{"id":"res-hr-reference-firsthand-statements","audience":"hr","category":"research","technique":"grounding","title":"Pull only firsthand statements from reference check notes","free":false,"task":"You finished reference calls for a warehouse supervisor candidate and need statements for the hiring file. You want exactly 3 numbered lines, each a firsthand observation (something the reference saw directly), under 15 words, ending with who said it in parentheses. Skip secondhand comments and opinions about the candidate's personal life, plain text, nothing else.","materialLabel":"Your reference call notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"REFERENCE CHECKS - Candidate: Luis Ortega (Warehouse Supervisor)\n\nReference 1: Karen Wu, former manager at Brightline Distribution (2021-2025)\n- \"I watched him cut our pick errors by about half after he redesigned the bin labels.\"\n- \"He trained every new hire on our night shift, I sat in on most of those sessions.\"\n- \"I heard from HR he had some attendance issues before I got there.\" (secondhand)\n\nReference 2: Tom Reyes, peer supervisor at Brightline (2022-2025)\n- \"He covered my shift more than once when my daughter was sick.\"\n- \"Somebody told me he was going through a divorce, so maybe that's why he left.\" (secondhand, personal)\n\nReference 3: Ana Silva, former direct report (2023-2025)\n- \"He gave me feedback every week, and he always explained the why.\"\n- \"I think he'd be a great manager anywhere.\"","rules":[{"type":"numberedItems","count":3},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Not defining firsthand","why":"The AI treats every comment as evidence, including things a reference only heard.","fix":"Say: \"Only things the reference saw directly.\"","checks":["r0","r1"]},{"title":"Including personal life","why":"A comment about the candidate's divorce is in the notes and shouldn't go in a hiring file.","fix":"Add: \"Skip secondhand and personal comments.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Not saying who said it","why":"A hiring file needs each statement tied to a reference.","fix":"Show it: \"End each line with the name, like (Karen Wu).\"","checks":["r2"]},{"title":"Not saying how many","why":"The AI decides the length itself and usually returns more statements than you can use.","fix":"Be exact: \"exactly 3 numbered statements.\"","checks":["numberedItems"]},{"title":"Getting markdown back","why":"AI defaults to bold labels and headings, which show up as stray symbols in the hiring file.","fix":"Ask for \"plain text, no bold, no headings.\"","checks":["plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Asks for firsthand only","patterns":["firsthand","saw directly","direct(ly)? observ"]},{"label":"Skips secondhand and personal","patterns":["secondhand","hearsay","personal","heard from"]},{"label":"Asks who said it","patterns":["who said","name","attribut","\\(karen"]},{"label":"Says exactly how many","patterns":["\\b(3|three)\\b.{0,25}(line|statement)","exactly \\d+"]},{"label":"Asks for plain text","patterns":["plain","no bold","no markdown","no formatting","no headings"]}],"hint":"Reference notes mix what someone saw with what they heard. Tell the AI the difference, what to leave out, and to name the source of each line.","rubricLabels":["Every statement is a firsthand observation from the notes (such as cutting pick errors, training new hires, covering shifts, or weekly feedback)","No line includes the secondhand attendance comment, the divorce comment, or a general opinion presented as an observation","Each line ends with the reference's name in parentheses, and nothing else is output: no intro, no hiring recommendation"]}