Help · NextBeacon

Before you buy

Check that you have these five things. The installer checks the first two again before it installs anything, so nothing lands on your PC until it knows it will run. The third is checked during the guided setup: the Your AI page checks that Claude is installed and signed in.

A Windows 10 (version 2004 or later) or Windows 11 PC, with 8 GB of memory recommended (4 GB is the minimum) and 4 GB of free disk space. Mac, tablets and phones are not supported.
An internet connection that can reach Claude and the job boards. Home networks usually can. Some work networks block them, so a work laptop may not be the right PC.
A paid Claude plan from Anthropic, on an account in your name, for the full NextBeacon. Claude Pro at about $20 a month is enough. You pay Anthropic directly. If you do not have Claude yet, download it from Anthropic; you can also set it up during the guided setup. NextBeacon Lite needs no separate AI account, so skip this one.
About twenty minutes, mostly waiting while things install.
Your résumé as a PDF, Word file or text.

After you pay

Checkout is handled by Stripe. As soon as you have paid, the thank-you page shows your download link and your purchase key, and your purchase email from info@mynextbeacon.com carries the same two things, usually within a minute. Keep the purchase key: the installer asks for it, and it is what ties your copy to your PC.

Installing

Run the installerWindows may first show a blue box saying “Windows protected your PC”. NextBeacon is new, so Windows asks you to confirm: click More info, then Run anyway. The installer then opens with the terms of use. Read them and check the box to continue.
It checks your PCWindows version, free disk space, memory, and whether the PC can reach Claude and the job boards. If something is not right, it tells you which item and what to change, and you can click Next to check again once it is fixed. Nothing is installed until every check passes.
Enter your purchase keyThe installer shows a code for your PC and asks for the purchase key from your purchase email. It fetches your unlock code online. From then on the license is checked on your own PC, so the app opens without the internet. Each morning NextBeacon also asks the NextBeacon service whether your purchase still stands and whether there is an update; if it cannot reach the service, it carries on with the last answer.
WaitEverything NextBeacon needs installs on its own. This is the long part, usually five to ten minutes. The installer puts a NextBeacon shortcut on your desktop and opens the setup pages in your browser when it is done.

First setup

The setup is a short series of pages in your browser, one topic each. You can go back to any of them later from the Config page.

Your AI. (Full NextBeacon only; Lite skips this page.) NextBeacon checks that Claude is installed and signed in. If Claude is not on the PC yet, download it from Anthropic. If you are not signed in yet, a Sign in to Claude button opens Anthropic's own sign-in window. This is the only sign-in you ever do, and it is Anthropic's, not ours.
Your documents. Upload your résumé. You can add certifications, older résumés and a list of accomplishments too; everything helps the fact check.
About you. Name, email, city, remote or office, the job titles you want, how far you would commute, your experience level, job type, and your pay floor and target.
Companies. Pick industries and company sizes, type company names, or paste a careers page address. There is a button that suggests companies like the ones you already added.
Daily email. Where the morning report goes. Your report is sent by NextBeacon to this address; nothing to set up. A Send a test report button checks it.
Schedule. The times the scan runs, every day or weekdays only, and whether you want an email on every run or only when something new turns up.
Done. A checklist of anything still missing, and a Start my first scan button. The first scan takes an hour or more, and the Today page fills in as scores arrive.

Every morning

At the time you chose, NextBeacon wakes your PC if it is asleep, reads the new postings at your companies, scores each one, writes a tailored résumé for the strong matches, and emails you the list. Open the email or the Today page, read the reasons, open the résumé, and after your review submit the application on the employer's page yourself. Mark the row as Applied so the pipeline stays honest. If a posting closes, NextBeacon notices and drops it from your list.

Before the scan, NextBeacon also checks for a newer version of itself and installs it after the scan. Only the files that changed are downloaded, and your résumé, profile, companies and history are never touched. If a new version does not start, the previous one is put back. The Today page says “Updated to version” with the new number when it happens, and shows an Install now button whenever an update is waiting for the morning.

If something goes wrong

Windows says “Windows protected your PC”

That is Windows SmartScreen. It shows for new programs it has not seen often yet, and NextBeacon is new. Click More info, check that the App line reads NextBeacon-Setup.exe and that you downloaded it from the link in your purchase email, then click Run anyway. If your PC is managed by an employer, it may not offer Run anyway; install on a personal PC instead.

The installer says my PC did not pass a check

It tells you which one and what to change. The common ones: free up disk space, move to a home network if a work network blocks Claude or the job boards, or install on a different PC if this one has less than 4 GB of memory. Click Next to check again.

The Sign in to Claude button did not open a window

The page shows a line for this case. Make sure a browser is set as your default, then click Check again. The free Claude plan does not include what NextBeacon needs; you need a paid plan.

No morning email arrived

Open NextBeacon and check the Today page first; the scan may have run without the email. Look in your spam or junk folder: the report comes from reports@mynextbeacon.com, so mark it as safe the first time. Then check the address on the Daily email page in Config and press Send a test report. If the email service was unreachable, NextBeacon keeps the report and tries again every hour for up to two days. If the PC was off at the scan time, the scan runs the next time the PC is on.

A company I added shows no jobs

Some employers have no job board behind their careers page, and a few large ones block automated reading. NextBeacon keeps the company on your list with a note so you can check it by hand.

The PC did not wake up for the scan

Windows needs wake timers allowed in the power plan. In Control Panel, open Power Options, Change plan settings, Change advanced power settings, Sleep, Allow wake timers, and set it to Enable. Otherwise the scan runs the next time the PC is on.

Getting help

Email info@mynextbeacon.com. Say which step you are on and what the screen says, and you will usually hear back the same day.

What happens after you buy, and where to turn if you get stuck.