Fourteen stages in five phases. Who you meet, where, how long it takes, what the other side looks for, what you do, and which tool here helps. Tick a stage off when it is done; the first ones tick themselves from your profile.
A typical process, from the day you applyabout 14 weeks
Application to first contact1 to 4 weeks after the deadlineScreening to first interview1 to 2 weeksCase, second interview, references2 to 4 weeksOffer and contractA few days to a weekNotice period1 to 3 months
Start here
Understand yourself first
Upload your CV or LinkedIn export, spend an evening on your career timeline, and answer what you want next. Every match, every generated document and every interview answer is built on this.
7 stepsSign in and the ticks come from your own profile.Upload your CV
Signed in, this shows the departments your experience points at and how many roles are open in each.
1
Decide what you are looking for
Before any listing: what do you want to do, at what level, where, and what must a job give you that the last one did not.
Who you meet
You, and two or three people who know your work
Where
At home; a coffee with a former colleague helps
It takes
Two evenings
Then you wait
None, you decide the pace
What they look for
Nobody yet. This stage is for you: a clear direction makes every later answer easier, especially “why this role?”
Your moves
Write three sentences: what you are good at, what you want more of, what you will not accept again.
Pick a level: same level, one step up, or a sideways move into a new field.
Decide geography and work mode: commute limit, remote days, relocation yes or no.
Set a salary floor and a target. You will be asked in the first phone call.
2
Research industries
Industries hire differently: pharma runs long, structured processes; agencies and start-ups decide in days. Know the rhythm before you enter it.
Who you meet
Industry pages, annual reports, people already in the industry
Where
Online; industry events and LinkedIn for the people part
It takes
A week alongside other things
Then you wait
None
What they look for
Nobody yet, but later interviewers notice at once whether you understand how their industry makes money and what is changing in it.
Your moves
Pick two or three industries where your experience transfers. Read where the jobs actually are, not where you assume they are.
Learn the typical salary bands and the typical process length for each.
Follow five companies per industry and read their news for a month.
3
Find companies, not only listings
Most good roles are filled from a company’s own career page, and many are decided before the ad goes wide. A list of companies beats a list of ads.
Who you meet
Career pages, employees, the hiring managers you can find
Where
Company sites, LinkedIn, CVR for size and growth
It takes
Ongoing; 20 companies is a good first list
Then you wait
None
What they look for
Nobody yet. But a hiring manager who receives a short, specific message from you before the deadline remembers your name when the applications arrive.
Your moves
Build a list of 20 companies: size, growth, location, and the department you would sit in.
Check their career pages weekly. Set alerts where they exist.
Find one person per company you could talk to. Ask about the team, not about a job.
4
Build your CV and profile
A CV is read for 30 seconds the first time. It must show, on page one, what you did and what it led to, in numbers when you have them.
Who you meet
You; a recruiter or an experienced friend as a reader
Where
Your own document plus your LinkedIn profile
It takes
One focused day, then an hour per tailored version
Then you wait
None
What they look for
Recruiters scan for: the title you had, years, industry, results, and whether the last two roles fit the ad. Screening software scans for the ad’s own words.
Your moves
Two pages, newest first, one line of result per role (“grew X from A to B”).
Match your LinkedIn headline and dates to the CV. Recruiters compare them.
Upload the CV here once; the platform builds your timeline and capability profile from it.