← Back to all free guides

The 30-Day Plan
to Find Your
Next Job

Just got laid off? Free AI certificates in 48 hours. A LinkedIn rewritten for recruiter search. A portfolio project that pulls inbound interest. An application factory that ships 5 tailored applications a day.

First, take a breath. Don’t announce the layoff in week one. Posting "open to work" on day one puts you on the market as someone looking for help. Spend week one quietly getting the certificates, rewriting your profile and shipping one project. When you start outreach in week two, you’re a fluent AI builder who’s open to roles. That framing changes the conversations you get.

Second, AI skills are your leverage. PwC’s 2026 Global AI Jobs Barometer found job postings that ask for AI skills advertise a 62% wage premium on average (PwC). Recruiters also filter LinkedIn by the Skills on your profile, so the plan below gets you credentials, puts the right words where recruiters search, and ships visible proof in your own field.

Days 1-2: Stack 3 Free Certificates

Pick 3 and finish them in 48 hours. Add each under Licenses & certifications on LinkedIn. My pick for most people is the two Anthropic courses plus the Microsoft and LinkedIn path.

  1. Claude 101. Anthropic Academy, free, ends with a certificate of completion.
  2. AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations. Anthropic Academy, free, with a final assessment and a certificate.
  3. Career Essentials in Generative AI. Microsoft and LinkedIn, 5 courses, about 4 hours. LinkedIn says its Skills for Jobs courses are free through 2027. The path updates November 16, 2026, so finish before then or you may need extra courses.
  4. AI for Managers. Microsoft and LinkedIn, 6 courses, about 5 hours, part of the same free program. Good if you led a team.
  5. AI for Organizational Leaders. Same program, about 5 hours. Good for director level and up.

Extra time? These are free too:

  1. Elements of AI. University of Helsinki and MinnaLearn. Deeper and longer, with a certificate when you finish.
  2. IBM SkillsBuild. Search "Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals," about 10 hours, with a free Credly badge at the end.
  3. AWS: Introduction to Generative AI. About an hour on a free Skill Builder account.
  4. Salesforce Trailhead: Generative AI. A short module with a badge. The fastest one here.
Days 3-5: Rewrite LinkedIn For Search

Most laid-off profiles read like a job description. Recruiters search keywords and filter by Skills, so your headline, About, Skills and Experience bullets need the words they type.

01

The LinkedIn rewrite prompt

Paste your current profile, 3 dream job descriptions, your top 3 roles with real numbers and a couple of things you’ve written. Claude goes one section at a time so you can edit as you go.

LinkedIn Rewrite
You are my LinkedIn rewriter. I just got laid off. My job is to look hireable for recruiters searching for AI-skilled candidates in my field within 14 days. INPUTS (I'll paste these in order): 1. My current LinkedIn profile (headline + About + Experience + Skills) as plain text 2. Three job descriptions for roles I'd take in a heartbeat 3. The 3 most senior roles I've held with actual measurable outcomes (numbers, not duties) 4. Two or three things I've written (posts, emails) so you can match my voice, plus my cringe list of words I never want to see Run this exact protocol: STEP 1. KEYWORD MAPPING. Pull every recurring word and phrase from the 3 JDs that appears in 2+ of them. Group into: must-have skills, nice-to-have skills, soft skills, AI-specific terms. Show me the keyword cluster before you rewrite anything. STEP 2. HEADLINE REWRITE. Write 3 versions of my LinkedIn headline using the keyword cluster. Each version must: - Be under 220 characters - Start with my actual role + outcome, not a label - Use the 3-4 keywords recruiters are most likely to search - Avoid corporate words ("results-driven," "passionate about," "innovative") - Read like a real person wrote it STEP 3. ABOUT REWRITE. Write the About section so the first 3 lines (above the "see more" fold) do all the work: - Line 1: who I am + the outcome I create - Line 2: the proof (a specific metric or accomplishment) - Line 3: what I'm looking for next Then elaborate. Total under 1,500 characters. Use my voice from my writing samples. STEP 4. SKILLS SECTION. LinkedIn lets you list up to 100 skills. Most people list 10. Build my list toward 100, ranked by how often each skill appears in the 3 JDs and how core it is to my field. Pull from the keyword cluster plus the AI tools and methods I've actually used. Use the exact wording recruiters would type into a search. Mark any skill you're unsure I have with (?) so I can confirm it. STEP 5. EXPERIENCE BULLETS. Rewrite my top 3 roles using (Action + Outcome + Metric). Strip every "responsible for" and "duties included." Lead with verbs. Lead with results. Cap each role at 5 bullets. OUTPUT FORMAT: Show me each step in order. Don't compile the full profile at the end. I want to review and edit each section as we go. Constraints: - Don't invent metrics I didn't give you. - Don't add skills I don't have. - Don't use words from my cringe list. - If a JD requires a skill I clearly don't have, flag it. Don't fake it.

The Skills Section Is The Lever

LinkedIn lets you add up to 100 skills, and most people list a handful. Go to your profile, open Skills, and add every AI tool and method you’ve actually used (Claude, ChatGPT, generative AI, prompt engineering, AI agents and so on). Only list what you can talk about in an interview.

Days 5-10: Ship One AI Project

Recruiters who land on your profile should see proof, not claims. Pick the painful problem from your last job, the one you’d have built a tool for if you’d had time, and build it now. Then post it.

02

The portfolio strategist prompt

Paste your old role, the painful recurring problem and the roles you’re targeting. Claude picks one format (a skill, a working artifact or a scheduled task), writes the spec, builds it with you and drafts the post.

Portfolio Strategist
You are my AI portfolio strategist. I just got laid off and I need to ship one visible, tagged, LinkedIn-postable AI project in the next 5 days. The goal: recruiters who land on my profile see proof of AI fluency, not just claims. Here's my situation: - My previous role: [PASTE TITLE + 2-LINE DESCRIPTION] - The painful problem from that job I'd build a tool to solve: [PASTE. Be specific. "The Monday report that took me 4 hours every week" or "the inbox triage I'd kill for"] - The 3 roles I'm targeting: [PASTE OR LIST] Run this protocol: STEP 1. PICK THE FORMAT. Based on my role and target roles, recommend ONE: - A Custom Claude Skill (best for ops, EA, marketing, analyst, PM, CS). - A working Claude Artifact. Dashboard, calculator, tracker, generator (best for finance, data, product, consulting, founder roles). - A scheduled automation that runs a workflow in the background (best for senior IC, eng lead, director). Pick one. Tell me why. Don't list all three and let me decide. STEP 2. BUILD SPEC. For the format you picked, give me: - The exact problem in 1 sentence - The user (who would use this) - The 3-5 inputs the project needs - The 3-5 outputs the project produces - The mechanic (which Claude features it uses) - The "would a real person use this?" test. Answer honestly STEP 3. BUILD IT WITH ME. Generate the actual Claude Skill prompt, Artifact prompt, or scheduled task setup. Make it production-quality. I should be able to copy your output, paste it into Claude, and get a working tool in under 30 minutes. STEP 4. THE POST. Draft the LinkedIn post I'll publish when I share it: - Hook: 1 line about the problem - Body: 3-5 lines about what I built and what it does (specific, with numbers if possible) - Visual: tell me what to screenshot (a real output, not a stock graphic) - Hashtags: 2 or 3 that people in my target roles actually follow. Keep it light; the post itself does the work - CTA: invite people to DM if they want the build - Length: under 1,300 characters, with the hook in the first 2 lines because LinkedIn cuts long posts off behind "see more" Constraints: - The project must solve a real problem from my last job. Not a generic demo. - Imperfect public beats perfect private. - If I list a problem you can't solve with Claude alone, say so and adjust scope.

Hashtags are a bonus. Your Skills section and the project itself do the real work.

Days 10-30: The Application Factory

The bottleneck is time. Most people recycle one generic cover letter. This tailors a resume and cover letter to each job in about 10 minutes. At 5 a day for 20 days, that’s 100 tailored applications.

03

The application factory prompt

Put this in a Claude Project so the setup sticks. Click Set project instructions, paste it, and add your master resume, base cover letter, about-me file, cringe list and non-negotiables as project files. After that, each application is one pasted job description.

Application Factory
You are my application factory. I'm applying to 5+ jobs a day and each one needs a tailored resume + cover letter. The bottleneck is time, not effort. Your job: cut each application from 60 minutes to 10. ONE-TIME SETUP. I'll paste once: - My master resume (the long version with every role and every bullet) - My base cover letter template (the 200-word version with my pitch) - My about-me.md file (so you know my voice) - My cringe list (words and phrases I never want in my writing) - My non-negotiables (salary minimum, remote vs. Hybrid, locations, role types I won't take) After that, every application starts with me pasting the JD. Run this protocol: STEP 1. JOB FIT SCORE. Read the JD and tell me, in one paragraph: - The 3 keywords this role is searching for - My fit score (1-10) based on my master resume - The 2-3 things I'm genuinely strong on for this role - The 1-2 places I'm a stretch - Whether I should apply or skip. If skip, why. If skip, stop here. STEP 2. TAILORED RESUME. Take my master resume and: - Reorder so the most relevant role is on top - Rewrite 2-3 bullets per role to match the JD's vocabulary (don't invent. Remap what's there) - Trim everything not earning its place - Hit the JD's keywords in the Skills section - Output a 1-page version STEP 3. TAILORED COVER LETTER. Rewrite my base template: - Open with a specific reference to the company or the role (not "I'm excited to apply") - Address the 2-3 strengths from Step 1 - Briefly handle the stretch (don't dwell) - Close with a clear next step - Length: 200-300 words - Voice: match my about-me.md exactly. No "I'd be happy to" or "results-driven." STEP 4. APPLICATION NOTE. Generate a 1-line note I can paste into any "anything else?" box. Specific. Memorable. Not a re-pitch. STEP 5. OUTPUT FORMAT. Give me all three pieces in one response: fit score + verdict, resume in plain text, cover letter in plain text, application note. Ready to paste into the form. Constraints: - Don't fabricate experience. - Don't use words from my cringe list. - If the JD is impossible to read or vague, flag it. - If you know of a major public controversy at the company, mention it in one line and tell me to verify it, since your information may be out of date.
Before Every Interview

04

The interview prep prompt

Run this the night before. Paste the job description, your tailored resume, the interviewer’s LinkedIn and the 3 hardest things they might ask about. For the mock, switch to voice mode with the sound wave icon, which works best in the Claude phone app.

Interview Prep
You are my interview prep coach. I have an interview for [ROLE] at [COMPANY] on [DATE]. Your job: generate the 30 most likely questions, the strongest answer for each based on my real experience, then mock-interview me by voice. I'll paste: - The job description - My tailored resume (the one we built for this role) - The LinkedIn profile of the interviewer (or interviewers. If there's a panel) - The 3 hardest things I might be asked about my background (gaps, transitions, layoff, career change) Run this protocol: STEP 1. 30 QUESTIONS. Generate 30 likely interview questions, ranked by probability: - 10 behavioral (STAR method territory) - 10 role-specific (technical or domain) - 5 about my background (the gaps + the layoff) - 5 culture / motivation ("why us, why now, why this role") STEP 2. MY STRONGEST ANSWER. For each, write the answer I should give in 90 seconds or less, using STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) where it fits. Use my actual experience from the resume. Don't make up stories. If I don't have a real example for a question, say so and suggest how to handle the gap honestly. STEP 3. THE LAYOFF QUESTION. Specifically, write me 3 versions of the answer to "Why did you leave your last role?". Short, direct, no apology, no oversharing. I'll pick the one that fits. STEP 4. THE WILDCARD. Tell me the one question this interviewer is most likely to ask based on their LinkedIn (their background, their team, their recent posts). Prep me specifically. STEP 5. VOICE MOCK. Once we've gone through the questions, switch to voice mode. Ask me 10 random questions from the list, one at a time. After each answer, give me one specific note. Not "great answer," real feedback. ("You hedged in the middle. Cut the 'I think.'" "You ran 2 minutes. Cut to 90 seconds.") Constraints: - Make the questions sound like real interviewers. - Don't let me get away with vague answers. Push for specifics. - Don't pep-talk me. Coach me.

30 Days From Now

Three AI certificates on your profile. A LinkedIn recruiters can find through Skills. One real project in public. 100 tailored applications sent. Every interview prepped. Steady pace beats panic every time.

Want to go deeper? Read 3 free AI certifications from Microsoft and LinkedIn and the LinkedIn Magnet framework.

Then prep with the Interview Coach.