Exactly what to say at every point of your job hunt

When you’re looking for a new job there’s a lot to figure out: What information should you include on your résumé (and what do you need to trim)? Is a cover letter really necessary? What are the best answers to the most common interview questions? How should you prepare for quirky interview questions? And do you really need to send a thank you note?

At Fast Company, we’ve been covering every aspect of the job hunt process for years, and one writer is behind many of our most popular job hunt advice: Judith Humphrey. She’s the author of the new book The Job Seeker’s Script, which pulls from five years of Fast Company articles.

The first step, Humphrey says, is to focus your search, so that any job you apply for is exactly what you want. “You don’t want to waste your time—and everyone else’s—by applying randomly for 400 or 200 jobs. This leads to considerable frustration and a lot of ghosting.” She suggests that job seekers should ask themselves these six questions to make their job hunt more productive:

1. Am I prepared to invest time?
2. What are my skills and interests?
3. Do I want a new direction?
4. What kind of culture do I want to work in?
5. What size company do I want?
6.  Will I be able to succeed there?

From there, she says that following the “HIRE” template can help guide job seekers through every step of the process. HIRE stands for: H: hook your audience, I: inspire, R: reinforce your message with reasons and examples, E: end with engagement and a call to action. 

She says this approach can work for both verbal and written communications including, cover letters, résumés, interviews, thank you notes, and even networking.

As for skipping (or outsourcing to AI) some of the less popular parts of the job hunt process, like writing a cover letter or thank you note, Humphrey says that both offer a personal touch, an opportunity to show your communication skills and your understanding of the hiring company and the job. Why would you want to skip or outsource that? No wonder, she points out, that 83% of recruiters and hiring managers consider cover letters “important.”