Can I run a job search assistant entirely offline?

Yes. Jobomate is a local-first macOS app, and its Local AI connection loads a GGUF model file that runs fully on-device. You can also point it at a local server such as Ollama or LM Studio. With either option the AI runs on your own Mac, so your CV, role briefs, and drafts are processed without leaving your machine.

How is a private local job search different from using a cloud AI?

With a cloud AI key, your prompts are processed by a hosted provider. With a private local model, the model runs on your hardware, so sensitive details like your CV or candidate information never go to a third party. Jobomate supports both, so you can choose convenience or full privacy per situation.

Which local models does Jobomate work with?

Jobomate connects to any OpenAI-compatible local server, such as Ollama or LM Studio (for example http://localhost:11434/v1/chat/completions with a model like llama3), and it can load a GGUF model file directly with a context size you choose. CLI Pipe and Terminal connections can also route prompts through a local command you define.

Private Local AI Job Search

Why privacy matters in a job search

A job search is personal. If you are looking quietly while still employed, you do not want your CV and target roles sitting in a third party's logs. If you are a recruiter, candidate details and role briefs can be confidential by contract. Pasting all of that into a cloud chatbot means trusting an outside service with the most sensitive parts of the process.

Most AI job tools are built cloud-first, so privacy is an afterthought. Jobomate is built the other way around: local-first on macOS, with the option to run the AI itself on your own hardware so nothing has to leave your Mac.

Local-first by default

Before you even pick a model, Jobomate keeps your working data on your machine. Your attached CV, your loaded role briefs, the jobs or candidates you collect, and every draft live on your own Mac rather than in someone's cloud account. The built-in browser is a real browser, and you can clear its history, cookies, and cached files on demand while your saved work stays intact.

Run the AI on your own hardware

The real privacy win is choosing where the model runs. Jobomate gives you several ways to connect an AI, including options that never touch the internet:

Local AI. Load a GGUF model file straight into Jobomate and run it fully offline on-device, with a context size you choose. No server, no cloud, no setup beyond the file.
Local Server. Point Jobomate at an OpenAI-compatible endpoint such as Ollama or LM Studio, for example http://localhost:11434/v1/chat/completions with a model like llama3, so the model runs on your machine or your own network.
CLI Pipe and Terminal. For power users, route prompts through a local command you define and let Jobomate capture the reply, keeping everything inside tools you already trust.

Prefer convenience for a particular task? You can still connect a cloud AI key (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, DeepSeek, and others) or sign in via OAuth. The point is that the choice is yours, per situation, and full privacy is always on the menu.

Test before you trust it

Each connection type lives on its own tab under Settings, LLM Connection, with a Test button so you can confirm the model answers before you rely on it. Wiring up a local model is a one-time setup that then powers the whole assistant.

Private does not mean limited

Running locally does not water the assistant down. With a model connected, it still drives the real browser to find roles or candidates, drafts tailored applications and cover letters from your CV, or personalised outreach from a role brief, and prepares everything for sending. The approval wall still sits in front of every message, and approved messages still send from your own inbox. You get the full find, draft, approve, send loop with none of your data leaving the building.

Where to go next

Job seekers can pair a private setup with the workflow in how to apply to jobs faster. Recruiters who handle confidential candidate data should read recruiter candidate outreach. And for the drafting itself, see how to use AI to write job applications.

Keep your search yours.

Jobomate runs local-first on macOS and can run the AI fully on your own Mac with Ollama, LM Studio, or a GGUF file. Search, draft, and apply with nothing leaving your machine.

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