Tailoring a résumé for every job takes forever, so most of us skip it. I set Claude Cowork to do it every morning. It reads my new job alerts, picks the jobs that fit me best and writes a résumé for each one. Cowork never hits send. You read every line and apply yourself.
Read my new job alert emails in Gmail from the last 24 hours, from [Indeed, Himalayas or both]. Also search the job sites I've connected for [job titles] roles posted in the last day, [location or "remote"], paying at least [salary]. My current résumé is in this folder: [file name]. 1. Pick the [5] jobs that best fit my skills and experience. Skip any job I already have a résumé for in this folder. 2. For each one, write a résumé tailored to that job. Reorder and reword my experience to match the language in the job posting. Use only the jobs, dates, skills and numbers that are in my résumé. Don't add a skill, title, tool or result I don't have. If the job asks for something I'm missing, leave it out and tell me. 3. Save each résumé as a Word document in this folder, named [Company]-[Job title]-Resume-[today's date].docx. 4. Save one more file called Todays-jobs-[today's date] that lists each job with the company, job title, link to the posting, salary if listed, two lines on why it fits me, and any requirement I don't meet. Don't apply to anything. Don't send, reply to or delete any email.
AI may think you have more mad skills than you do. Before you apply, read each résumé against your original. Every job title, date and number needs to be one you can talk about in an interview. Because this task saves into a folder on your computer, leave the Claude desktop app open and your computer awake overnight. If your computer was asleep, Cowork runs the task when you're back and tells you it was late.
Yes, a scheduled Claude Cowork task can do it every morning. It reads your new job alerts, picks the jobs that fit you best and saves a tailored résumé for each one in a folder on your computer. Tell it to use only the jobs, dates, skills and numbers in your current résumé, then read every line yourself before you apply.
Add Indeed's own connector from Customize, then Connectors, and sign in with your Indeed account. Indeed built the connector and Anthropic has verified it. Claude can then search Indeed's live listings and pull up the full description of any job. You can also send Indeed job alert emails to Gmail and connect Gmail to Claude.
In Cowork, click Scheduled in the left sidebar, then New task, then Set up manually. Name the task, paste your prompt, choose a folder, set it to Daily and click Save. You can run it on demand any time to test it. Scheduled tasks are on the Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise plans.
Not with this setup, because the prompt tells Claude not to apply to anything and not to send, reply to or delete any email. The Gmail connector can send email, with an approval prompt by default, so that line in the prompt matters. Cowork reads your alerts and saves files. You check each résumé against your original and apply yourself.
My instructions template for a Cowork Job Hunt project, so every morning run knows your targets and your limits. Plus a cover letter prompt and a check that catches anything Claude added that isn't true.
In Cowork, click Projects in the left sidebar, then +, then Use an existing folder, and pick your Job Hunt folder. Paste the template below into the project's Instructions and fill in every [bracket]. Claude applies these to every task you run in the project, and each project has its own scheduled tasks, so you can set your morning run up there too.
About me - I'm looking for: [job titles], at [seniority level]. - Location: [city, or remote only, or hybrid within X miles of city]. - Salary: at least [amount and currency]. - Industries I want: [list]. Industries I won't work in: [list]. - My master résumé is [file name]. It's the only source of truth about my experience. What counts as a good fit - I meet at least [most] of the must-have requirements. - The salary is listed and meets my minimum, or isn't listed. Flag which. - Skip: [e.g. contract roles, jobs that need relocation, recruiters who don't name the company]. How to write my résumés - Keep it to [1 or 2] pages. - Use the job posting's own words where they honestly match my experience. - Put the most relevant experience first. Keep my real job titles and dates. - Never add a skill, tool, certification or result that isn't in my master résumé. If a job needs one I don't have, tell me in the daily list. - Write in [US or UK] English, in a plain, confident tone. No buzzwords. How to work - Save every file in this folder, named [Company]-[Job title]-[document type]-[date]. - Never apply, send, reply to or delete anything. I apply myself.
Read the job posting for [job title] at [company]: [paste the posting or link]. Then read my tailored résumé for it in this folder: [file name]. Write a cover letter of no more than 250 words: 1. Open with the specific reason I want this role at this company, using something from the posting or their website. 2. Pick the two requirements in the posting I match best, and show each one with a real example from my résumé. 3. Close with a short line asking for a conversation. Use only facts from my résumé. Write the way I talk: plain and direct. Save it in this folder as [Company]-[Job title]-Cover-letter-[today's date].docx. Don't send it.
Compare [tailored résumé file name] with my master résumé [file name], both in this folder. List every job title, date, skill, tool, number and result in the tailored résumé that doesn't appear in my master résumé, or that says more than my master résumé does. For each one, quote the line and say what my master résumé says instead. If everything matches, say so.
Prompts, step-by-step guides and checklists you can put to work today.