# Career Strategy Guide

A decision framework for helping users navigate career direction, evaluate opportunities, and make informed job decisions.

---

## Understanding Career Modes

Every job seeker is in one of three modes. Identifying the right mode shapes how aggressively you search, what opportunities you surface, and how quickly you respond.

### Active Search

**availability: "active"**

The user is actively looking. They may be unemployed, about to leave, or urgently wanting out. In this mode:

- Search daily and surface new opportunities proactively
- Apply quickly when there is a reasonable match -- speed matters
- Respond to employer messages within hours
- Cast a wider net on role and industry filters
- Set `salary_range` to a realistic floor, not an aspirational ceiling

Active searchers need momentum. Avoid over-filtering. A good-enough opportunity today beats a perfect one that never appears.

**Active search weekly cadence:**

| Day | Activity |
|-----|----------|
| Monday | Search for new postings, apply to top matches |
| Tuesday-Wednesday | Follow up on pending applications, check inbox |
| Thursday | Search again (new postings often appear mid-week) |
| Friday | Review pipeline, update profile if needed |
| Weekend | Prepare for any scheduled interviews |

### Passive / Open

**availability: "passive"**

The user is employed but open to the right thing. They are not desperate and should not act like it. In this mode:

- Search weekly, not daily
- Only surface standout opportunities that clearly beat the current role
- Be selective with applications -- quality over quantity
- Respond to employer messages within a day or two, not minutes
- Set tighter filters on role, compensation, and location

Passive candidates have leverage. Use it. Do not flood them with marginal matches.

**The "clearly better" test for passive candidates:** An opportunity should beat the current role on at least 2 of these 3 dimensions to be worth pursuing:
1. Compensation (20%+ total comp increase)
2. Growth (meaningfully faster career trajectory)
3. Quality of life (better team, culture, flexibility, or mission alignment)

### Not Looking

**availability: "not_looking"**

The user is happy where they are. They want to maintain a network presence without active searching. In this mode:

- Keep the profile current but do not search or apply
- Only surface truly exceptional inbound messages (direct recruiter outreach)
- Focus conversations on long-term career planning, not immediate moves

### Identifying the Right Mode

Ask about employment status, urgency, and motivation. Listen for signals:

- "I just got laid off" or "my last day is Friday" -- **active**
- "I'm happy but curious what's out there" or "not in a rush" -- **passive**
- "I love my job, just want to keep my options open someday" -- **not_looking**

### Transitioning Between Modes

Mode changes happen because of life events, not calendar dates. When you detect a shift, update the profile's availability and adjust search behavior immediately. Common transitions:

- Layoff, toxic environment, end of contract -- move to **active**
- New job landed, got promoted, renewed motivation -- move to **passive** or **not_looking**
- Curiosity sparked by a conversation or industry shift -- move from **not_looking** to **passive**

**When mode changes, update immediately:**
1. Set `availability` to the new value
2. Adjust `salary_range` if expectations have changed
3. Review `preferred_roles` -- goals may have shifted
4. Run a fresh search with updated filters

---

## Evaluating Opportunities

Not every open role is worth pursuing. Use a structured framework to help the user separate signal from noise.

### The 5-Dimension Framework

Evaluate every opportunity across these five dimensions:

1. **Role Fit** -- Does the day-to-day work match the user's skills and interests? Will they spend most of their time doing things they are good at and want to do?
2. **Growth Trajectory** -- Where does this role lead in 2-3 years? Is there a clear path to more responsibility, new skills, or a stronger market position?
3. **Compensation** -- Does the total comp (base + equity + benefits) reflect market value? Is there room to grow comp within the role?
4. **Culture Signals** -- What does the job posting, interview process, and company reputation reveal about how they treat people? Look at team size, management philosophy, and work-life expectations.
5. **Team and Manager Quality** -- Will the user work with people who make them better? A great manager at an average company often beats an average manager at a great company.

No opportunity will score perfectly on all five. Help the user identify which dimensions matter most to them right now.

**Scoring template:**

| Dimension | Score (1-5) | Notes |
|-----------|-------------|-------|
| Role Fit | | |
| Growth Trajectory | | |
| Compensation | | |
| Culture Signals | | |
| Team/Manager Quality | | |
| **Total** | **/25** | |

A score of 18+ is strong. 14-17 is worth a conversation. Below 14, think carefully about whether this is the right move.

### Red Flags in Job Postings

- Vague requirements like "must be a self-starter" with no specifics about the actual work
- Unrealistic expectations (full-stack + DevOps + ML + management for a mid-level salary)
- No compensation range listed -- often signals below-market pay or internal confusion about the role
- "Fast-paced environment" or "wear many hats" as primary selling points -- euphemisms for under-resourced
- Excessively long lists of required technologies (10+ specific tools)
- "Rockstar" / "ninja" / "guru" language -- signals cultural immaturity
- The role has been open for 6+ months with no clear reason
- Reposted multiple times in a short period -- may indicate a revolving door or unrealistic expectations

### Green Flags in Job Postings

- Specific tech stack and clear description of what the team builds
- Explicit level (e.g., "Senior," "Staff") with corresponding expectations
- Described team structure -- who you report to, who you work with, team size
- Transparent compensation range
- Concrete description of what success looks like in the first 90 days
- Mention of growth paths, learning budgets, or internal mobility
- The posting was clearly written by someone who understands the role (technical accuracy, realistic scope)

### The 3-Question Filter

When a user is unsure about a specific opportunity, run it through these three questions:

1. **Would I learn something meaningful?** -- New skills, new domain, new scale. If the answer is no, the role is a lateral move at best.
2. **Would I work with people better than me at something?** -- Growth comes from the team, not just the work.
3. **Does the compensation reflect my market value?** -- Not aspirational value. Actual market value for this role, this level, this geography.

If the answer to all three is yes, it is worth pursuing. Two out of three is worth a conversation. One or zero -- skip it.

---

## Seniority Calibration

Targeting the right level is critical. Aiming too high leads to rejections. Aiming too low leaves money and growth on the table.

### Level Mapping

| Level | Typical Profile | Scope Indicator |
|-------|----------------|-----------------|
| **intern** | Student or recent bootcamp grad. Learning fundamentals. | Individual tasks with close guidance |
| **junior** | 0-2 years. Can execute well-defined tasks with guidance. | Completes assigned work within a team |
| **mid** | 2-5 years. Works independently on features. Owns small projects. | Owns features end-to-end |
| **senior** | 5-10 years. Owns large features or systems. Mentors others. Makes technical decisions. | Owns systems, influences team direction |
| **staff** | 8-15+ years. Sets technical direction across teams. Solves ambiguous, cross-cutting problems. | Cross-team influence, architectural ownership |
| **principal** | 12-20+ years. Shapes company-wide technical strategy. Industry-recognized expertise. | Org-wide technical strategy |
| **executive** | VP/CTO/SVP. Organizational leadership, not individual contribution. | Business-level decisions, P&L ownership |

Years of experience are a rough guide, not a rule. Impact and scope matter more than tenure.

### Common Miscalibrations

- **10-year IC targeting "staff"** -- Staff is not "senior with more years." It requires cross-team influence and architectural ownership. Many experienced engineers are strong seniors, not staff. That is fine.
- **Manager targeting "executive"** -- Managing a team of 8 is senior management, not executive. Executive implies organizational-level scope (multiple teams, P&L ownership, or company strategy).
- **Bootcamp grad targeting "mid"** -- Intensive training is valuable but does not substitute for production experience. Target junior roles and grow quickly.
- **Career changer with 15 years in another field** -- Domain expertise transfers, but technical depth needs recalibration. Target one level below where you were in your previous career.

### Calibration Questions

Ask the user these to help determine the right level:

1. "What is the largest scope of work you have owned independently?" (feature, system, architecture, org strategy)
2. "How many people have you directly mentored or led?"
3. "Have you made technical decisions that affected teams beyond your own?"
4. "Can you point to a time you identified and solved a problem no one asked you to solve?"

The answers map directly to scope indicators in the level table above.

### When to Target Each Direction

- **One level up (stretch):** You have been performing at the next level already but without the title. You can articulate specific examples of scope and impact at that level.
- **Lateral (security):** You want stability, better compensation, or a culture change without the pressure of leveling up simultaneously.
- **One level down (transition):** You are changing domains, industries, or roles (e.g., management back to IC). Trading level for learning is a valid strategy.

---

## Compensation Intelligence

### Setting Realistic Ranges

When setting `salary_range` values (min, max, currency), use these rules of thumb:

- **Lateral move (same level, similar company):** Target 10-20% above current base
- **Level-up move:** Target 20-30% above current base
- **Career transition or industry change:** Expect flat to modest increase; prioritize the opportunity over the number
- **Set the floor, not the ceiling:** Your `min` should be the lowest number you would genuinely accept. Your `max` should be ambitious but defensible.

### Compensation by Level (US market, software engineering, 2025-2026 ranges)

These are approximate total compensation ranges for reference. Actual comp varies significantly by company stage, location, and specialization.

| Level | Startup (Seed-A) | Growth (B-D) | Public/Large |
|-------|------------------|--------------|--------------|
| Junior | $80-120K | $100-140K | $120-170K |
| Mid | $110-150K | $130-180K | $160-220K |
| Senior | $140-190K | $170-240K | $200-320K |
| Staff | $170-230K | $220-320K | $300-500K |
| Principal | $200-280K | $280-400K | $400-700K |

*Ranges include base + equity (estimated annual value). Benefits not included.*

### Location and Remote Adjustments

Remote positions (`location_flexibility: "remote_only"` or `"remote_ok"`) may come with location-adjusted compensation. A company headquartered in San Francisco hiring remotely may pay Bay Area rates, national median rates, or local cost-of-living rates. Ask early. Do not assume.

When the user is in a lower cost-of-living area targeting remote roles at high-CoL companies, their effective purchasing power may be excellent even at an adjusted rate. Frame it in terms of real spending power, not nominal numbers.

### Do Not Over-Filter on Compensation

Many companies negotiate. A posted range of $150-180K does not mean $180K is the ceiling for a strong candidate. Set `salary_range.min` at a genuine floor, but do not aggressively filter out opportunities that are close. A $5-10K gap in posted range is not worth skipping an otherwise strong match.

### Total Compensation Thinking

Base salary is only part of the picture. Help the user think in terms of total comp:

- **Base salary** -- the guaranteed number
- **Equity** -- RSUs, options, grants. Varies wildly by stage. Startup equity is high-risk/high-reward. Public company RSUs are closer to cash.
- **Benefits** -- Health insurance, 401k match, PTO, parental leave. These have real dollar value.
- **Non-monetary** -- Remote flexibility, learning budget, conference travel, sabbatical. Hard to price but real.

When comparing offers, normalize to total annual value where possible.

**Equity valuation rules of thumb:**

| Company Stage | How to Value Equity |
|---------------|-------------------|
| Pre-seed / Seed | Treat as lottery ticket. Value at $0 for comparison purposes. |
| Series A-B | High risk, high potential. Discount by 70-80% from paper value. |
| Series C-D | Lower risk. Discount by 40-60% from paper value. |
| Pre-IPO (Series E+) | Moderate risk. Discount by 20-40%. |
| Public company RSUs | Near-cash. Use current stock price minus ~10% for vesting risk. |

---

## Career Transitions

### Industry Pivot

Switching industries (e.g., fintech to healthcare, e-commerce to climate tech):

- Emphasize transferable skills in the profile -- system design, team leadership, and problem-solving patterns cross industry boundaries
- Broaden skill filters in search -- do not over-specify industry-specific technologies
- Adjust level expectations down by one notch initially; you will ramp back up once domain knowledge builds
- Highlight learning velocity and adaptability in `match_reasoning`

**What transfers across industries:** System design, architecture patterns, team leadership, project management, debugging methodology, performance optimization, CI/CD practices, testing strategy.

**What does not transfer:** Domain-specific regulations (HIPAA, PCI, SOX), industry data models, sector-specific tooling, compliance frameworks.

### Role Pivot

Switching roles (IC to management, management back to IC, frontend to backend):

- **IC to management:** Highlight mentorship, project leadership, cross-team coordination. Show you have already been doing the work informally.
- **Management to IC:** Emphasize technical depth that you have maintained. Be explicit about why you want to return to hands-on work -- interviewers will ask.
- **Specialization shift** (e.g., frontend to backend, backend to ML): Show adjacent competency. A frontend engineer who built BFF APIs has backend signal. Make it visible in your profile skills.

**Role pivot profile checklist:**

1. Update `preferred_roles` to reflect the target, not the origin
2. Rewrite `headline` to position for the new role
3. Adjust `skills` to emphasize transferable and adjacent skills
4. Rewrite `experience_summary` to highlight relevant experience for the new direction
5. Consider adjusting `experience_years` context in the summary (e.g., "8 years in software engineering, including 3 years of informal tech lead responsibilities")

### Re-entering the Workforce

After a gap (parenting, health, sabbatical, travel):

- Focus the profile on skills and capabilities, not recency
- Highlight any continuous learning during the gap -- open source contributions, courses, side projects
- Target companies known for returnship programs or inclusive hiring
- Set availability to "active" and be upfront about the gap in `match_reasoning` -- confidence beats avoidance
- Expect the first role back to be lateral or one level below where you left; plan to re-establish trajectory within 12-18 months

### Geographic Moves

Relocating or shifting to remote work:

- Update `preferred_locations` in the profile to reflect the target geography
- If moving from a high-CoL to low-CoL area, adjust `salary_range` expectations -- but do not undersell yourself
- For international moves, research visa sponsorship requirements early; filter for companies that sponsor
- When switching from onsite to remote (`location_flexibility: "remote_only"`), understand that some companies have geographic restrictions even for remote roles

---

## Comparing Multiple Offers

When the user has more than one active offer, compensation is only one variable. Use this framework:

### Beyond the Numbers

Rank each offer across four dimensions:

1. **Growth ceiling** -- Which role leads to a stronger position in 3 years? Consider both title trajectory and skill development.
2. **Learning rate** -- Where will the user learn the most in the first year? New technologies, bigger scale, harder problems, better mentors.
3. **Team quality** -- Which team has people the user would want to work with and learn from?
4. **Work-life sustainability** -- Which role is sustainable for 2+ years without burnout? Look at on-call expectations, meeting culture, and pace.

The highest-paying offer is not always the best offer. Help the user weigh what matters most to them right now.

### Offer Comparison Template

| Dimension | Offer A | Offer B | Offer C |
|-----------|---------|---------|---------|
| Base salary | | | |
| Equity (annual est.) | | | |
| Total comp (annual) | | | |
| Role level | | | |
| Team size | | | |
| Remote/hybrid/onsite | | | |
| Growth ceiling (1-5) | | | |
| Learning rate (1-5) | | | |
| Team quality (1-5) | | | |
| Sustainability (1-5) | | | |
| **Overall score** | **/20** | **/20** | **/20** |

### Timeline Management

When holding multiple offers:

- Be honest with companies about your timeline. "I have another process wrapping up this week" is professional and creates appropriate urgency.
- Do not use one offer to pressure another unless you are genuinely prepared to accept either. Bluffing damages relationships.
- Ask for reasonable extensions (3-5 business days) when needed. Most companies will accommodate.
- If one company gives an exploding offer (24-48 hours), that is a yellow flag about how they handle pressure generally.

### Declining Professionally

When turning down an offer:

- Be brief and grateful. One or two sentences is enough.
- Do not over-explain your reasoning. "I have decided to go in a different direction" is sufficient.
- Leave the door open if genuine: "I was impressed by the team and would welcome the chance to reconnect in the future."
- Respond promptly. Do not ghost. The hiring manager invested time in you and deserves a clear answer.

---

## Long-Term Career Planning

### The 3-Year Horizon

When a user is not in immediate job-search mode, help them think about trajectory:

1. **Where do you want to be in 3 years?** Not a specific title -- a description of the kind of work, scope, and impact.
2. **What skills or experiences are you missing?** Identify the gap between current profile and 3-year target.
3. **What is the next role that closes that gap?** The right next move is not always the biggest title or highest comp -- it is the one that builds the right foundation.

### Skill Investment Strategy

Help users prioritize which skills to develop:

- **High-demand, durable skills:** System design, distributed systems, data modeling, security fundamentals. These remain valuable across market cycles.
- **High-demand, volatile skills:** Specific frameworks, cloud provider certifications, trending languages. Valuable now but may shift. Invest selectively.
- **Emerging skills:** AI/ML engineering, platform engineering, developer experience. Higher risk, higher potential differentiation.

The best investment is usually one skill from each category, weighted toward the durable.
