A job application, clipped together with its cover letter and a price tag.

Learn to run a job search the way we would.

Our free course shows you what a proper search takes in 2026, worked out with your own numbers. Along the way, you'll learn the checks and the writing that make each application count.
It's free, it takes 35 to 40 minutes, and nothing in it is scored.

You'll leave with tools you can use tomorrow.

You'll know your own number.

You'll see how many hours a proper search takes each week, and how many applications fit the hours you have.

You'll have the five-minute filter.

It's a one-page checklist of five questions that tells you whether an ad deserves a full application.

You'll get the direct-email guide.

It covers who to write to, what to say in 120 words or fewer, and when to follow up.

You'll have a search plan.

It holds the filter, a tracker, a weekly routine for your hours and four rules to keep.

In eight short steps, you'll work out what your search takes.

  1. You'll set your own standard for a proper application.
  2. You'll see the three numbers that explain today's market.
  3. You'll learn to read a job ad in five minutes.
  4. You'll learn to tell a live posting from a stale or doubtful one.
  5. You'll tailor a resume and a cover letter to one role.
  6. You'll write a short, direct email to the person who owns the role.
  7. You'll see what a proper search takes at the hours you have.
  8. You'll choose how to cover the gap, including doing it all yourself.

Every figure in the course is cited.

The course draws on research published in the last year by sources such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Greenhouse and Ashby. Where a number is our own estimate, the course says so.

It's for anyone looking for a job in the US.

It works whether you're out of work, employed and looking quietly, or changing fields. The examples come from operations, finance, customer success, and IT and data roles, and the method carries over to any field.

Is it really free?

Yes. You sign up with your name and email, and the whole course is open to you.

What happens to my answers?

Your answers are saved in your browser as you go, so you can close the tab and pick up where you left off. At the end, you can ask for your plan by email, with a link back to your numbers.

Will you try to sell me something?

The last step shows three ways to cover the work, and one of them is a Shortlisted plan. We only email you about our plans if you tick the box when you sign up.

Who made it?

Shortlisted made it. We run job searches for people in the US, South Africa and elsewhere, and the course teaches the standard we'd use if we were applying for you.

Do I have to finish it in one sitting?

No. The course remembers the steps you've finished, so you can come back to the one you were on.

Start with the first step today.

© Shortlisted 2026

Created with