiring software, and shows them to you first.
Find: It works down a list of employers' careers sites, taking the ones that have waited longest first, and reads your job-alert emails.
Score: Four scores on every job, and four gates a job has to pass before anything is sent.
Apply: It works from my notes on how 18 different application systems behave, uses the fast-fill helper where it works, and reads every answer back before it sends.
You: Whatever needs a person waits in one list, quickest first. You do them in one sitting, one company at a time.
People: The shelf: who you know at each company, the best open job there, the résumé to use and a note ready to send.
Track: One list holds every application. It's checked before each form, so nothing goes out twice.
Listen: The inbox check reads every tab of your email, so a reply sitting in Promotions isn't missed.
Save: A section of its instructions is about using less of your plan: text before screenshots, short chats, searching files instead of reading them whole.
Timer: If your Claude app offers scheduled tasks, it can run on a clock: an inbox check each morning and a list of what needs you twice a day. Ask your Claude if yours can.
Phone: If your Claude app can make private pages, it puts the whole search on one page for your phone. Ask your Claude if yours can.
Learn: Every week it counts which applications turned into conversations, by fit, by type of job and by city, and suggests what to change.

The rules

What it will not do.

These are written into the instructions your Claude reads every time. If you ask it to break one, it's told to say no and explain why.

It never invents a fact about you.
It answers the yes/no questions on a form truthfully.
It checks before every form, so it doesn't apply to the same job twice.
Sign-ins, passwords, codes, "I'm not a robot" checks, signatures and legal agreements are always yours. It ticks the ordinary boxes (a privacy notice, terms of use, "this is true") only if you tell it to.
If an employer says AI may not be used, or asks whether it was, that part is yours and the answer is the truth.
It never sends a message for you. It drafts, and you send.
It stays off job-listing sites, and it stops at anything that looks like a scam.

It also scores every job before applying, and holds back the ones that don't fit. You can still point it at a specific job yourself.

Nothing hidden

Read it before you use it.

You don't copy these one by one. The yellow button in step 5 handles all of them. This list is here so you can see what's inside first: the plain text files written for your Claude, with nothing hidden. Open any one to read it. The fast-fill helper's script is here.

Contact

Tell me how it went.

Got an interview out of it? Got stuck on a step? Have an idea that would make it better? I read every message, and the kit changes because of them.

You can also message me on Instagram at @ankit_lulla.

The form is on its way.

For now, message me on Instagram at @ankit_lulla.

One bill: $20 a month.

It runs the search. You show up for the interviews.

Finds jobs

Scores them

Applies

Saves up what needs you

Knows who you know

Tells you who replied

A 30-question form, in five steps.

Is this safe?

What you need.

Set it up in seven steps.

Install the Claude app

Make an account and choose the $20 plan

Make a folder for your job search

Open that folder in Claude

Give Claude the kit

Answer Claude's questions

Set it going

Four ways it makes $20 go further.

Job alerts by email

Your connections list

The fast-fill helper

A short chat each day

A few minutes a day.

I'm Ankit. I got laid off, so I built this.

Eight weeks, one fix at a time.

One chat and one résumé.

The same job got three applications.

One chat became a team.

200 custom résumés, zero interviews.

Every job gets a score first.

It got a memory.

More applications, fewer replies.

Fit first.

Off the job boards.

I gave it away.

Rebuilt for $20, with its own form helper.

Where my own search stands.

Stuck, or just curious.

Stuck during setup

Good to know

Everything in the system.

What it will not do.

Read it before you use it.

Tell me how it went.

The form is on its way.