Series: A 30-Day Experiment to Land a Role in 2026
CV <> Interviews <> Rejections <> One Acceptance
Hello Magoma community.
Hope morale is holding up or at least holding together.
Quick Recap (So We Don’t Lose the Thread)
- Day 0: Identified blockers – focus, discipline, consistency
- Day 1: Understood the hiring process and rebuilt the profile before applying
- Day 2: Finished a strong CV, updated job portals, and cleaned up LinkedIn
And now, Day 3 where things start feeling a little more real.
How the Day Started
Like yesterday, the day began with the morning routine. Nothing fancy. Just enough structure to stay conscious:
- meditation
- movement
- reading
- planning
Because I was already behind schedule, the plan was simple: execute what I was supposed to do yesterday.
The Plan for Day 3
Two clear goals:
- List 25–30 companies I’d genuinely like to work for
- split across:
- large MNCs
- mid-sized (Tier 2) firms
- startups
- split across:
- Identify roles:
- posted within the last week
- aligned with my profile
- realistic and Use of Ai
The intention wasn’t to apply yet, it was to narrow the battlefield.
Where AI Entered the Picture
Here’s where things got interesting. Instead of manually guessing which roles I fit, I collected multiple job descriptions, opened them in browser tabs, and used AI as a filter, but not as a decision-maker.
I pasted the JDs along with my CV into ChatGPT and used a structured prompt to evaluate role-to-profile fit.
What the AI Prompt Helped With
- Understanding what the role actually involves day-to-day
- Spotting alignment vs gaps quickly
- Avoiding emotional applications but pragmatic
- Deciding how to apply, not just whether to apply
It turned chaos into a shortlist. and gave me the checklist to for before applying
Prompt, I used for filtering out the roles that I believe I have a chance to the ground reality
Act as a senior hiring manager and career strategist.
I will provide:
- My CV / professional background
- One or more Job Descriptions (JDs)
Your task is to evaluate each role rigorously against my profile and help me decide whether to apply.
For each JD, do the following:
1. Role Summary (Plain English)
- What this role actually does day-to-day (beyond the JD language)
- Seniority level and expectations
2. Fit Analysis vs My Profile
- Strong alignment areas (skills, experience, mindset)
- Partial alignment areas (can be learned / stretched)
- Clear gaps or risks (if any)
3. Hiring Manager View
- How my profile would be perceived in a first CV screen
- What would make them say “yes”, “maybe”, or “no”
4. Fit Score
- Score the role out of 10
- Classify as:
— Apply confidently
— Apply selectively
— Do not apply
5. Probability of Shortlisting
- High / Medium / Low
- One-line justification
6. Application Strategy
- Best approach: referral / recruiter outreach / careers portal
- Any positioning advice (what to emphasize or downplay)
7. Final Recommendation
- Should I apply now, later, or skip
- One clear reason why
Be honest, direct, and practical. Do not sugarcoat.
Optimize for outcomes, not encouragement.
What I Realised Midway
Using AI like this feels productive because it is. But it also hides something important.
Preparing the CV was mentally exhausting because it required ownership.
This part > copy, paste, evaluate, wait > required much less emotional effort.
That’s dangerous if you’re not careful.
AI can assist but AI cannot replace judgment.
The Actual Strategy That Emerged
Once I shortlisted roles that made sense, the approach became clear:
- Choose companies after role fit, not before
- Identify 4–5 people per company
- Prioritise:
- recruiters
- hiring managers
- team members (not random strangers)
The goal isn’t to network for the sake of networking.
The goal is simple:
Get the CV in front of the right human.
Applications are necessary.
Networking multiplies probability.
Lessons from Day 3
- AI makes things easier – but should never make decisions for you
- Networking often matters more than the application itself
- Random outreach wastes energy – targeted outreach compounds it
- CV work is harder than most tasks because it demands self-honesty
- Low-friction work feels productive, but high-friction work changes outcomes
End of Day Reflection
Today wasn’t anything worth celebrating and that’s exactly how it should be. Not every day brings a breakthrough. Some days are simply about doing the boring work.
Most of today was copy, paste, evaluate. Repetitive, unglamorous, but productive, largely because AI helped reduce the mental load. Instead of overthinking every role, I filtered out the ones where I realistically had a chance of hearing back.
Once that was done, I focused on outreach. I emailed people from the same companies, connected to the teams where the roles sit, asking for guidance in a way that was formal, but still human.
Today also pushed me toward a new realisation: AI isn’t just helpful for filtering and evaluation. It can take over the parts of the process that drain energy without adding much value. Writing outreach emails is one of those parts.
Most of the emails I sent today were AI-assisted – structured, tweaked, and personalised, but still heavily copy-paste. That’s something I want to automate going forward. I’m fairly certain email drafting will become a system, not a daily struggle.
End of day takeaway:
Progress doesn’t always feel meaningful in the moment. Sometimes it looks like quiet consistency, not insight. And that’s fine.
Tomorrow, we apply. Stay tuned
Day 4 awaits.