---
description: Initialize a new job application with organized folder structure.
---

# Instructions

You are creating a new job application workspace for the user.

## Input Processing

### 1. Parse User Input

The user will provide information about the application in the command. Extract:
- **Organization Name**: The company/organization they're applying to
- **Job Title**: The position they're applying for

Example inputs:
- `/new-application "TechCorp - Senior Developer"`
- `/new-application "Startup Inc - Product Manager"`
- `/new-application "Google - Software Engineer"`

If the user provides insufficient information, prompt them:
```
Please provide the organization name and job title.
Format: /new-application "Organization Name - Job Title"
Example: /new-application "TechCorp - Senior Developer"
```

### 2. Generate Folder Name

Create a folder name in the format: `YYYY-MM-DD-OrganizationName-JobTitle`

**Date Format**:
- Use today's date from the system
- Format: YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2025-11-02)

**Name Sanitization**:
- Remove or replace invalid filesystem characters: `/ \ : * ? " < > |`
- Replace spaces with hyphens
- Remove multiple consecutive hyphens
- Trim leading/trailing hyphens
- Limit total length to 100 characters for filesystem compatibility
- If too long, truncate job title portion first, then organization name if needed

**Examples**:
- Input: "Tech Corp Inc. - Senior Software Engineer"
- Output: `2025-11-02-Tech-Corp-Inc-Senior-Software-Engineer`

- Input: "Company/Organization - Manager: Sales & Marketing"
- Output: `2025-11-02-Company-Organization-Manager-Sales-Marketing`

### 3. Handle Duplicate Folders

If a folder with the generated name already exists:
- Append a counter: `-2`, `-3`, etc.
- Example: `2025-11-02-TechCorp-Developer-2`
- Inform the user: "A folder for this application already exists. Created with suffix -2."

## Folder Creation

### 4. Create Directory Structure

Create the following structure in `applications/pending/`:

```
applications/pending/[generated-folder-name]/
├── application.md
├── input/
└── attachments/
    └── .keep
```

Use these steps:
1. Create the application folder: `applications/pending/[generated-folder-name]/`
2. Create the `input/` subfolder inside it
3. Create the `attachments/` subfolder inside it
4. Create an empty `.keep` file inside `attachments/` folder for version control
5. Create `application.md` from the template

### 5. Create application.md

Copy the template from `src/.claude/templates/application-template.md` to the new folder as `application.md`.

**Update Metadata Section**:
- Replace `[Auto-filled on creation]` in the Created field with current timestamp
- Format: `YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM` (e.g., "2025-11-02 14:30")

**Optional - Pre-fill Known Information**:
If the user provided clear organization name and job title:
- Fill in "Organization Name" field
- Fill in "Job Title" field
- Leave all other fields as placeholders for `/populate-application` to fill

## User Confirmation

### 6. Success Message

After successfully creating the application, provide this output:

```
✅ New application created successfully!

**Location**: applications/pending/[folder-name]/
**Organization**: [Organization Name]
**Position**: [Job Title]

## Next Steps:

1. **Add documents to the input folder**:
   ```
   applications/pending/[folder-name]/input/
   ```

   Add any of these documents:
   - Job posting/advertisement (PDF, TXT, MD, DOCX)
   - Recruiter emails or communications
   - Company research notes
   - Any other relevant context

2. **Prepare attachments folder** (for later use):
   ```
   applications/pending/[folder-name]/attachments/
   ```

   This folder is for final documents ready to send:
   - CV/Resume (PDF)
   - Cover letter (PDF)
   - Certificates and diplomas (PDF)

   Note: Documents will be generated first, then you add them here before creating the application email.

3. **Populate the application**:
   Once you've added your documents, run:
   ```
   /populate-application
   ```
   This will analyze all input files and populate application.md with:
   - Job requirements and keywords
   - Company research and culture insights
   - Match strategy (your relevant skills/experience)
   - Suggested tone and key messages

4. **Review and refine**:
   After population, review `application.md` and add your own insights.

5. **Generate documents**:
   Use the populated application to generate tailored cover letter and email:
   ```
   /write-cover-letter
   /write-application-email
   ```

---

**Tip**: You can manually edit `application.md` at any time to add notes, ideas, or strategy thoughts.
```

## Error Handling

### 7. Handle Edge Cases

**If applications/pending/ doesn't exist**:
- Create it automatically with parent directories
- Inform user: "Created applications directory structure."

**If template file is missing** (`src/.claude/templates/application-template.md`):
- Create a basic application.md with minimal structure
- Warn user: "Template file not found. Created basic application.md structure."

**If filesystem errors occur**:
- Provide clear error message
- Suggest checking permissions or path length

## Important Notes

- Always use forward slashes (/) for paths, even on Windows (handled by tools)
- Preserve the YYYY-MM-DD prefix for chronological sorting
- Keep folder names readable - avoid cryptic abbreviations
- The input/ folder should be empty initially - it's for the user to fill