The Cognitive

Fill a role with zero applicants

Seven days, one job per day. Every day ends with something you can hand to the hiring manager. Tick a day when it's done; the tracker remembers on this browser.

DAY 1Write the role as one sentence, then searchOutput: 10 to 20 named people, ranked+

The sentence

[Title the market uses] + [the work they do today] + [one hard limit] + [place]. Only write what a profile can show. Personality goes in the interview, not the search.

WEAK

Rockstar accountant, self-starter, detail-oriented, great culture fit.

STRONG

Senior Accountant who runs month-end close for a US company of 50 to 500 people, CPA, Dallas or nearby.

Pick the hard limit

Ask the hiring manager: "If they had everything except one thing, which one thing kills it?" That's your hard limit. Everything else ranks people higher; it doesn't remove them.

In The Cognitive: type the sentence as written. You get people who already do the work, from every title the market uses for it and the towns around your city, each marked Strong match, Possible match or Not a match with the reason.
DAY 2Ten profiles to the manager, a yes or no on eachOutput: 3+ yeses and the reasons behind every no+

Message to the manager

Here are 10 people who do this job today. For each one: yes or no, and one line why. Ten minutes, no call needed. Your "no, because…" is what makes tomorrow's list better.

Fewer than 3 yeses? Don't message anyone yet. Rewrite the sentence with the manager's reasons and run it again.

DAY 3First message to the yesesOutput: every yes contacted+

Three lines, nothing more

Hi Emma, I saw you run month-end close at company, one fact from their profile. We're hiring a Senior Accountant at company, pay range, hybrid / remote / office. Open to a short call this week?
  • One fact about their work, from their profile. Not "your impressive background".
  • The pay range in the first message. It's the first thing they'll ask.
  • One question they can answer with yes.
In The Cognitive: get email and phone for the people the manager said yes to.
DAY 4Search again with the manager's "no" reasonsOutput: a second list that fits better+

Turn each "no, because…" into one line and add it to the search. Write it the way the manager said it.

MANAGER SAID

"Too much audit, not enough close."

YOU TYPE

More people who run the close in-house, fewer auditors.

MANAGER SAID

"These are all from 5,000-person companies."

YOU TYPE

Prefer companies under 500 people.

Send the new yeses the Day 3 message.

DAY 5One follow-up, with something newOutput: every silent yes followed up once+
Emma, one more and I'll leave it: one new fact about the role. Worth 15 minutes?

Something they didn't know yet: the team size, who they'd report to, the system they'd own. Never "just bumping this".

DAY 6First callsOutput: 2 to 3 people the manager should meet+

Three questions

  1. What do you own today, start to finish?
  2. What would the next job need to have that this one doesn't?
  3. What pay would make a move worth talking about?

Write their answer to question 2 in your note to the manager. It tells the manager what to sell on the first meeting.

DAY 7Read the numbers, widen one thingOutput: a decision for next week+
  • Manager said yes to fewer than 3 in 10: the sentence is wrong. Go back to Day 1.
  • Plenty of yeses, few replies: the message is wrong. Check the fact and the pay range.
  • Replies but no calls: the role or the pay is wrong. Take it to the manager with what people said.

Widen in this order

  1. Towns further out
  2. Other titles for the same work
  3. One year less experience
  4. Nearby industries

Never widen the hard limit from Day 1.

Run Day 1 today

Type your role as one sentence and get your ranked list, with email and phone for the people you pick. Or book 30 minutes and we run Day 1 for your role with you on the call.

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