Two Paths, One Win: How Riley Used Applica’s Multiple Profiles to Land His Ideal Business Analyst Role
Connect with Riley on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rileytprescott/
This is an update to Riley’s original story.
When Riley Prescott was laid off after 10 years at Greenshades, he knew one thing for sure:
He did not want to go back to software development.
For seven years, Riley had been a .NET developer. In the last three, he’d moved into operations and HRIS work—and that’s where his energy really was. His goal: land a technical business analyst / data & operations role that leveraged his payroll and HR tech experience.
But with a tough market, shrinking severance, and a family to support, he worried he might have to take the faster, safer route back into dev.
Instead of choosing one lane, Riley decided to test, learn, and then double down.
Step 1: A 25-Day Experiment
Riley first signed up for 25 days of App Booster with a simple goal: figure out where he actually fit in the market.
“I used my first 25 days with Applica to test. Titles, keywords, how I was presenting myself.”
At first, his targeting was fuzzy: some product roles, some ops, some project and product management. As Applica applied on his behalf and he watched which roles were biting, patterns emerged:
Senior Product roles were often too far above his experience.
Operations, HRIS, and business analyst roles felt like a much closer match.
The market responded better when he leaned into his data, HRIS, and payroll background.
Along the way, he refined his resume to be more ATS-friendly, tuned his titles, and rethought his positioning:
“After that first round of refining, I realized what I’d actually been doing was operations and business analyst work. I just hadn’t labeled it correctly.”
By the end of the first 25 days, Riley had something priceless: clarity. He hadn’t fully landed yet but he now knew which lane he wanted.
Step 2: Doubling Down with Multiple Profiles
With clarity came a smarter strategy. Instead of forcing himself to pick between “what I want” and “what’s safest,” Riley used Applica’s multiple profile feature to run both paths in parallel. When he re-upped with Applica, he created two separate App Booster profiles:
Profile #1 – Technical Business Analyst / HRIS / Operations
This was the dream lane: tech BA, HRIS analyst, data solutions, operations.Profile #2 – Software Developer (.NET)
This was the fallback lane: the path where his 7 years of dev experience made him a strong fit on paper.
“Applica allowed me diversify my job search. I had one profile for the work I really wanted to do, and another that leaned on the rest of my skill set.”
Step 3: The Right Offer, in the Right Lane
In the end, the winning lane wasn’t software development at all. Riley landed a Technology Business Analyst – Data Solutions role:
“It is almost exactly what I was looking for. I’ll be doing very similar things to what I did in my previous role like operations, data and documentation but they also wanted someone technical who can write API calls and help build out their API. That’s me.”
The hiring team only needed one interview to decide.
“I was on the interview call and they were like, ‘This is the guy.’ I only had one call with them. They were so excited to have me.”
It wasn’t just the role that worked the numbers did too:
+$15K increase in base salary
Benefits cost cut in half, worth another ~$8K/year
Net result: roughly $20K improvement over his previous job
“I don’t have nicer words for Applica. The amount of money I spent on you guys was completely worth the job that I landed.”
What Made the Difference
Looking back, Riley sees a few key factors:
1. Treating His First Run as a Test
Instead of assuming he knew exactly what to target, he used his first 25 days as a learning sprint. “I pinpointed my market worth and where I actually fit pretty quickly. That first period let me calibrate everything for the second run.”
2. Running Multiple Profiles in Parallel
With Applica’s multiple profile feature, he didn’t have to choose between passion and safety. “You let me diversify. One profile for business analyst, one for software dev. It doubled the feelers I had out in the market.”
3. Staying in Control of His Pipeline
Riley loved that Applica didn’t replace his search, it amplified it.
App Booster applied for him in both lanes.
He kept applying manually to targeted roles.
Applica centralized everything with application history + Interview Tracker.
“Applica did exactly what I would be doing, just faster. I still felt in control, but I was way more productive.”
Riley’s Advice to Other Job Seekers
For anyone stuck between two paths a “safe” option and a “this is what I actually want” option Riley’s approach is simple:
Use your first phase to test - Try titles, keywords, and positioning. Let the market give you feedback.
Refine your lane - Once you see what aligns with your background and interests, tighten your targeting.
Use multiple profiles instead of guessing - Run your dream lane and your fallback lane in parallel, with clean separation.
“I chose the path I wanted, refined it, and then added the software path when the panic set in. Applica let me do both intelligently.”
Want to Explore Two Paths Without Doubling the Work?
If you’re like Riley, torn between the role you want and the role you’re “supposed” to take, Applica’s multiple profile feature lets you:
Test different titles and lanes in parallel
Keep applications, emails, and interviews organized by profile
Let data, not panic, decide which path wins
Start with one profile, or spin up two and treat your search like an experiment. Riley did and he ended up exactly where he wanted to be, with a pay bump to match.