app-questions

Application Questions Skill

Priority hierarchy: See shared/references/priority-hierarchy.md for conflict resolution.

Help answer job application questions by saving each question to the job folder and generating a tailored answer based on your resume, work history, and the specific job posting.

Quick Start

• /cowork:app-questions - Start the flow (will ask for a job URL or use most recent)
• /cowork:app-questions https://... - Answer questions for a specific job posting
• /cowork:app-questions last - Use the most recent job folder

Data Directory

Resolve the data directory using shared/references/data-directory.md.

---

Workflow

Step 0: Check Prerequisites

Resolve the data directory, then check prerequisites per shared/references/prerequisites.md. Resume is required; profile is recommended but not blocking.

Step 1: Load Job Context

If $ARGUMENTS is "last" or empty:

• Check DATA_DIR/jobs/ for the most recently modified folder
• If found, load all files from that folder
• Confirm with the user which job this is for
• If no job folders exist, ask the user for a job URL

If $ARGUMENTS is a URL:

• Check if a job folder already exists for this company in DATA_DIR/jobs/
• If yes, load the existing files
• If no, use Claude in Chrome MCP tools to fetch the job posting per shared/references/browser-setup.md
• Save the posting to DATA_DIR/jobs/[company-slug]-[date]/posting.md

Load these files for context:

• posting.md — the job description (required)
• resume.md — the tailored resume for this role (if available)
• DATA_DIR/resume/* — original resume
• DATA_DIR/profile.md — work history (if available)
• questions.md — previously answered questions for this job (if exists)

Step 2: Collect Questions

Ask the user to paste or type the application questions. Common types include:

• "Why do you want to work at [Company]?"
• "Describe a time you [leadership/conflict/failure scenario]"
• "What are your salary expectations?"
• "Why are you leaving your current role?"
• "What's your experience with [technology/domain]?"
• Cover letter or "anything else" free-text fields
• Short-answer fields with character limits

The user can provide:

• One question at a time
• Multiple questions at once (numbered or pasted from a form)
• A screenshot of the application form (read and extract the questions)

Step 3: Generate Answers

For each question, write a tailored answer that:

1. Draws from real experience — use specific examples, metrics, and accomplishments from the resume and work history profile. Never fabricate.
2. Connects to the job — reference specific requirements or values from the job posting. Show you've read it.
3. Matches the tone — professional but human. No corporate buzzwords, no generic filler.
4. Respects length constraints — if the user mentions a character limit, stay under it. If no limit is specified, keep answers concise (2-4 sentences for short-answer, 1-2 paragraphs for essays).
5. Builds on the tailored resume — if a tailored resume exists for this job, align the narrative. Don't contradict what the resume emphasizes.

For behavioral questions (STAR format):

• Situation: Set the scene briefly (company, role, context)
• Task: What you needed to accomplish
• Action: What you specifically did (not the team)
• Result: Measurable outcome

For salary questions: Reference the salary range from the job posting if available. If the user has a target in DATA_DIR/preferences.md, use that. If unsure, draft a flexible response and flag it for user review.

For "why this company" questions: Pull from the job posting, company description, and any details in the posting about mission/values. Connect to the candidate's career arc from the profile.

Step 4: Save and Present

Save all questions and answers to DATA_DIR/jobs/[company-slug]-[date]/questions.md:

# Application Questions — [Company] [Role]

*Generated: [DATE]*
*Job posting: [URL]*

---

## Q1: [Question text]

**Character limit**: [N] (if specified)

[Answer]

---

## Q2: [Question text]

[Answer]

---

Present each answer to the user with:

• The question
• The generated answer
• A brief note on what experience/data was used
• Character count (if a limit was mentioned)

Step 5: Iterate

After presenting answers, ask:

"Want to adjust any of these? I can change the tone, swap in different examples, or shorten/lengthen answers."

For each revision:

1. Update the answer in questions.md
2. Show the revised version
3. Note what changed

The user may also:

• Add more questions (append to the file)
• Ask to rephrase for a different tone (more casual, more technical, etc.)
• Ask to emphasize different accomplishments
• Paste the actual form fields with character limits for final fitting

Step 6: Reuse Across Applications

When answering questions, check if similar questions have been answered for previous jobs in other DATA_DIR/jobs/*/questions.md files. If so:

• Use the previous answer as a starting point
• Adapt it for the current company and role
• Note to the user: "Based on your answer for [previous company], adapted for this role"

This builds a growing bank of application answers that get better over time.

---

Response Format

Structure user-facing output with these sections:

1. Answers — each question with its tailored answer, source notes, and character count
2. What's Next — offer to revise, add more questions, or move on to other skills

---

Permissions Required

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "Read(~/.claude/skills/**)",
      "Read(~/.cowork/**)",
      "Write(~/.cowork/**)",
      "Edit(~/.cowork/**)",
      "mcp__claude-in-chrome__*"
    ]
  }
}