“I applied to 47 jobs and heard back from exactly zero”

My client told me last month.

She had a killer resume. Great experience. Solid references. But every application disappeared into what I call the “HR black hole.”

The problem wasn’t her qualifications or “AI taking jobs.” It was her strategy. She was talking to people who couldn’t say yes instead of people who could.

Let’s cover how to fix that.

Here’s what you’ll learn today:

• How to use AI to identify the actual decision-makers (not just HR screeners)

• Why finding warm connections cuts your response time in half

• The exact research process that turns cold outreach into meaningful conversations

…and more!

🚫 Why the Traditional Application Process Is Broken

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: most job applications go into a black hole.

Yes, even with that “referral.”

Not because you’re unqualified. Or because your resume isn’t ATS optimized. Because you’re talking to the wrong people.

HR screens resumes. Recruiters manage the process. But they don’t make hiring decisions.

The person who can actually say “yes, let’s hire this person” is usually the hiring manager, team lead, or department head who owns the budget. These people have problems they need solved. When the right person shows up with proof they can solve those problems, magic happens.

But most job seekers never talk to them directly.

Because they don’t even try.

That’s what we’re fixing today.

Here’s my five-step process to get in front of the decision-makers for your next role:

🧠 Step 1/ Use ChatGPT Deep Research to Map Decision-Makers

Before you can reach decision-makers, you need to know who they are and where to find them.

This is where ChatGPT’s Deep research feature becomes your secret weapon.

It doesn’t just give you generic job titles.

You get actual names, social profiles, and context about their roles.

✍️ Use this prompt:

I’m interested in joining [Company Name] as a [specific role]. Help me identify the likely hiring managers for this role. Please provide:

– Relevant job titles of potential hiring managers

– Names of current employees in those roles

– Links to their social profiles (especially LinkedIn)

Prioritize people who are based in [Location] if the company has multiple offices. Focus on individuals who work in the [Department] and are likely 1–2 levels above the role I’m targeting (e.g., managers, directors, or VPs overseeing this function). Exclude recruiters; I’m specifically looking for decision-makers or team leads who would manage or influence hiring for this position.

Now, here’s the best part of using Deep research:

It shows the sources for everything, so you can reference:

• what you read about a person

• and where read it

When you do your reach out.

I did this for a client who was interested in Harvey AI (the legal AI company).

Within 10 minutes, we had the names of five decision-makers, their backgrounds, and recent company initiatives they were leading.

And a list of the sources used:

🔍 Step 2/ Find Your Inside Track Using LinkedIn and Happenstance

Cold outreach works, but warm introductions work better. Much better.

The challenge? Most people don’t realize they already have connections to their target companies.

Even if it’s a loose connection (what social psychology nerds and people who’ve read Never Eat Alone too many times refer to as a “weak tie”) that’s still better than just dumping a resume in the HR blackhole. We’ll use two methods to uncover your inside track.

What’s an inside track?

A mutual connection who can help cut your response time from weeks to hours. One client went from zero responses to three conversations in two days.

The only difference was changing the strategy by focusing on mutual connections.

We’re covering two methods here. Why two?

Frankly, the coverage of each of these individually is only OK. You need to try different “angles” to exhaust all potential inside tracks.

Method 1: LinkedIn People Search

Type a company name, or use this link.

From the search, click on the company filter and enter in the company.

Then filter to 1st and 2nd degree connections.

Copy and save the LinkedIn profiles of everyone you think you can connect with.

Note: LinkedIn search can be finicky. If your search isn’t yielding great results, you can try searching for the company name as a search term, versus tagging the actual company.

Method 2: Happenstance

Happenstance helps you surface mutual connections from your LinkedIn and your Google contacts using AI.

Here’s the query and results for my search here:

👉 Do this:

Create a simple spreadsheet with your top 5 target companies. Run through these two methods and the first method above. You’ll be surprised how many inside track paths you’ll uncover.

📊 Step 3/ Automated Research with Clay

Now we automate the manual research that used to take hours.

Clay turns LinkedIn stalking into a systematic process. You can build helpful information like previous companies, recent posts, and engagement patterns for dozens of prospects simultaneously.

What Clay does automatically:

• Pulls recent LinkedIn activity

• Identifies previous companies and roles

• Finds email addresses and contact information

👉 Do this:

Set up a Clay table with these columns:

Company name

Decision-maker name and title

Previous companies

Recent posts or company news

Contact information

Even if you just enrich basic information from someone’s LinkedIn profile (e.g. company, headline, previous experience, recent posts, etc.)it puts everything into a table format so it’s easier to review. No more doom scrolling on LinkedIn trying to remember what you read about someone three weeks ago.

There’s a LOT you can do with Clay (social listening, drafting messages automatically, etc.) but start with basic automated research.

📢 Quick Note

If you’re still reading, that means you’re getting value from this newsletter, which makes me happy 😊!

If you are, consider sharing this with a friend who could use help landing their next role. I would appreciate it (and they would, too).

As a thank you, I’ll send you my Ultimate Guide to AI Tools for Job Searching.

I spent 20 hours putting this bad boy together: testing, iterating, refining, and editing. You’re gonna dig it.

Just use the referral below 👇

[insert referral]

🕵️‍♀️ Step 4/ Deep Company Research with Manus

Want to know what actually keeps a hiring manager up at night? What challenges they’re facing that aren’t in the job description?

Manus’s deep research features helps summarize interviews, podcasts, and blog posts to give you the real story behind what decision-makers are thinking about.

👉 Do this:

Before reaching out to any decision-maker, run their name through Manus. Look for:

Recent interviews where they discuss team challenges

Podcast appearances where they share strategic priorities

Blog posts about industry trends they’re focused on

Conference talks about what keeps them up at night

You can also do this type of research on specific companies.

The intelligence you gather from Manus turns your outreach from generic networking to genuinely helpful consultation.

💡Why use Manus vs. ChatGPT Deep Research here? Honestly, I’m not sure 🤷 I’m still figuring out which is better. My intuition tells me that Manus seems better for getting the emotional context and strategic priorities, while ChatGPT Deep Research is better for structural information and specific facts.

💬 Step 5/ Write Personalized Outreach with Claude

Now comes the crucial part: turning all this research into messages that start real conversations.

The framework that works consistently:

1. Reference something specific they’ve said or shared recently

2. Connect it to a relevant experience you have

3. Offer insight or ask a thoughtful question about their challenge

4. Suggest a brief conversation to explore how you might help

✍️ Use this prompt:

Help me write a concise (<100 words) LinkedIn message to [Name] at [Company]. They recently [specific thing they did/said — e.g., launched a new feature, wrote a post about X, appeared on a podcast, etc.]. I have experience with [relevant background or results], and I’d like to start a thoughtful conversation about [specific challenge, topic, or idea they mentioned]. The tone should be friendly, curious, and value-driven — not pushy or focused on getting a job. Prioritize relevance and shared interest.

👉 Do this:

Feed all your research into Claude: their recent posts, company challenges, your relevant experience. Let Claude craft the initial message, then personalize it with your voice.

🙅‍♂️ What this isn’t: Don’t pitch yourself. Don’t ask for a job. Start a professional conversation about challenges you can help solve. Job opportunities emerge naturally from these discussions.

🎯 Action Steps for This Week

Don’t let this be another newsletter you read and forget. Here’s what to do right now:

1. Pick one target company where you actually want to work

2. Use ChatGPT Deep Research to identify 2-3 decision-makers

3. Find one warm connection using the LinkedIn and Happenstance methods

4. Do automated research with Clay

5. Research one decision-maker deeply using Manus

6. Send one thoughtful message this week using Claude

Start small. Build momentum. Perfect your approach with real feedback.

consistently is what makes the difference.

💫 The Bottom Line

Stop shouting into the HR void.

Start having conversations with people who can actually say yes.

The tools exist to find these people, understand their challenges, and reach them professionally.

I’ve used this approach for years, except I did everything manually. Now you can save literally hundreds of hours over the course of your career.

Now, here’s the truth: most job seekers won’t do this work.

Which is exactly why it works so well for those who do.

Your next role isn’t hidden in a job board.

It’s waiting for you to have the right conversation with the right person.