The Pursuit Engine vs. Every Other Way to Job Search

Between my last two roles, I paid two different professional resume writers to help me stand out. One cost $400, the other $500. Both documents were well written. Neither one was something I could actually use, because every job wanted different keywords pulled forward and neither writer gave me an easy way to make those changes myself. I'd have had to pay again, per resume, per role, to keep them current. I eventually gave up on both and wrote my own. $900 spent, and I trashed the output. I've since watched clients go through the same thing with AI tools that flattened their strongest stories into something generic, and heard from more than one person that a recruiter only shows the roles they're paid to fill.

None of that means those tools are bad. It means each one solves a piece of the problem, and almost nobody tells you which piece.

Thirteen things that actually determine whether a search works.

Scored as fairly as I could score my own company. Nobody gets a row of Xs just to make a point, including the options that compete with me.

What matters	Job boards & cold apply	Resume writer	DIY AI tools	Recruiters & staffing	Coaching subscriptions	The Pursuit Engine
Verifies each role is genuinely open, at the employer's own site	–	–	–	✓	~	✓
Tailors a fresh resume and cover letter for every single role	–	–¹	~	~	~	✓
Identifies the actual hiring manager or decision maker	–	–	–	✓	–	✓
Maps your existing network for a warm path in	–	–	–	–²	~	✓
A human makes the judgment calls, not just an algorithm	–	✓	–	✓	~³	✓
You review and press send on everything yourself	✓	✓	✓	~	✓	✓
Runs proactively every morning, without you doing the work	–	–	–	–	–	✓
Works for you, not paid by the employer to fill the seat	~	✓	✓	–⁴	✓	✓
Search stays confidential while you're employed	~	✓	✓	~	✓	✓
Interview preparation included	–	~	~	~	✓	✓
Offer and negotiation support included	–	–	~	~⁵	~	✓
Flat, transparent pricing you can see upfront	✓	✓	✓	✓⁴	✓	✓
Someone is accountable for whether it actually works	–	~⁶	–	~⁷	–	✓

✓ Genuinely does this ~ Sometimes, or requires real effort from you – Not what it's built for

1. A one-time resume writer typically produces one strong document, occasionally two or three variants, not a fresh one per role.

2. Not the job of a recruiter to map your personal network; their relationships run to the employer, not to your contacts.

3. Most coaching subscriptions are self-service software; a live strategist call is usually reserved for the top tier and is monthly, not per-application.

4. Recruiters and staffing agencies are typically paid by the employer on placement, which is a real conflict of interest worth knowing about, even though it costs you nothing directly.

5. A recruiter is sometimes motivated to help you negotiate, since their fee is often tied to your starting salary. Worth knowing either way.

6. A resume writer is accountable for the quality of the document, not for whether it produces interviews.

7. A recruiter is accountable to the employer who pays them, which is not always the same thing as being accountable to you.

What none of this table can tell you

No guarantees of outcomes, from any option on this list, including this one. Hiring decisions belong to employers. What differs is the machinery behind your effort, and whether anyone is actually watching whether it's working.

The honest test isn't which column has the most checkmarks. It's which combination of rows matters for where you are right now. Someone quietly searching while employed weighs confidentiality differently than someone seven months out. Someone who enjoys the tailoring process might prefer the DIY tools with better judgment applied. This table exists so you can make that call with real information instead of a sales pitch.

Every way to job search, compared honestly. Including the ones that cost you money and didn't work.

Thirteen things that actually determine whether a search works.

What none of this table can tell you

See it applied to your own search.