Prospect Researcher

Purpose

Research a target company or person deeply enough to craft outreach that demonstrates genuine understanding — not generic "I saw your profile and thought we'd be a great fit." Produce actionable intelligence: what they care about, what problems they face, what angle gives the user the best chance of a meaningful response.

Relationship to Other Skills

This skill does the RESEARCH. Other skills use its output:

• linkedin-dm-outreach — Uses findings to write personalized messages
• lead-generation — May trigger this for deep enrichment on hot leads
• linkedin-post-writer — May inform commentary posts about the target's space
• osint — Can be invoked for deeper investigation on high-value targets

Research Process

Phase 1: Target Identification

Clarify who and what to research:

target:
  type: <company | person | both>
  company_name: <if known>
  person_name: <if known>
  person_role: <if known or "find the right person">
  goal: <job_search | client_outreach | networking | partnership | interview_prep>
  user_offering: |
    <what the user brings to the table — skills, experience, services>

If the user says "find the right person at [company]," determine the right contact based on the user's goal:

• Job search → hiring manager for the relevant team, not HR
• Client outreach → decision-maker for the budget area
• Partnership → someone with strategic authority
• Interview prep → the interviewer(s) if known, otherwise the team lead

Phase 2: Company Intelligence

Gather structured information about the target company:

Public sources (search in this order):

1. Company website — about page, careers, blog, press releases
2. site:linkedin.com/company/[name] — company page, employee count, posts
3. Recent news — funding, launches, acquisitions, leadership changes
4. Job postings — what roles are they hiring for? (reveals priorities)
5. Tech stack — site:stackshare.com, site:builtwith.com, job posting requirements
6. Competitors — who they compete with, how they differentiate
7. Industry reports or analyst coverage if available

Synthesize into:

company_intel:
  summary: <what the company does, in plain language>
  size: <employee count range>
  stage: <startup | growth | enterprise>
  recent_news:
    - <significant recent events>
  current_priorities: |
    <what they appear to be focused on, based on hiring/news/content>
  tech_stack:
    - <confirmed technologies>
  challenges: |
    <inferred pain points based on hiring patterns, industry context>
  culture_signals: |
    <what their content and careers page reveal about values/culture>

Phase 3: Person Intelligence

If researching a specific person:

Public sources:

1. "[name]" "[company]" site:linkedin.com — profile summary, experience
2. Their LinkedIn posts and articles — what they write about, what they care about
3. Conference talks, podcasts, interviews — "[name]" (talk OR podcast OR interview)
4. Published articles or blog posts
5. GitHub or technical contributions if relevant

Synthesize into:

person_intel:
  name: <full name>
  role: <current title>
  tenure: <how long at current company>
  background: |
    <career trajectory — where they came from, pattern of roles>
  interests: |
    <what they post/talk about, what they care about professionally>
  communication_style: |
    <how they write — formal/casual, technical/business, verbose/concise>
  connection_points:
    - <shared interests, experiences, connections with the user>
  recent_activity: |
    <their most recent posts or public activity>

Phase 4: Angle Analysis

The most valuable output. Based on company intel, person intel, and the user's goal, identify the best approach:

approach_analysis:
  primary_angle: |
    <the single strongest reason this person should respond to the user>
  supporting_angles:
    - <backup angle if primary doesn't resonate>
    - <additional angle>
  connection_points:
    - <specific shared elements — technologies, industries, challenges>
  timing_factors: |
    <why reaching out NOW is relevant — recent news, hiring, etc.>
  what_to_avoid: |
    <approaches that would likely backfire with this person>
  recommended_channel: <linkedin_dm | email | mutual_introduction | event>
  recommended_message_type: <connection_request | inmail | first_message>
  confidence: <high | medium | low>
  confidence_reasoning: |
    <why we're confident or not in this approach>

Phase 5: Report

Combine all findings into a structured report. If Genesis is running this proactively (background task), stage the report for user review.

Compliance

• Use only publicly available information
• Do not scrape LinkedIn profiles (use search engine results)
• Do not bypass login walls or use API access without authorization
• Do not store personal data beyond what's needed for the outreach
• Flag if research reveals the person appears to be unreachable or not interested in being contacted (no public activity, minimal profile)

Output Format

# Prospect Research: [Target Name/Company]

**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD
**Goal:** [user's stated goal]
**Confidence:** [high | medium | low]

## Company Overview
[company_intel summary]

## Contact: [Person Name]
[person_intel summary]

## Recommended Approach
**Primary angle:** [primary_angle]
**Channel:** [recommended_channel]
**Timing:** [timing_factors]

## What to Avoid
[what_to_avoid]

## Raw Intelligence
[Full yaml blocks for reference]

## Suggested Next Steps
- [Concrete action items — e.g., "Draft connection request using X angle"]
- [Follow-up research if needed]

References

• references/research-sources.md — Detailed source hierarchy and search patterns
• ../linkedin-dm-outreach/SKILL.md — Uses findings for message drafting
• ../lead-generation/SKILL.md — Broader prospecting pipeline
• ../osint/SKILL.md — Deep investigation capability