Prompt

Quick company scan

Five minutes, five questions, a bottom line. For when you need to decide whether a role is worth your time — fast.

job search

When to use this

You're triaging a list of roles and need to move quickly
You saw something interesting but aren't sure it's worth digging into
You want a gut-check before deciding whether to apply

What you'll get

What they do and who pays them — two or three sentences
A financial health signal
A read on remote culture
Any immediate red flags
A plain bottom line: worth applying or move on

This one vs. the full research brief

Quick scan — use when

You're triaging, not deciding
You have five minutes, not twenty
You just want to know if it's worth a closer look
You're working through a long list

Full brief — use when

You've decided to apply and want depth
You're prepping for a conversation or interview
You want product and culture detail, not just signals
The role is genuinely interesting and worth the time

A good workflow: run the quick scan first. If the bottom line is "worth applying," then run the full research brief before you write a cover letter or prep for a call.

💡 same rule applies

The "I care about" line at the bottom is the part that makes this yours. Replace the examples with what actually matters to you — and keep it consistent across every scan so you're filtering against the same criteria every time.

The prompt Replace the amber sections with your own details

Copy prompt

Quick scan on [Company Name] — I'm deciding whether to apply for [Role Title]. Give me: - What they do and who pays them (2-3 sentences max) - Financial health signal — funded, profitable, or concerning? - Remote culture — is it real or are they walking it back? - Any immediate red flags that should make me pass - Bottom line: worth applying or move on? I care about: [your criteria — e.g. remote culture, flat-ish structure, builders not backlog managers, financial stability]

Amber text = swap this out for your own details

Getting consistent results

The quick scan works best when you run it the same way every time. Keep your criteria consistent — don't change what you care about from scan to scan, or the bottom lines won't be comparable across companies.

If you're working through a long list, consider saving the prompt with your criteria already filled in so you're just swapping the company name and role each time. Keeps the friction low when you're in triage mode.

And if a bottom line surprises you — either more positive or more negative than you expected — that's usually worth a quick follow-up question. "What's the specific concern with their remote culture?" takes ten seconds and might save you an hour.

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