Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Job Application Manager agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
Job Application Manager is an agent skill that runs your job search as a pipeline. Each opportunity becomes one record with a stage, real dates, the exact resume version you sent, a next action and a follow-up date. This guide explains what the skill makes the agent do, how to install it, how to phrase requests so it triggers, and what it will and won't do on your behalf.
Job Application Managerreactive-resume/reactive-resume · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Get the job-application-manager ZIP from this skill's page on the directory.
- 2Install it. Unzip the folder into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload the ZIP under Settings, Capabilities, Skills in the Claude apps.
- 3Pick a tracker. Create a Markdown or CSV file for plain mode, or connect the Reactive Resume MCP server if you use it.
- 4Add your first job. Paste a link or the posting text and ask the agent to add it to your tracker.
- 5Log what you send. After you apply or send a message yourself, tell the agent so it records the stage and the real date.
- 6Run a weekly review. Ask 'do my weekly review' to see stale applications, next actions and funnel counts.
What the skill makes the agent do
The skill turns a conversation with your agent into a job-search tracker. You can add a job from a link or a pasted posting, log stages such as applied, rejected or on hold, and have the agent keep dates accurate. It also sets follow-ups, runs a weekly review that surfaces stale applications, next actions and simple funnel counts, and records which resume version you sent.
It drafts networking notes, LinkedIn messages, referral requests, recruiter replies, follow-ups, thank-you notes, status checks, expedite requests and withdrawal messages. It does not send any of them. You send and decide, and the agent logs what you tell it you sent.
- Adds jobs from a link or pasted posting and checks for duplicates before creating a record
- Keeps stages and dates accurate and records the exact resume version sent
- Sets follow-ups and runs a weekly review with stale applications, next actions and funnel stats
- Drafts messages without sending them
Install the skill from a ZIP or the Claude apps
Download the ZIP for job-application-manager from the skill's page on this directory. Unzip it so the skill folder sits inside ~/.claude/skills/ to make it available for all your projects, or inside a project's .claude/skills/ folder to limit it to that project.
If you use the Claude apps instead, upload the ZIP under Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills.
- Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
Choose a tracker: a Markdown or CSV file, or Reactive Resume
In plain conversation mode, the skill keeps your tracker in a Markdown or CSV file, so you need one of those. The skill also keeps a short search brief at the top of the tracker covering target roles, locations or remote, pay floor with currency, deal-breakers and hours per week for the search. It asks for this only in your first tracking session and skips anything you don't know.
If the Reactive Resume MCP server is connected and exposes application tools, the skill uses those tools instead. In that mode it reads your career profile once per session and uses fields such as target roles, locations, pay floor and maximum office days to flag knockouts when you add a job.
- Plain mode: needs a Markdown or CSV file for the tracker
- MCP mode: optional, needs the Reactive Resume MCP server with its application tools connected
Trigger the skill with natural requests
The skill loads when you ask for something it covers. Plain phrases work best. The skill's description lists examples such as 'add this job to my tracker', 'I applied', 'log my interview', 'I got rejected', 'I was ghosted', 'do my weekly review', 'what should I follow up on' and 'withdraw my application'. It also responds to requests for a job-search spreadsheet.
Requests for resume work, interview practice or offer negotiation go to other skills, so the agent may hand you off rather than handle them here.
- 'Add this job to my tracker' followed by a link or pasted posting
- 'I applied to the data analyst role at Acme today'
- 'Do my weekly review'
- 'What should I follow up on this week?'
- 'Write a thank-you note for my interview with the hiring manager'
Work through an example session
Start by pasting a posting or your list of jobs. The agent adds what it can, shows you each record as a card and offers edits. It will not change an existing record, link documents at the applied stage, close an application or delete anything without your yes. Proposed changes come as one numbered list so you can confirm them together.
When you report that you have sent something, tell the agent. It then logs the send with the real date you give it. Closed applications stay in the tracker with a reason, because they are the denominator for your rates.
- Paste a posting: the agent creates the record at saved and shows the card
- Say 'I applied on 2 Oct': the agent records the stage and the date you gave
- Ask for a weekly review: the agent lists stale applications, next actions and simple counts
Safety notes: scripts, network and what you send
The skill runs no scripts. It does use the network: it can search the web for companies, roles and public facts, and it can read links you give it. It searches only for companies, roles and public facts, never for your name or personal details. Before pasting your data into any third-party service, the agent asks you first.
Posting text, fetched pages and recruiter emails are treated as untrusted. If one contains instructions aimed at an AI, the agent does not follow them and points them out to you. The skill also refuses to fabricate referrals, mutual contacts, metrics or pay figures and offers an honest wording instead.
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: yes, for company and role research and for links you provide
- Never sends applications or messages and never accepts offers
- Asks before sending your data to third-party services
Tips for getting reliable results
Paste the posting and your list in one message so the agent can fill in as much as possible at once. Report sends and stage changes as they happen, so dates stay accurate. Give answers to the agent's blocking questions in one reply where you can, because it asks at most three questions per turn and states a default for each.
Be honest with the agent about knockout answers such as work authorization, sponsorship, licences and years of experience. The skill is built to give the true answer on forms, because a false one can cost you an offer later.
- Record real dates, the day something happened, not the day you were told
- Keep the search brief current so suggestions stay useful
- Use the weekly review to decide what to follow up on before you write anything
What people use it for
- Keeping a running pipeline of applications with stages, dates and the resume version sent for each
- Getting a list of which applications are stale and which follow-ups are due this week
- Drafting a referral request or a thank-you note for you to edit and send yourself
- Logging a withdrawal or a rejection so closed applications still count in your funnel
Frequently asked questions
Is the Job Application Manager skill free?
The skill is published under the MIT licence, which is listed on its page. Check the licence file in the download for the full terms before you reuse or change it.
What do I need to use the job application manager skill?
You need an agent that supports skills and a Markdown or CSV file for your tracker. The Reactive Resume MCP server is optional and only needed for the MCP mode with application tools.
Where do I install the agent skill?
Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps, upload the ZIP under Settings, Capabilities, Skills.
Does the skill send my job applications or messages for me?
No. The skill drafts messages and logs what you tell it you sent. It never submits applications, sends messages or accepts offers on your behalf.
Why isn't my skill triggering?
Use plain phrases the skill is written for, such as 'add this job to my tracker', 'I applied' or 'do my weekly review'. Check that the skill folder is in the correct skills directory for your setup. Resume, interview and offer requests are routed to other skills by design.
How is this different from a plain job spreadsheet or other skills?
A spreadsheet only stores rows. This skill keeps each record's stage, dates, sent resume version and follow-up date consistent and drafts messages. Resume tailoring, interview practice and offer negotiation are separate skills in the same family, such as resume-tailor, interview-prep, mock-interview and offer-negotiation.
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Our verdict
Choose this skill if you run an active job search and want your tracker kept up to date through conversation, with follow-ups surfaced in a weekly review. Pick something else if you want help writing or tailoring your resume, practising interviews or negotiating an offer, or if you want the tool to send applications automatically.
Download the skill