Last spring, I spent more nights on LinkedIn Jobs than on Netflix. One role even dragged me through four rounds of interviews before ghosting me completely. four rounds of interviews Somehow, the bar keeps rising—referral? Video intro? Homework project?—and still we’re told “just follow up.” After the 30-hour week called “full-time recruiting,” I rarely had energy left to chase down recruiters’ emails, let alone write something thoughtful. “just follow up.” So, I built a shortcut for myself. The Idea in Plain English One click = one polite follow-up. One click = one polite follow-up. Click a little button in Chrome right after submitting an application.
The extension grabs the company name and role.
Behind the curtain, it drafts a short email and tries to find a real recruiter’s address.
If it finds one, it sends; if not, it gives me a copy-paste draft. Click a little button in Chrome right after submitting an application. The extension grabs the company name and role. Behind the curtain, it drafts a short email and tries to find a real recruiter’s address. If it finds one, it sends; if not, it gives me a copy-paste draft. No tabs, no digging through Google, no wondering what to say. What I Actually Did (Non-Engineer Edition) Googled “how to make a Chrome extension.” Copied the starter template, swapped icons, and added a textbox for my webhook link.


Hooked it to Make.com. Think of Make as Lego blocks for the internet—drag this, drop that, tell it “when you see X, do Y.”


Asked ChatGPT to write the email. Prompt: “In 120 words or less, polite, mention the job title, express genuine interest.”


Pulled recruiter info from Apollo. Free tier—best thing for a student budget.


Tested on myself. It worked. Googled “how to make a Chrome extension.” Copied the starter template, swapped icons, and added a textbox for my webhook link. Googled “how to make a Chrome extension.” Copied the starter template, swapped icons, and added a textbox for my webhook link. Googled “how to make a Chrome extension.” Hooked it to Make.com. Think of Make as Lego blocks for the internet—drag this, drop that, tell it “when you see X, do Y.” Hooked it to Make.com. Think of Make as Lego blocks for the internet—drag this, drop that, tell it “when you see X, do Y.” Hooked it to Make.com. Asked ChatGPT to write the email. Prompt: “In 120 words or less, polite, mention the job title, express genuine interest.” Asked ChatGPT to write the email. Prompt: “In 120 words or less, polite, mention the job title, express genuine interest.” Asked ChatGPT to write the email. “In 120 words or less, polite, mention the job title, express genuine interest.” Pulled recruiter info from Apollo. Free tier—best thing for a student budget. Pulled recruiter info from Apollo. Free tier—best thing for a student budget. Pulled recruiter info from Apollo. Tested on myself. It worked. Tested on myself. It worked. Tested on myself. Why Bother Following Up Anyway? Silence ≠ rejection. Recruiters sift through hundreds of apps; the polite ping helps them remember you.
It shows you care. If two candidates look equal on paper, the one who reaches out usually wins.
It builds a real contact list. Even if you don’t land this role, you now know a human at that company. Silence ≠ rejection. Recruiters sift through hundreds of apps; the polite ping helps them remember you. Silence ≠ rejection. It shows you care. If two candidates look equal on paper, the one who reaches out usually wins. It shows you care. It builds a real contact list. Even if you don’t land this role, you now know a human at that company. It builds a real contact list. Honest Lessons (So Far) Friction kills good intentions. If I have to copy-paste anything, I’ll put it off until “tomorrow,” which never comes.
Side projects are therapy. Shipping something—even half-baked—felt better than refreshing my inbox for the 100th time. Friction kills good intentions. If I have to copy-paste anything, I’ll put it off until “tomorrow,” which never comes. Friction kills good intentions. Side projects are therapy. Shipping something—even half-baked—felt better than refreshing my inbox for the 100th time. Side projects are therapy. What’s Next (After I Catch My Breath) Clean UI, no setup screens (my friends will never paste a webhook, and I can’t blame them).
Toggle for internship vs. full-time tone. Same click, slightly different voice.
Open-source once it’s not embarrassing. I’ll post the repo before fall recruiting hits. Clean UI, no setup screens (my friends will never paste a webhook, and I can’t blame them). Clean UI, no setup screens Toggle for internship vs. full-time tone. Same click, slightly different voice. Toggle for internship vs. full-time tone. Open-source once it’s not embarrassing. I’ll post the repo before fall recruiting hits. Open-source once it’s not embarrassing. Build With Me If you’re a fellow builder looking for a teammate, I’d love to collaborate: builder looking for a teammate ➤ JavaScript tinkererswho know their way around Chrome Extensions➤No-code automatorsready to stretch Make.com in new ways➤Prompt-crafting nerds who can wring the perfect tone from ChatGPT JavaScript tinkerers No-code automators Prompt-crafting nerds Ping me on LinkedIn (Parviz Sadikov) or email sadikov@uw.edu sadikov@uw.edu

I Hit “Apply” 142 Times—and Heard Back Twice

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