---
title: Spotting your competitors' next moves
description: Learn how to use job postings as an early signal for competitor expansion. Track new locations, new teams, and strategic initiatives 6-18 months before they show up on maps and press releases.
url: https://theirstack.com/en/docs/guides/how-to-spot-your-competitors-next-moves
---

## Why job postings are a leading indicator

Most companies hire **before** they launch.

When a competitor starts recruiting for a new region (or a new operational function), it often means they've already approved budget, picked a direction, and started executing. Job postings can surface those signals long before:

-   A new location appears on Google Maps
-   A press release comes out
-   Customers notice the change

## What to look for

Pick a signal that maps to the “move” you care about:

-   **New locations**: “Store Manager — Austin”, “Site Lead — Berlin”, “Regional Sales — Nordics”
-   **New operations / build-out**: “Construction Project Manager”, “Real Estate Manager”, “Facilities”, “Permitting”
-   **New product bets**: “Applied AI”, “Security”, “Payments”, “Marketplace”, “Data Platform”

The goal isn’t to read every post. It’s to detect patterns across roles + locations + timing.

## Steps

1.  **Create a competitor list.**
    
    Start with a list of competitor company names (and, if you have them, their domains). You’ll use this to filter searches so you only see relevant postings.
    
2.  **Choose 1–2 signals to track.**
    
    For expansion tracking, focus on job titles that tend to be hired early (e.g., “Store Manager”, “Site Lead”, “Regional Sales”, “Facilities”, “Real Estate”, “Construction”).
    
3.  **Open a new search and add your competitor filter.**
    
    [
    
    New job search
    
    ](https://app.theirstack.com/search/jobs/new)
4.  **Filter by job title and location patterns.**
    
    Add a Job title filter with your signal titles, and use location filters to highlight where they’re hiring (especially places you don’t associate with them yet).
    
5.  **Save the search and turn on alerts.**
    
    Run it weekly (or set alerts) so you can spot new locations and initiatives as soon as they show up, then act on them: reprioritize markets, adjust sales territories, or preempt competitive moves.