For the novice, the logistical challenges of an academic job search can be exasperating, especially when dozens of applications are involved. Getting things right (providing the correct materials, from CV to sample syllabi, in the style and form most sought by a particular search committee) and submitting the application on time (via sometimes complicated e-interfaces) are never as easy as they may sound on initial prospect. It follows that obsessiveness is a good quality in applicants for tenure-track positions. Most fields (although not all subfields) are buyers' markets. With hundreds of candidates--many of them highly qualified--for one position in, say, 20th-century American literature, harried committees are often looking for some way to narrow the pool. A missing item, a late upload, or even a typo on the sixth paragraph of the cover letter may get an applicant passed up before he or she is even fully considered. So details matter. In this article, the author discusses how to get the materials and the procedures right. Getting all of the required materials done correctly and promptly will not necessarily get an applicant the position, but the effort will allow him or her to leap the first hurdle toward being considered for it. [For a follow-up to this article, see EJ988986.]