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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
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