{"id":"job-recruiter-reply","audience":"job-seekers","category":"writing-emails","technique":"tone","title":"Answer a recruiter's message briefly and confidently","free":false,"task":"A recruiter, Mei, messaged you on LinkedIn. Reply in LinkedIn chat in at most 4 sentences, plain text, calm and confident with no exclamation marks. Open by confirming the one call time that fits your week, then give your current salary range and answer her travel question, and end with your question about whether the role is fully remote or hybrid, with no sign-off after it. Write a prompt that gets you exactly that.","materialLabel":"The recruiter's message and your notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"LinkedIn message from Mei Tanaka (Recruiter, Northlake Software):\nHi Sam! I came across your profile and think you'd be a great fit for our Customer Success Manager opening. The team is growing fast and the hiring manager loved your background in client onboarding. Could you share your salary expectations? I have these slots for a 30-minute intro call next week (all Eastern): Tue 4:00 pm, Wed 10:00 am, Thu 2:00 pm. Also, are you open to occasional travel? Let me know what works!\n\nMY NOTES (Sam):\n- Salary: I used to say $70,000-$75,000, but after the research I did last month I'm asking $78,000-$85,000 now.\n- Tuesday after 3:30 pm I pick up my son from school. No calls.\n- Wednesday dentist 9:30-11:30 am.\n- Thursday is wide open.\n- Travel: fine with up to 2 trips a year.\n- My big question: is this role fully remote or hybrid? I can't relocate.\n- Don't mention I'm also interviewing at two other companies.\n- I always sound too eager in these. I want to sound calm and confident this time.","rules":[{"type":"maxSentences","max":4},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Not saying how short","why":"The AI writes a full cover-letter style email with a thank-you, a pitch and a sign-off paragraph.","fix":"Be exact: \"At most 4 sentences, LinkedIn chat.\"","checks":["maxSentences"]},{"title":"Opening with gushing thanks","why":"AI starts recruiter replies with \"Thank you so much for reaching out! I'm thrilled...\", which sounds eager, not confident.","fix":"Add: \"Open by confirming Thursday at 2 pm ET. No thank-you first, no exclamation marks.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Using the old salary range","why":"Your notes list two ranges. Without being told, the AI may give the old one or dodge with \"I'm flexible.\"","fix":"Say it: \"Give my current range, $78,000-$85,000, and say up to 2 trips a year is fine.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Signing off like an email","why":"The AI tacks on \"Looking forward to it! Best, Sam\" after your question, which buries what you asked.","fix":"Add: \"End with my question: is the role fully remote or hybrid? Nothing after it.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Formatting a chat message","why":"AI may add a subject line or bold text, which looks odd in LinkedIn chat.","fix":"Add: \"Plain text, no subject line, no bold.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Limits the length","patterns":["\\b([1-4]|two|three|four)\\b.{0,10}sentences?","sentences?"]},{"label":"Sets the tone","patterns":["calm","confident","no exclamation","not (too )?eager","professional"]},{"label":"Picks the right time","patterns":["thu","2\\s*(:00)?\\s*pm"]},{"label":"Uses the current range","patterns":["78","current (salary )?range","new range"]},{"label":"Asks for plain text","patterns":["plain","no bold","no markdown","no formatting","no headings"]}],"hint":"The AI doesn't know your calendar, your current number, or that you want to sound calm. Tell it what goes first, how many sentences, the tone, and what to ask.","rubricLabels":["The first sentence (a short greeting like 'Hi Mei,' before it is fine) confirms Thursday at 2:00 pm Eastern with no thank-you or pleasantry before it, the reply offers no other call time, and it has no exclamation marks anywhere (greeting included)","Gives the salary range as $78,000-$85,000 (or $78k-$85k), not the old $70,000-$75,000, and says up to 2 trips a year is fine","The last sentence asks whether the role is fully remote or hybrid, nothing follows it (no sign-off, name or closing line), and the reply does not mention other interviews"]}