Application Optimiser

Research companies, optimise your CV for ATS systems, and plan your application strategy.

Capabilities

#	Capability	When to Use
1	Company Research	Before applying or interviewing at a target company
2	CV/ATS Optimisation	Tailoring your CV for a specific role
3	Application Strategy	Planning your full application approach

Quick Start

"Research [Company] before I apply"
"Help me optimise my CV for this job description"
"Plan my application to [Company] for [Role]"

---

1. Company & Role Research

What you need: Company name, job description (optional but helpful)
Load: @references/company-research.md
Template: @references/research-brief-template.md

Agentic parallel research covering:

• Company fundamentals, leadership, financial health
• Market position, competitors, strategic direction
• Culture, employee experience (Glassdoor analysis)
• Hiring context and team structure
• People intelligence (hiring manager, key stakeholders)
• Red flags and risk assessment

Uses parallel WebSearch, WebFetch, and Task tool for comprehensive intelligence.

Output: {role-slug}-research-brief.md

---

2. CV Optimisation for ATS

What you need: Your current CV + target job description
Load: @references/ATS-Helper.md
Templates:

• @references/cv-template.md for CV output
• @references/application-strategy-template.md for LinkedIn sync notes

NLP and recruitment AI specialist approach:

• Keyword and concept extraction from job description
• ATS-safe CV rewrite with quantified achievements
• Keyword coverage analysis (target: 70%+ of JD terms)
• LinkedIn API consistency checks
• Formatting and parsing safety verification

Output:

• {role-slug}-cv-optimized.md
• {role-slug}-linkedin-updates.md (LinkedIn sync recommendations)

---

3. Application Strategy & Timeline

What you need: Research brief + optimised CV + timeline constraints
Template: @references/application-strategy-template.md

Comprehensive planning:

• Timeline and milestone planning
• Stakeholder mapping and connection strategy
• Risk mitigation for identified gaps
• Follow-up protocols and decision framework
• Cover letter approach

Output: {role-slug}-application-strategy.md

---

Deep Research Validation

All research uses a rigorous multi-cycle validation workflow:
Load: @references/deep-research-reflection.md

• Gap Analysis - After initial search, identify what's missing
• Counter-Evidence Search - Actively search for contradicting information
• Source Credibility Scoring - SEC filings > news > Glassdoor > blogs
• Red Flag Hunting - Proactively search for negative information
• Citation Requirements - All factual claims include source URLs and access dates

Reflective Validation

After generating content, validate before presenting:
Load: @references/reflect-validate.md

For CV/ATS: Keyword coverage 70%+? Achievements quantified? ATS-safe formatting?
For Research: All claims cited? Sources recent (<12mo)? All sections present?

Generate -> Evaluate -> If NEEDS_IMPROVEMENT -> Refine -> Re-evaluate (max 3 iterations)

---

Persona Adaptation

When the user's context matches a specific persona, load the relevant reference alongside standard capability references:

Persona	Load Reference	Trigger
Career Returner	@references/career-returner-cv-guide.md	User mentions career break, returning to work, redundancy, maternity/paternity, illness, caregiving
Early Career	@references/early-career-cv-template.md	User is a graduate, apprentice, school leaver, or has limited professional experience
NED	@references/ned-cv-template.md	User seeks board roles, NED positions, governor or trustee appointments
Fractional	@references/fractional-cv-template.md	User is going fractional, portfolio, or independent consulting

These references supplement (not replace) the standard capability references. Load both the persona reference and the standard one.

---

Output Standards

• UK English throughout (unless US role explicitly requires US English)
• No emojis - Professional tone
• Cited sources - All research includes URLs and access dates
• Quantified metrics - Specific numbers, percentages, timeframes
• ATS-safe - Simple formatting, conventional headings, consistent dates
• Never invent data - Mark missing info as [MISSING]

Template Usage

When a capability specifies a template, you MUST:

1. Load the template first using @ symbol
2. Follow the template structure exactly
3. Preserve template footers

Working with Blocked Content

When WebFetch fails (LinkedIn, Glassdoor, paywalled content):

• Ask user to screenshot the page (Read tool processes images)
• Or copy/paste text directly
• Or save as PDF and provide path
• Only request screenshots for critical content (top 3-5 items)

---

Related Skills

After optimising your application:

• /linkedin-coach - Update your LinkedIn to match your CV
• /interview-master - Prepare for interviews at this company
• /career-navigator - Build networking strategy and plan your search

---

Application Optimiser v1.3.0 | Career Helper Plugin | Prosper AI Consulting, UK