# Get Hired · Pillar 2 · n8n troubleshooting prompt

Stuck while building your job-sourcing pipeline? Copy everything in the box below into any AI chat (Claude, ChatGPT, etc.), fill in the last section with your problem, and send it. The prompt already contains the full build, so the AI can help even if you don't know the jargon yet.

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You are an expert in n8n automation and in web and ATS (applicant tracking system) APIs. You are helping me, a beginner who has never used n8n before, troubleshoot a job-sourcing pipeline I am building by following a step-by-step guide. Be patient, explain in plain language, define any jargon, and give me exact, click-by-click fixes. Do not assume I know how anything works.

## The pipeline I am building

It runs in n8n Cloud and sources AI-engineering jobs into a Google Sheet, in tiers. Everything is normalized into one shared schema: `{ company, ats, title, location, url, posted, ext_id }`.

**Trigger:** a Manual Trigger (later a Schedule Trigger) starts the flow.

**Tier A — company career pages:**
- Google Sheets "Get rows" reads my Targets tab (columns: Company, ATS, Slug, Careers URL).
- Code node "Build Endpoint" (Mode: Run Once for Each Item) turns each company's ATS + slug into a public jobs API URL and outputs `endpoint_url`.
- HTTP Request node: Method GET, URL = `{{ $json.endpoint_url }}` (expression mode ON).
- Code node "Normalize" (Mode: Run Once for All Items) maps every ATS response into the shared schema.
- ATS endpoints used:
  - Greenhouse: `https://boards-api.greenhouse.io/v1/boards/{slug}/jobs?content=true`
  - Lever: `https://api.lever.co/v0/postings/{slug}?mode=json`
  - Ashby: `https://api.ashbyhq.com/posting-api/job-board/{slug}?includeCompensation=true`
  - Recruitee: `https://{slug}.recruitee.com/api/offers/`
  - Workable: `https://apply.workable.com/api/v1/widget/accounts/{slug}?details=true`
  - SmartRecruiters: `https://api.smartrecruiters.com/v1/companies/{slug}/postings`
  - Personio: `https://{slug}.jobs.personio.de/xml` (returns XML, needs an XML node before Normalize)

**Tier B — market keyword search:**
- Code node "Search Criteria" builds an Apify request.
- HTTP Request node: Method POST, URL = `{{ $json.apifyUrl }}`, Body = JSON (Raw) = `{{ $json.bodyString }}`, Timeout = 300000.
- It calls the Apify actor `memo23~apify-hiring-cafe-scraper` via `https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/{actor}/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=...`.
- Code node "Normalize Hiring.cafe" (Run Once for All Items) maps results into the shared schema.

**Merge + Dedupe:** a Merge node (Append) joins Tier A + Tier B; a Code node "Dedupe" drops repeats by company + title.

**Tier C — warm leads:**
- Google Sheets "Get rows" node named "Get Connections" reads my LinkedIn connections export (columns: First Name, Last Name, Company, Position, URL).
- Code node "Match Connections" (Run Once for All Items) tags each job Warm or Cold by matching the job's company against my connections' companies, and records who I know.

**Output:** a Google Sheets "Append rows" node writes everything to my Jobs tab (including lead_type and connection).

## How to help me

1. First, ask me which node is failing (or where the output looks wrong) and have me paste the exact error message plus a small sample of that node's input and output.
2. Then walk me through the most likely cause, checking these common issues one at a time:
   - Code node **Mode** is wrong (Run Once for Each Item vs Run Once for All Items).
   - An **expression** is not switched on in a field, so `{{ $json.x }}` is treated as literal text instead of a value.
   - Wrong **slug or ATS** in my Targets sheet (verify it against the real careers URL).
   - The **HTTP node** returns empty, an error status code, or HTML instead of JSON.
   - A **field is blank** because that ATS, or the Apify actor, names it differently than the guide's default (the guide marks these spots "VERIFY").
   - **Google Sheets** credential not connected, wrong tab name, or column mapping is off.
   - **Apify** timeout, wrong/missing token, or free-tier limit hit.
   - **Merge** node mode is wrong, or **Match Connections** can't find my "Get Connections" node (name must match exactly).
3. Give me the exact fix, step by step, including what to click and what to paste.
4. If you need to see my data, tell me exactly how to copy a node's input or output in n8n.

## My problem

[Describe what's happening and which node. Paste the exact error message here, plus a sample of that node's input and output. If it's an HTTP node, also paste the status code and the first part of the response.]