type: claude-session · area: career · tags: career, defense, job-search, auto-capture

session 2026 06 28 6d6bae03

Claude Session Summary — Defense Expat Job Tracker (2026-06-28)

Auto-captured from a Claude Code session (cwd: Desktop\WIP, 2026-06-26 → 2026-06-28). Review, then file or delete.

Session Purpose

Build a personalized, zero-infrastructure defense-expat job-tracking + opportunity-scoring tool that ingests postings (text/URL/dashboard), scores them against a fixed candidate rubric, ranks, tracks application status, and flags genuinely new Japan-based US-defense roles.

Decisions Made

Decision	Rationale
Self-contained local app + optional Node backend	Keep candidate profile private, zero infra
Files output to `Desktop\Other WIP\Job Search Tool`	Dedicated project folder
GitHub repo for an always-on cloud path	Enables the weekly monitor to run in the cloud
Weekly scheduled monitor (`defense-job-monitor-weekly`)	Auto-surface new postings without manual checking
Search by base name + XPAT/OCONUS, not just "Japan"	Many real postings hide Japan roles under Bethesda/OCONUS/XPAT
Track first-seen date + historical trends + "genuinely new" flag	Distinguish new openings from stale re-posts
Add Business Development roles + LM local-hire Japan roles	Broaden beyond direct-fit engineering

Key Facts Established

Candidate rubric is the source of truth: TS/SCI + CI Poly, CISSP, MBA, JLPT N3 (do not score native-Japanese-required roles as strong fits), ~$244K–$252K all-in current comp.
LM postings often list Bethesda even when the work is Japan/XPAT — must check for Japan/XPAT/OCONUS in the body.
Implemented in batches (1–4).

Action Items

Merge the monitor's postings-inbox.json into the tracker after each weekly run
Confirm the always-on cloud path (GitHub Actions) vs the local Claude Code scheduled task

Open Questions

Greenhouse/Lever slug coverage for the deeper-dive scraping.

Files / Artifacts Created

Job tracker app + job-monitor/ (postings-inbox.json, history.json); GitHub repo.