Essential Job Search
Checklists & Trackers.
Everything you need to run a smarter job search — built by a recruiter who’s been on both sides of the desk. Download. Use. Win.
Built for the 40+ professional.
Free. No catch.
Click any resource below to download it directly. No email required, no signup wall. Just click and save.
Each resource is designed to be filled in as you go. Work through them in order or jump to what you need most right now.
Bookmark this page. New resources get added regularly. If there’s something you need that isn’t here, reach out and tell me.
These resources are the starting point. For a strategy built around your specific situation, work with me 1-on-1.
Checklists & Trackers
Six practical tools covering every stage of your job search — from auditing your resume before you apply to tracking every offer on the table.
A week-by-week action plan for the 40+ professional who is done winging it. Covers resume, LinkedIn, networking, applications, interview prep, and follow-up — all in one structured 90-day roadmap.
A complete pre-interview workbook covering company research, STAR method answer templates, ageism defense question prep, questions to ask, and a post-interview debrief section. Complete fresh for every company.
A six-tab spreadsheet covering applications, networking, interviews, offers, and a live dashboard that calculates your response rate and active opportunities automatically. The single source of truth for your search.
36 audit items across five sections — visibility and search, photo and banner, headline and About section, experience and skills, and activity and engagement. Rated Critical, Flag, or Fix so you know where to focus first.
A recruiter-eye review checklist specifically for the 40+ professional. Covers ATS flags, age identifiers, and formatting traps — with a severity rating and specific fix for every item. Know exactly what’s costing you interviews.
A five-part worksheet that walks you through finding your real market rate, calculating your floor and target, evaluating the full compensation package, and preparing your negotiation scripts — before any conversation begins.
Guides
In-depth guides that go beyond checklists — deeper strategy, more context, more recruiter-side truth.
A practical, no-tech-background-required guide to using AI tools at every stage of your job search. Covers resume tailoring, cover letters, interview prep, company research, networking outreach, and salary negotiation — with real copy-paste prompts for each. Includes an honest section on what AI cannot do and where relying on it will hurt you.
These resources exist because the information gap between what hiring looks like from the inside and what job seekers experience on the outside is real — and expensive. Every checklist, worksheet, and guide on this page is built from what I’ve seen in actual hiring processes at companies like Cisco and Google.
They are free because you deserve to know how this works. Use them. Share them. And if you need someone to work through your specific situation with you, I’m here.
— Angela MalagonWant more?
More resources.
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Subscribe to The Jilted Recruiter on YouTube for weekly hiring truth — or work with me directly to build a strategy around your specific situation.