{"id":"rec-requests-vs-approved-terms-decision","audience":"recruiting","category":"people-work","track":"people","level":"advanced","technique":"constraints","title":"Sort candidate requests against the approved offer terms","free":false,"task":"Compare each of the candidate's four requests to the approved terms and return a table with the header Request | Status | Next step. Status is exactly one of Within approved, Needs approval, Cannot offer. Next step is under 10 words and never promises anything to the candidate. After the table, add a last line: Recommendation: followed by one sentence, under 20 words, on what the recruiter should do next. Do not decide the offer; Compensation and the hiring manager decide. Plain text.","materialLabel":"Approved terms and candidate email (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"APPROVED TERMS (Compensation, Nov 5) for Devika Rao, Product Analyst:\n- Base salary: $82,000; approved flexibility up to $84,000 with hiring manager sign-off.\n- Start date: any Monday between Jan 4 and Jan 25.\n- PTO: standard 15 days; extra days not approved.\n- Remote: 2 days a week allowed; fully remote is not offered for this role.\n- Sign-on bonus: none approved.\n\nCANDIDATE EMAIL (Devika Rao, Nov 7): \"Thanks for the offer. I have a few asks: (1) could the base be $84,000, (2) could I start Jan 18 because of my notice period, (3) could I have 20 days of PTO, (4) could I work from home 3 days a week? Happy to discuss.\"\n\nThe hiring manager, Ola Sanyal, is traveling until Nov 12 and has not seen the email.\nNote: other offers in this team had a $3,000 sign-on bonus; it is not approved here.","rules":[{"type":"maxWords","max":190},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Promising","why":"The AI says 'we can do $84,000'.","fix":"Say: \"Next step never promises anything to the candidate.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Wrong statuses","why":"The AI says Needs approval for PTO.","fix":"Say: \"Compare to the approved terms; status is exactly one of the three options.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Missing the recommendation line","why":"The AI ends with a summary.","fix":"Say: \"Last line: Recommendation: and one sentence.\"","checks":["r0"]},{"title":"Bringing up the bonus","why":"The AI suggests the sign-on bonus.","fix":"Say: \"Use only the approved terms.\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Trusting the AI to count words","why":"AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it.","fix":"Cap each part instead, for example: \"each line under 15 words.\"","checks":["maxWords"]},{"title":"Markdown","why":"The AI bolds words or adds headings.","fix":"Say: \"Plain text, no bold, no headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Header","patterns":["request \\|","status","next step"]},{"label":"Allowed statuses","patterns":["within approved","needs approval","cannot offer"]},{"label":"Recommendation line","patterns":["recommendation:"]},{"label":"No promises","patterns":["never promises","do not promise"]},{"label":"Humans decide","patterns":["compensation","hiring manager"]}],"hint":"Give the header, the exact status options and the recommendation line.","mission":"Check each of the candidate's four requests against approved terms.","musts":["Fixed Status options","Promise nothing in next step","Recommendation under 20 words"],"rubricLabels":["Has the header Request | Status | Next step, exactly four rows for salary, start date, PTO and remote days in order, followed by a last line starting \"Recommendation:\"","Status values are exactly one of the three options and right: $84,000 Needs approval (needs the hiring manager sign-off), Jan 18 start Within approved, 20 days PTO Cannot offer, 3 remote days Cannot offer","Next steps are under 10 words and promise the candidate nothing, the recommendation is one sentence under 20 words that does not accept or reject on anyone's behalf, and the table does not bring up the sign-on bonus"]}