How I Would Use AI If I Was Looking for a Job

You are helping me build a grounded personal capability profile for a job search.

Your job is not to flatter me, rewrite my resume, or make me sound impressive. Your job is to understand what I may actually be able to offer and produce a portable document I can reuse in later AI threads.

Use only the information I provide. If you infer something, label it as an inference. If something is unsupported, say so. Do not use generic praise such as "strategic thinker," "strong communicator," "creative problem solver," or "fast learner" unless you tie the claim to specific evidence.

Inputs I am providing:
[Paste resume, notes, projects, work history, writing samples, constraints, or conversation transcript here.]

Produce a document with these sections:

1. Working Summary
- A concise, plain-language summary of what I appear to offer.
- Keep it grounded in evidence.

2. Evidence Inventory
- List the concrete experiences, projects, responsibilities, accomplishments, credentials, and artifacts you are using as evidence.
- Include what each item appears to demonstrate.

3. Demonstrated Capabilities
- Skills or capabilities directly supported by something I have done.
- For each capability, include the evidence and confidence level: high, medium, or low.

4. Probable Capabilities
- Things I may be able to do based on patterns in the evidence, but that are not fully demonstrated.
- Explain why each is plausible and what evidence is missing.

5. Knowledge and Interests
- Domains, industries, tools, problems, or subject areas I seem to know or care about.
- Separate professional experience from personal interest.

6. Accomplishments and Useful Proof
- Specific outcomes, shipped work, improvements, awards, metrics, examples, or stories that could help someone understand my value.
- Do not invent metrics. If metrics are missing, say "metric not provided."

7. Constraints, Preferences, and Economic Reality
- Geography, schedule, remote/in-person preference, salary needs, physical requirements, industries I will not work in, values, dealbreakers, or other practical constraints.
- If I am targeting local or in-person roles, include transportation, commute, and access constraints if provided.
- If I am targeting small/local employers, part-time work, career-change roles, or early-career roles, explicitly note any compensation or schedule feasibility risks.

8. Best Three Lanes
- Identify up to three strongest job-search lanes.
- For each lane, explain why it is supported, what proof exists, and what kind of company/employer might value it.
- If my background is broad, force prioritization instead of saying I can do everything.

9. Bridge Roles or Next-Step Roles
- If I am early-career, changing careers, or moving into a more competitive field, identify realistic bridge roles.
- Include roles that may be less glamorous but more credible.

10. Roles I Am Not Ready For Yet
- List roles, seniority levels, or claims I should avoid for now.
- Explain what evidence, credential, experience, or portfolio proof would change that.

11. Claims To Avoid Or Use Cautiously
- Identify flattering or tempting claims that are not well supported.
- Rewrite each claim into a more honest version.

12. Proof Assets To Gather
- List portfolio samples, process diagrams, writing samples, sanitized metrics, screenshots, case studies, references, or artifacts that would strengthen my profile.
- Mark each as "already evidenced," "could create," or "missing."
- Explicitly say that proof assets must remove confidential employer, customer, student, patient, or proprietary information.

13. Unknowns and Follow-Up Questions
- Ask the most important questions that would improve this profile.
- Prioritize questions that would change where I should look or how I should present myself.

End with a short "Reusable Artifact" section that condenses the most important profile information into a format I can paste into the next prompt.

You are helping me find companies, organizations, venues, or employers where someone with my specific capabilities, experience, interests, and constraints might be valuable.

Do not start with job titles. Do not simply list famous companies. Do not list employers only because they have open roles that match my resume. Look for evidence that the employer's work, direction, customers, technology, market, community role, or current problems create a plausible need for what I can do.

Use current web research. Every employer in the main recommendation table must include at least one current source link. Prefer primary sources. Do not put any employer in the main table without a source link.

If an employer seems plausible but you cannot find a current source, put it only in a separate section called "Targets To Source Before Considering." Do not rank it. Do not include it in the top 5. Do not treat it as a recommendation.

Inputs:
1. My Personal Capability Profile:
[Paste the reusable artifact from Prompt 1 here.]

2. Constraints and preferences:
[Paste any constraints here.]

Build a prioritized list of sourced employers. Include obvious and non-obvious options. If a famous or aspirational company appears, include at least one closer but less glamorous alternative with a source link unless constraints make that impossible.

For each employer, provide:

1. Employer
- Name, type, location/operating region, size/stage if known, and website.

2. Source Status
- Sourced only.
- Include at least one current source link.
- If you do not have a source link, remove the employer from the main table and place it in "Targets To Source Before Considering."

3. What They Do
- One or two grounded sentences.

4. Why This Could Be a Match
- Explain the specific overlap between my profile and the employer's work, market, customers, operations, local role, or likely problems.
- Tie each reason to evidence from my profile and evidence about the employer.

5. Primary Lane
- Choose one lane: example categories include customer operations, content operations, compliance operations, curriculum QA, partner enablement, local retail/community operations, automation enablement, or another specific lane.
- Do not say "general fit."

6. Role Search Keywords
- Provide search terms and role-title patterns to investigate.

7. Role Red Flags
- List requirements, seniority levels, credentials, locations, or responsibilities that would indicate this is not a good fit right now.

8. Hiring Capacity or Access Risk
- For small, private, local, or opaque employers, explicitly assess whether hiring capacity is known, unknown, or unlikely.

9. Reasons This Might Not Be a Fit
- Be skeptical. Include constraints, weak evidence, company stage, geography, missing qualifications, or possible mismatch.

10. Priority
- High, Medium, Low, or Watchlist.
- Explain the priority in one sentence.

After the list, provide:
- The top 5 sourced employers to research next and why.
- A "Do Not Pursue Yet" list.
- A "Closer But Less Glamorous Alternatives" list when relevant. If you name a specific employer here, include a source link. If you do not have a source, describe the category instead of naming the employer.
- A "Targets To Source Before Considering" list for plausible but currently unsourced ideas. These are not recommendations yet.
- Any patterns you notice about where I may be useful.

You are helping me research an employer for a targeted job search.

Use current web research. Prefer primary sources first: official website, product pages, leadership pages, investor pages, filings, press releases, official blog, job postings, documentation, event pages, and careers pages. Use credible external reporting where useful. Clearly label the difference between verified facts, company claims, external reporting, employee or customer observations, reasonable inference, and unanswered questions.

Do not produce a superficial summary. Do not present speculation as fact. If public information is thin, say so. For small/local employers, do not diagnose the business from public scraps; recommend observing and learning first.

Employer to research:
[Company/employer name, website, and any context here.]

Produce a brief with these sections:

1. Source Ledger
- List the sources used.
- For each source, note what kind of source it is: official website, filing, press release, job posting, careers page, product documentation, external reporting, review/observation, industry group, local source, or other.

2. Source Coverage Gaps
- Identify what you could not verify.
- Say whether missing evidence limits how confidently I should act.

3. What The Employer Does
- Explain the business or organization plainly.
- Include products, services, customers, business model, geography, stage/scale, or local role where known.

4. Direction and Priorities
- What appears to be changing, growing, shrinking, launching, investing, hiring, or strategically important?
- Separate verified facts from company claims and inference.

5. Current Role and Hiring Signal Scan
- Look for current careers pages, job postings, role families, hiring language, or evidence of staffing needs.
- Check the employer's direct job board when technically available.
- If the employer has a separate freelance, contract, volunteer, or project page, check it when relevant to the user's path.
- For local employers, check public events, social, newsletter, or community pages when accessible without login.
- Summarize relevant role areas and whether there are current openings, no clear openings, or unknown openings.
- Do not invent openings.

6. Employment Path Types
- Mark which paths appear plausible based on evidence: full-time, part-time, contract, freelance, vendor/partner, internship/apprenticeship, volunteer/community, informational only, or unknown.

7. Market, Customer, or Local Context
- What customer problem, competitive pressure, regulation, technology shift, community role, or economic condition seems relevant?
- Label external reporting and inference clearly.

8. Challenges and Risks
- What problems might the employer be facing?
- Include operational, customer, hiring, technology, go-to-market, regulatory, financial, local, or execution risks when evidence supports them.
- Do not invent problems.

9. Opportunities
- Where might there be room for improvement, growth, operational leverage, customer experience, content, events, support, process, analysis, or community engagement?
- Label these as hypotheses unless directly supported.

10. People, Teams, and Functions To Understand
- Identify relevant teams, leaders, departments, roles, functions, or local stakeholders to research further.
- Do not imply a personal relationship.

11. Ecosystem Signals
- Customers, vendors, partners, integrations, events, conferences, industry groups, sponsorships, community involvement, schools, charities, venues, or local organizations connected to the employer.
- If evidence is thin, say so.

12. Is The Public Evidence Enough To Act?
- Answer yes, no, or only lightly.
- Explain what action level is justified: apply, research more, observe first, seek learning conversation, or deprioritize.

13. Unanswered Questions
- What would I need to learn before deciding whether and how to approach this employer?

14. Research Summary For Next Prompt
- Summarize the most important facts, claims, inferences, hiring signals, role paths, risks, opportunities, people/functions, ecosystem signals, and unknowns in a concise artifact I can paste into the overlap prompt.

You are helping me decide whether there is a real overlap between what I can offer and what this employer may need.

Be skeptical. Do not force a fit. Do not tell me every employer needs whatever I happen to offer. If the evidence is weak, say so. If this employer is not worth pursuing right now, say that clearly.

Inputs:
1. My Personal Capability Profile:
[Paste profile here.]

2. Employer Research Brief:
[Paste brief here.]

3. Optional prior employer-list reasoning:
[Paste if available.]

Produce an overlap analysis with these sections:

1. Bottom-Line Assessment
- Strong fit, possible fit, weak fit, not enough evidence, or no fit.
- Also label the fit type: immediate fit, aspirational fit, narrow fit, values fit only, skills fit only, employment fit unknown, or not fit.
- Explain the judgment in plain language.

2. Fit Breakdown
- Mission/values fit.
- Skills/capability fit.
- Employment/path fit.
- Constraint fit.
- Rate each high, medium, low, or unknown.

3. Primary Lane, Secondary Lane, Reject Lane
- Identify the best lane to pursue.
- Identify one secondary lane if credible.
- Identify at least one lane or positioning angle to reject.

4. Prioritized Overlap Hypotheses
For each hypothesis, include:
- The employer problem, priority, opportunity, or context.
- The capability, experience, knowledge, or interest from my profile that may be relevant.
- Evidence supporting the fit.
- What is inferred rather than proven.
- What might make this a poor fit.
- What I would need to learn before acting on it.
- A confidence rating: high, medium, low.

5. Best Value Proposition Candidates
- 1 to 3 practical ways I might describe the value I could bring.
- Keep them specific and evidence-based.
- Avoid inflated claims.

6. Positioning To Avoid
- Claims, titles, seniority levels, or pitches that would overstate the evidence.

7. Minimum Proof Needed Before Acting
- Portfolio samples, metrics, examples, role evidence, references, or questions that should be prepared before outreach or application.

8. Gaps and Risks
- Missing skills, missing proof, weak evidence, constraints, employer mismatch, geography, compensation, seniority, timing, hiring capacity, or credibility issues.

9. Validation Questions
- Questions to ask employees, customers, partners, recruiters, community contacts, or knowledgeable people before investing heavily.

10. Effort Budget and Parallel Targets
- Recommend how much effort this employer deserves right now: primary target, active target, light exploration, watchlist, or stop.
- If the fit is weak, narrow, aspirational, or employment fit is unknown, recommend parallel target types.
- For ambiguous targets, say when to reduce effort if no role evidence or useful response appears.

11. Move To Application Trigger
- State the concrete evidence that would justify applying or increasing effort: a matching role, a conversation confirming team need, a portfolio proof asset, a referral invitation, or another specific trigger.

12. Recommended Decision
- Pursue now, research more, observe first, apply only to specific roles, deprioritize, or do not pursue.
- Explain what would change the decision.

13. Artifact For Approach Planning
- A concise summary of the credible overlap hypotheses, fit rating, proof needed, positioning to avoid, effort budget, risks, people/functions to understand, and validation questions.

You are helping me build a practical plan to approach an employer where I may be able to provide value.

Do not generate every possible outreach tactic. Prioritize a small number of appropriate actions based on the evidence and the fit rating. Do not encourage spam, pressure, deception, mass messaging, or public performance.

Never invent relationships. You cannot know whom I know unless I tell you. If you identify employees, customers, vendors, sponsors, events, schools, charities, venues, or community organizations, phrase them as people and organizations I should check against my contacts, work history, school history, community involvement, and social networks.

Inputs:
1. My Personal Capability Profile:
[Paste profile here.]

2. Employer Research Brief:
[Paste brief here.]

3. Overlap Analysis:
[Paste overlap analysis here.]

4. My known contacts, communities, location, compensation constraints, and outreach constraints:
[Paste anything known, or write "unknown."]

Produce an approach brief with these sections:

1. Approach Intensity
- Match the plan to the fit rating from Prompt 4.
- Choose one: apply now, targeted outreach, learning conversations, observe first, watchlist, or stop.
- Explain why.

2. Approach Thesis
- Why this employer may be worth approaching.
- What value I may credibly bring.
- What uncertainty remains.

3. Most Relevant Problems Or Opportunities
- 1 to 3 problems or opportunities that seem most relevant.
- Tie each to evidence from the employer brief and my profile.

4. Research Targets
- People, teams, functions, events, organizations, or sources to research.
- These are not necessarily people to contact.

5. Message Targets
- Only list people/functions worth contacting now, if any.
- If no outreach is justified yet, say so.

6. Do-Not-Contact-Yet Targets
- List executives, employees, partners, customers, community contacts, or public figures who should not be contacted yet and why.

7. Ecosystem Paths To Check
- Employees, customers, vendors, partners, events, conferences, industry groups, sponsorships, schools, charities, venues, teams, community groups, or local organizations connected to the employer.
- Phrase these as paths to check against my real network, not assumed connections.

8. Recommended Engagement Plan
- Pick the 2 to 4 most appropriate actions.
- For each action, explain why it fits, what to do, what not to do, and what a good outcome would be.

9. First Message Goal
- State the goal of the first message: learning, validation, application follow-up, referral request, event conversation, or no message yet.
- Do not default to asking for a job or referral.

10. Message Angles
- Provide 2 or 3 short outreach angles only if messaging is appropriate.
- Each should be specific, honest, and tied to credible value.
- If messaging is premature, provide questions to answer before messaging.

11. Public Post Guidance
- Say whether a public social post makes sense.
- Use public posting only when it fits the evidence, relationship, company context, and user's voice.

12. Evidence To Gather Before Contact
- Facts, examples, portfolio pieces, metrics, references, or questions I should prepare before reaching out.
- Do not use confidential employer, customer, student, patient, or proprietary data in proof packets or outreach materials.

13. Compensation and Boundary Notes
- For small/local/mission employers, part-time work, volunteering, or career-change roles, state compensation feasibility and unpaid-work boundaries.
- Do not recommend unpaid labor as a substitute for a paid job unless I explicitly want volunteer work.

14. Fallback Targets
- If this employer is aspirational, weak, narrow, or hiring capacity is unknown, list employer categories or specific alternatives to pursue in parallel.
- If you name a specific fallback employer, include a current source link or label it "source before outreach."

15. One-Week Action Plan
- A realistic sequence for the next week.
- Keep it proportional to the fit.

16. Stop Conditions
- Signs I should pause, change approach, or deprioritize this employer.

17. Reusable Plan Summary
- A concise artifact I can update as I learn more.