Let’s be real: Gen AI is only as useful as the questions you ask. Most people are using it like a search engine when it’s actually a thinking partner, and the difference shows up in the quality of the output. These prompts are my attempt to close that gap. I’m building a prompt library - created from real questions, tested in real situations, and shared because I believe we are all in this together. Copy, adapt, share. Got one you think belongs here? I'd love to see it!


Transform a Job Posting into a Hiring Success Profile
*Paste this into Claude (or your AI tool of choice) along with your job posting.*

I'm going to paste in a job posting below. I want you to rewrite it as a Hiring Success Profile using the following framework. Do not just make the bullet points sound fancier — fundamentally reframe the document from credential-matching to outcome-focused. The Hiring Success Profile should include: **1. What this role is actually about** Write 2-3 sentences that describe the real challenge and opportunity in this role — not the job title, not the company boilerplate. What's the actual problem this person is being hired to solve? **2. What we're honestly looking for** Before you write anything, read the posting carefully and flag any gaps or assumptions. Specifically call out: - Unstated expectations — is there anything this role clearly needs that the posting never actually says? Name it and ask me whether to include it before assuming - Gatekeeping requirements — are there requirements that filter for a credential rather than a capability? Things like years of experience, specific degrees, or named software that may say more about habit than actual need? Flag them - Vague language — words like "transformation," "strategic," "innovative," or "dynamic" mean something different to every hiring manager. If the posting uses them, ask me what they actually mean in this context before building the Success Profile around them - Missing context — what would someone need to know about this role, this team, or this moment in the company's history to understand what they're actually walking into? If the posting doesn't say, flag it The goal before writing a single line of the Success Profile is to make sure we're building it on solid ground — not on assumptions that will attract the wrong people or promise something the company isn't prepared to deliver. **3. Success criteria — not metrics, outcomes** Write success criteria for 30 days, 90 days, 6 months, and 1 year. Each should describe what has *changed* because this person is here — not what tasks they've completed. Use plain language, not HR language. **4. The capabilities that actually matter** Rewrite the qualifications section as capability statements. Not "12+ years of experience" but "you think in systems, not transactions." Each capability should trace back to something real in the original posting — if you can't connect it, flag it as an assumption. **5. Where else we might find this person** List 4-6 adjacent backgrounds or industries where someone might have built the skills this role actually needs, even if they've never had this exact job title. **6. What we're not looking for** Write 3-4 honest statements about who would be wrong for this role. These should be specific and useful, not generic. **Important guardrails:** - Every element of the Success Profile must trace back to something in the original posting or something I've explicitly confirmed - Do not add requirements or expectations the company hasn't signaled they're ready for - If you make an assumption, label it clearly so I can confirm or correct it - The goal is accuracy and honesty, not making the posting sound more exciting than it is Here is the job posting: [PASTE JOB POSTING HERE]

Generate Candidate Profiles and Run the Comparison
*Run this after you have both documents — the original posting and the Success Profile.*

I now have two versions of the same role: - The original job posting - A Hiring Success Profile I want you to create 6 fictional but realistic candidate profiles and evaluate each one against both documents. Here's exactly what I need: **Step 1: Create 6 candidate profiles** Each profile should be a realistic chronological resume summary — just enough detail to evaluate. Design the six candidates to represent genuinely different paths: - Candidate A: The "perfect on paper" candidate — matches the original posting almost exactly - Candidate B: Long-tenure practitioner in this function, solid but no transformation energy - Candidate C: Adjacent industry background — consulting, ops, or a different function — who built relevant capability without the traditional title - Candidate D: Early career overachiever — fewer years but strong results and modern skills - Candidate E: Technology-forward practitioner, possibly at smaller scale - Candidate F: Business-side wildcard — came from outside the function entirely but has hired at scale and understands the work from the operator side Make these feel like real people. Give each one genuine strengths and genuine gaps. **Step 2: Define your evaluation criteria** Before scoring, write out 8-10 specific criteria you'll use to evaluate against each document. The criteria should be different for each document — the original posting's criteria should reflect what it actually rewards (credentials, years, named tools). The Success Profile's criteria should reflect what it rewards (capability, outcomes, potential, etc.). **Step 3: Evaluate each candidate** Score each candidate against both documents using only Advance or Pass — no maybes. For each candidate provide: - Verdict against original posting: Advance or Pass - Verdict against Success Profile: Advance or Pass - One sentence explaining the most interesting difference between the two verdicts **Step 4: Summarize what changed** Write a brief summary of: - How many advanced under each document - Which candidates switched categories (passed under one, advanced under the other) - What that tells us about what each document is actually selecting for Here are the two documents: ORIGINAL JOB POSTING: [PASTE HERE] HIRING SUCCESS PROFILE: [PASTE HERE]

Compare Your Resume Against Both Documents
*This one is for the candidate. Paste this into Claude (or your AI tool of choice) along with your resume and both versions of the job posting.*

I'm going to give you three documents: 1. My resume 2. An original job posting 3. A Hiring Success Profile for the same role I want you to do three things. **Step 1: Evaluate my resume against the original job posting** Look at my resume through the lens of what the original posting is asking for. Be honest — not encouraging. Tell me: - Where I'm a strong match based on what the posting is looking for - Where I have genuine gaps against its stated requirements - Whether I would likely make it through an initial screen based on this document alone - What a recruiter doing a 10-second scan would notice first — and whether that helps or hurts me **Step 2: Evaluate my resume against the Hiring Success Profile** Now look at my resume through a completely different lens. The Success Profile is asking different questions — about capability, outcomes, and potential — not just credentials. Tell me: - Where my experience actually demonstrates the capabilities the Success Profile is looking for, even if the titles or industries don't match exactly - Where I have genuine gaps against what the Success Profile values - What in my background is more compelling than the original posting would ever surface - What I might be underselling or describing in a way that obscures the relevant capability **Step 3: Tell me what changed** This is the most important part. Compare the two evaluations and tell me: - Did my overall fit change between the two documents? How significantly? - What specific experiences or capabilities look different — stronger or weaker — depending on which document is doing the evaluating? - Is there anything in my background that the original posting would screen out but the Success Profile would flag as interesting? - Based on this, what's the strongest case I could make for myself in a cover letter or outreach — and which version of the job should I be responding to? **One important note:** Don't tell me what I want to hear. If I'm not a strong fit under either document, say so and tell me why. If I'm a stronger fit than I probably think I am, tell me that too and show me where. The goal is an honest read, not an encouraging one. Here are the three documents: MY RESUME: [PASTE HERE] ORIGINAL JOB POSTING: [PASTE HERE] HIRING SUCCESS PROFILE: [PASTE HERE]