Guide
How to set job search rules that work
Write five rules before you apply anywhere: job titles, a pay floor, location, company size and deal-breakers. Salvo is a free-to-start AI app that applies to jobs for you, and it applies only to jobs that fit the rules you write down.
Most job searches go wrong the same way. You say yes to everything in week one, then burn out on interviews for jobs you never wanted. Rules fix that. They take an hour to write and they save weeks.
If you use an auto-apply app, rules count even more. The app does exactly what you tell it, at speed. Vague rules produce a lot of vague applications.
Why written rules beat a feeling
A feeling like "something in marketing, decent pay, close to home" can't be checked, but a rule can. "Marketing manager or growth manager, base pay at least $90,000, hybrid within 40 minutes of home, 50 to 500 staff" gives a person or an app a yes or no on every posting.
Written rules also protect you on bad days. When you're tired and a job looks fine, the rule says no, and you don't have to argue with yourself.
Rule 1: Job titles
List three to six titles you would accept. Include the variants employers use for the same work. A "customer success manager" is also posted as "client success lead" or "account manager."
Then list titles to exclude. If you want product marketing, you could exclude "sales" and "intern" so those postings never show up. Open a dozen live postings for each title before you commit. Titles mean different things at different firms, and the description tells you more than the heading does.
Rule 2: A pay floor
Pick the lowest base pay you would accept and write it down. Not your dream amount. The lowest one that still makes the move worth it.
Some postings show a range and some don't. Decide in advance what to do with no pay listed. You have two sensible choices: skip it, or allow it and ask early in the first call. Don't leave the question open.
Decide too if the floor covers base pay only, or base plus bonus. Mixing the two causes mistakes later.
Rule 3: Location
Be exact. "Remote" can mean fully remote anywhere, remote within one country, or remote with office days. Write which of these you accept.
For hybrid or onsite jobs, set a travel limit in minutes. Forty minutes each way is a clear line. Add the days per week you'll go in. If you would relocate for the right job, say so and name the cities.
Rule 4: Company size
Size changes the job more than most people expect. A 20-person company asks you to do five things. A 5,000-person company asks you to do one thing very well, with more process around it.
Pick a range you've done well in, or one you want to try. Write it as head count: "50 to 500." If you don't know a company's size, a quick look at its public profile settles it.
Rule 5: Deal-breakers
Deal-breakers are the rules that end the talk at once. Keep the list short, five items at most, or you'll block good jobs.
Common ones:
- Commission-only pay
- On-call nights or weekends
- Travel beyond a set share of the month
- Industries you won't work in
- Required relocation
Add a sixth if it's true for you, such as a visa need. If a posting says nothing about it, decide in advance if silence is a pass or a fail.
How rules control an auto-apply app
An auto-apply app turns your rules into filters. Titles and location decide which postings come in. The pay floor and company size cut the list down. Deal-breakers throw out the rest. What's left is the set of jobs the app applies to.
That makes your rules the only brake on the app. If you write "any job in tech," you'll get applications to any job in tech. If you write precise rules, you get a short list of jobs you'd say yes to.
Salvo works this way. It finds jobs that fit your written rules, rewrites your resume for each one, and applies for you. It applies only to jobs that fit the rules you set. Anything outside them is skipped. The How Salvo applies page shows the steps.
A worked example
Say you're a finance analyst in New Jersey. Your rules might look like this:
| Rule | Entry |
|---|---|
| Titles | Financial analyst, FP&A analyst, senior analyst |
| Exclude | Intern, tax, audit |
| Pay floor | $85,000 base |
| Location | Hybrid, within 45 minutes of home, or remote in the US |
| Company size | 200 to 5,000 |
| Deal-breakers | Commission-only, required relocation, more than 2 office days a week |
Every line is a yes or no. Nobody has to guess what you meant.
Test your rules in week one
Run the rules for a week, then look at what came in.
- If most jobs are bad fits, find the rule that let them through and tighten it.
- If you see next to nothing, find the rule doing the most blocking. It's often the pay floor or the location. Loosen one rule at a time.
- If a good job slipped past, check the title list first.
Keep a note of each change and the date. After two or three rounds, the rules settle.
What to do next
Write your five rules today, in plain sentences, before you open any app. Then pick one app and see how it handles them. You can start with Salvo free. It's free to start with no card, and your first 2 interview requests are free. The about page says more about Salvo, and the interview pricing page covers what happens after those first 2.
Ready to try it? Sign up here and paste your rules in.
Frequently asked questions
What rules should I set before using auto-apply?
Set job titles, a pay floor, location or remote terms, company size and a short list of deal-breakers. Write each one so a stranger could follow it without asking you a question.
How narrow should my job titles be?
Start with three to six titles you would happily accept, including the common variants employers use. Too narrow misses good jobs. Too wide fills your queue with jobs you'll turn down.
What happens to jobs that break my rules?
Salvo applies only to jobs that fit the rules you write. A job that breaks a rule, such as pay under your floor, is left alone.
Can I change my rules later?
Yes, and you should after your first week. Look at what came back, tighten what let in bad fits and loosen what blocked good ones.
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