Get your own JobScout

JobScout checks the careers pages of the companies you choose every hour and shows the jobs that fit you on your own web page. It's free and you don't need to write any code: you fill in a Google Sheet and click through a few settings on GitHub. Setup takes about 8 minutes. Tick each step when you finish it; this page remembers where you are.

Before you start

1. Two free accounts

2 min
Create a GitHub account

Part 1 - Your settings sheet

2. Copy the template sheet

1 min

Click the button, then Make a copy. The copy goes into your own Google Drive. From now on, only work in your copy.

Copy the template sheet

3. Fill in your preferences and companies

5 min+

Preferences tab: change only the yellow cells. Separate words with commas.

SettingWhat to write
Core rolesWords in the job titles you want most, e.g. customer success manager, csm
Also interested inOther roles you would consider
Exclude titles withWords that mean "not for me", e.g. intern, director
Languages I speakJobs that require other languages are hidden
Location 1, 2, 3Your places, best first. Add other names for the same place after commas, e.g. Barcelona, Catalunya. Write Remote to include remote jobs.
Remote must be open toEurope or Worldwide
Max job age (days)Hide older jobs, e.g. 30

Companies tab: delete the example rows and add one company per row (name and website).

Tip: also paste the company's careers page link in column C if you can. To find it, go to the company website, click Careers or Jobs (often at the bottom of the page), then See all jobs, and copy the address once you see the list of jobs. With that link JobScout finds the jobs every time. Without it, JobScout tries to find the list on its own.

4. Share your sheet (view only)

1 min
  1. In your copy, click Share (top right).
  2. Under General access, change "Restricted" to Anyone with the link.
  3. Check that the role says Viewer, not Editor.
  4. Click Copy link, then Done.
Is this safe? Your sheet doesn't become public or searchable. Only people who have this exact link can view it, and nobody can edit it. The test above runs in your browser and only talks to Google. In step 7 you save the link as a hidden setting, so it never appears on your page.

Part 2 - Your JobScout on GitHub

5. Create your own JobScout

2 min
  1. Sign in to GitHub and click the button below.
  2. Repository name: jobscout (or any name you like; it becomes part of your page address).
  3. Choose Public. Free accounts can only publish pages from public projects. The project only holds the program, not your companies or preferences.
  4. Click Create repository.
Create my JobScout

Then type your GitHub username and the name you chose. The next buttons will take you straight to the right pages.

6. Turn on your page

1 min
  1. Click Turn on my page.
  2. Under Branch, choose gh-pages, leave / (root), and click Save. If gh-pages isn't in the list, wait one minute and reload: your new project is still setting itself up.
Turn on my page

7. Save your sheet link as a secret

1 min

A secret is a hidden setting. Once you save it, nobody can see it again, not even you.

  1. Click the button below. It opens your project's Settings, Secrets and variables, Actions page.
  2. Name: SHEET_URL
  3. Secret: paste your sheet link from step 4.
  4. Click Add secret.
Open the "New secret" page

8. Start your first scan

5 min

JobScout scans by itself every hour. To see your board now instead of waiting:

  1. Click Start my first scan, then Run workflow on the right, then the green Run workflow button.
  2. Wait about 5 minutes. A yellow dot means it's running; a green tick means it's done.
  3. Click Open my job board and bookmark it on your phone and laptop.
Start my first scan Open my job board

After setup

How do I change what I'm looking for?

Edit your Google Sheet: roles, places or companies. The next hourly scan uses the new settings. You don't need to go back to GitHub.

Something isn't working
What you seeWhat to do
Your page says "Almost there: add your sheet link"The secret is missing or misspelled. Redo step 7 and type SHEET_URL exactly.
Your page says "JobScout can't read your sheet"The sheet isn't shared. Redo step 4.
Your page shows "404"Step 6 was skipped, or the page is still starting. Do step 6, wait 2 minutes and reload.
A company never shows jobsOpen the latest scan run: the summary lists companies JobScout couldn't find. Add their careers page link in your sheet.
Who can see what?
WhatWho can see it
Your settings sheetOnly people who have its link (view only)
The sheet linkNobody. It's stored as a hidden secret.
Your GitHub projectAnyone, but it only holds the program, not your data
Your job pageAnyone who has its address. It only shows matching jobs, and it asks search engines not to list it.
Does it cost anything? How do I pause it?

It's free: it uses the free plans of GitHub and Google. To pause it, open the Scan page (step 8), click the ... menu at the top right and choose Disable workflow.