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Brief an assistant to draft kind rejections without reasons

  • For HR and recruiting
  • You practice Getting the tone right
  • Time about 5 minutes

About this exercise

You want an AI assistant to draft rejection emails from your applicant tracker. Write its brief: draft only for candidates marked Not moving forward, greet each by first name, never mention a reason or interview feedback, end with "The Hiring Team at Brookfield", and never send emails or change statuses. Output exactly 4 numbered plain-text lines: one draft_email per candidate in table order, then DONE.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Not showing the log format. Left alone, the AI writes a friendly report with headings instead of a checkable action log. Try: Show it literally: "Format every line like 1. ACTION: tool(args), then ASK_HUMAN: and DONE: lines. Plain text."
  • Not saying who gets one. The AI may draft for everyone not hired yet, including someone on hold. Try: Add: "Only candidates with status Not moving forward."
  • Letting reasons slip in. The AI wants to be helpful and turns the interviewer notes into feedback. Try: Add: "Never mention a reason, feedback or experience match."
  • No sign-off or send rule. The AI signs with a made-up name and may send or update statuses itself. Try: Add: "Greet by first name, end with The Hiring Team at Brookfield. Never send or change statuses."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Picks the right candidates
  • Keeps reasons out
  • Sets the sign-off
  • Says draft, never send
  • Shows the action-log format

Practice this now ↑

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