I built a Claude workflow that automatically tracks networking for our clients.

But you can use the framework to track any part of your job search (or the entire thing at once!). Here's how to build it in 7 easy steps:

Context: Tracking = Predictability

The #1 thing driving success for our clients right now is tracking their networking.

Tracking gives you data that you can use to create predictability! But tracking is also a pain in the ___.

That’s where this Claude workflow comes into play. It scans your email, identifies messages to / from contacts on your list, automatically updates your tracker, AND pings you with recommended actions.

Here’s how to set it up:

Step #1: Set Up Your Email Connector (& Other Tools!)

Connectors are integrations that let Claude access and use the other tools that make up your workflow.

As we move from the era of prompt optimization to context optimization, having your connectors set up is one of the easiest ways to provide more context with about 30 seconds of work.

In Claude, head to Customize > Connectors.

Choose your email client (Gmail or Outlook) and link it up.

Now Claude can scan / read the emails in your inbox!

Step #2: Create Your Folder Setup

We're going to be using Claude Cowork for this workflow.

Cowork works out of files and folders on your computer, so we want to make sure those have the right structure First, create a new folder somewhere on your computer called “Networking CRM” (or whatever you want to name it!). Inside the folder, create the following:

• CLAUDE.md (markdown file)
• OPTIMIZATION.md (markdown file)
• Outputs (folder)
• Networking CRM (Excel Sheet)

Now you've got the scaffolding in place!

Step #3: Populate Your Networking Excel Sheet

Open your Networking CRM Excel sheet and add the following columns:

• Name
• Email
• Company
• Status
• Last Contact
• Notes

Now add the names and emails of everyone you want to track. If you've been following along and have a job tracker with those names already, you're ahead of the curve! You can skip the other columns, Claude will take care of those for you on the first run 😉

Step #4: Provide Context & Plan With Cowork

Open a new chat in Claude Cowork. Point it to your “Networking CRM” folder and set the model to Opus. Using dictation mode (the microphone icon), tell Claude you are planning only right now and give Claude context on your Networking CRM workflow:

Step #5: Have Cowork Interview You To Fill Any Gaps

Once Cowork has ingested your context from the last prompt, have it fill in the gaps with this prompt:

This will allow Cowork to cover all the nooks and crannies. It'll also force you to think through the details of how you want to execute this! Here are a few elements I recommend including:

✅ Self Improvement – Making sure Claude is asking you for feedback after each run and having it store the feedback in Optimization.md

✅ Outputs – Have Claude store its runs in the Outputs folder for reference.

✅ Frequency – I'd recommend having Claude run this at least 3x / day.

✅ New Contact Identification – You want Claude to identify new networking contacts as you send messages so you don't need to manually do it.

Step #6: Run Your First Test (& Share Feedback)

When Cowork has everything built? Give it a run! It's probably worth telling Cowork to go back 30-60 days for the initial run instead of the last week.You can also tell it to fill in the blanks for the contacts in your Networking CRM Excel sheet (their Company, Status, Notes, Date of Last Contact, etc). Run it and let it do its thing:

When it's done, you need to provide feedback!

99% of people go through all the effort of building the workflow, then get disappointed when it's not perfect.

These workflows require time and optimization, which comes from the feedback you share.

Step #7: Set It Up As Scheduled Task

You can ask Cowork to do this for you, but here are the manual steps:

Go to Cowork > Scheduled > New Task.

Name it whatever feels good, then tell it to reference the instruction in Claude.md and Optimization.md on every run.

For the model, choose Sonnet (Opus will burn through your tokens like wildfire in Cowork, and if you set things up like I showed you above, Sonnet will be just fine).

Finally, choose your frequency. You can do daily if you'd like, but I'd recommend you ask Claude to have this run 3x per day (8am, 1pm, and 4:30pm) and it will set it up for you:

Expectation Setting: Give It 7 Days For 90%+ Optimization

One round of feedback is great, but the way you get to 90% accuracy and super high quality is giving your workflow consistent feedback for 7 days straight. Every time it runs?

You check the output, then you tell it what went well, what didn't, what needs to be added, and what needs to change.

Pro Tip: Use dictation mode here! You can talk 4x faster than you type and it's SO much easier to share feedback quickly this way

If you do that for a full week? Your job search tracking is going to be on autopilot. Then you can take it to the next level by using something like Telegram bot that can ping you when someone replies, when the workflow runs into any errors, or just with a daily recap.

Here's how to set one up:

Once your Telegram bot is set up, just ask Claude Cowork how to integrate it into your workflows. I love this setup because I get immediate pings when something needs my attention, but it doesn't clog up my inbox.

Plus, as you build out more workflows like this, you can leverage Telegram as your “chief of staff” to manage them all!

Happy building 🙂