Finding Jobs & Researching Companies with AI

Scrolling job boards endlessly is a trap. A better job search is targeted: you know what roles to look for, which companies to focus on, and what each one actually does before you apply. AI — especially Perplexity for sourced research — turns hours of digging into minutes. This lesson shows you how to build a target list and research any company fast.

What You'll Learn

• How to expand your search beyond the obvious job titles
• How to build a target list of companies worth applying to
• How to research a company quickly with Perplexity and Gemini
• How to evaluate whether a job posting is worth your time

Step 1 — Expand Your Job Titles

Most people search for one or two titles and miss roles that would fit. Ask AI to broaden it:

I have this background: [paste candidate context]. List 12 job titles I should search for on job boards, including: (1) the obvious ones, (2) adjacent titles companies use for similar work, (3) titles one step junior in case I'm aiming a bit high, and (4) titles in related functions. For each, one line on why it fits me.

Now you've got a search-term list. Plug those titles into LinkedIn Jobs, Indeed, your country's job boards, and company career pages.

Step 2 — Build a Target Company List

Applying to companies you've actually chosen beats spray-and-pray. Build a list of 20-40 companies that fit your criteria (industry, size, location, mission, stage). Use AI to seed it:

I'm looking for [role type] roles in [location / remote]. I'm interested in [industry/sector] and prefer [company size / stage / values — e.g. "mid-size companies, not huge corporations"]. Suggest 25 companies I should look at, grouped into: established players, mid-size companies, and startups. For each, one line on what they do and why they might fit. Note: verify these are real and current — I'll double-check.

Then verify each (companies change, and AI can be out of date or invent names — Perplexity is good for confirming). Drop them into a spreadsheet: company, what they do, why I'm interested, careers page URL, status.

Step 3 — Research a Company Fast (Perplexity)

Before you apply or interview, you should know the basics. Perplexity gives you sourced answers you can verify:

Give me a briefing on [company]: what they do and their main products, who their customers are, their size and funding/revenue stage, their main competitors, their stated mission and values, any major news in the last 12 months, and what it's reportedly like to work there. Cite your sources.

Click through the citations for anything you'll repeat in an interview. Then go deeper on what matters for your role:

For someone interviewing for a [role] position at [company], what should I understand about how that team likely works, what challenges they're probably facing, and what this role would actually be responsible for? Base it on what's publicly known and flag what's speculation.

Step 4 — Read the Glassdoor / Reviews Picture Carefully

Employee reviews are useful but skewed (people post when they're angry or thrilled). Ask AI to help you read them sensibly:

Here are some employee reviews of [company] I pasted below / Summarize what's publicly said about working at [company]. What themes come up repeatedly in the positives and negatives? What questions should I ask in an interview to check whether the negatives apply to the specific team I'd join? [paste reviews if you have them]

Turn the negatives into interview questions ("How does the team handle on-call?" "What's the typical path to promotion here?") rather than red flags you assume are true.

Step 5 — Evaluate Whether a Posting Is Worth It

Not every posting deserves an application. Triage with AI:

Here's a job description and here's my background. Rate my fit 1-10, list what I clearly match, what I'm missing, and whether it's worth applying or a long shot. Also flag anything that looks off — vague responsibilities, unrealistic requirements, signs of a poorly defined role, or "rockstar/ninja, must thrive in chaos" language. [paste job description + candidate context]

Apply to strong fits, take a few thoughtful shots at stretch roles you really want, and skip the ones the AI (and your gut) flags as a waste of time or a bad environment.

Step 6 — Set Up a Repeatable Weekly Routine

A job search works when it's a routine, not a binge. A workable weekly rhythm:

• Monday: Run your title searches, add new postings to your tracker, pick 5-8 to apply to this week.
• Tue-Thu: Tailor resume + cover letter per role (using your Module 2 process), research each company, apply.
• Friday: Follow up on last week's applications, do networking outreach (next lesson), update your tracker.

Block 60-90 minutes a day. AI makes each step fast enough that this is realistic alongside a job or studies.

Quick Exercise

1. Run the "expand my job titles" prompt and save the list of 12.
2. Run the "target company list" prompt; verify and add 10 companies to a spreadsheet.
3. Pick one company and run the Perplexity briefing prompt; click two citations.
4. Triage one real job posting with the fit-rating prompt.

Key Takeaways

• Expand your job titles with AI so you don't miss adjacent and slightly-junior roles that fit you.
• Build a target list of 20-40 companies you've actually chosen — then verify them (AI can be out of date or invent names).
• Research companies with Perplexity for sourced, verifiable briefings; go deeper on what your specific role would involve.
• Triage postings before applying — strong fits get full applications, a few stretch roles get thoughtful shots, the rest you skip.
• Run a repeatable weekly routine (search → tailor → research → apply → follow up) rather than binge-applying.