prospect-researcher - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: prospect-researcher description: > This skill should be used when the user asks to "research this company", "look into this person", "find the best angle for reaching out to", "who should I contact at [company]", "what does [company] care about", or when preparing outreach to a specific target. Also triggered by "help me prepare for an interview with [company]" or "I want to apply to [company]". Combines lead-generation intelligence with LinkedIn-specific approach planning. consumer: cc_foreground, cc_background_task phase: 8 skill_type: uplift

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):

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

"[name]" "[company]" site:linkedin.com — profile summary, experience
Their LinkedIn posts and articles — what they write about, what they care about
Conference talks, podcasts, interviews — "[name]" (talk OR podcast OR interview)
Published articles or blog posts
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