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Brief an assistant to draft career fair follow-ups

  • For Job seekers
  • You practice Saying who it's for
  • Time about 5 minutes

About this exercise

You went to a career fair and want an AI assistant to draft follow-up emails. Write its brief: write only to people who asked you to follow up, mention one specific detail from your notes about them, keep each under 60 words, don't attach your resume for anyone who told you to apply online, and never send. Output exactly 4 numbered plain-text lines: one draft per follow-up in note 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."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and runs long, especially when it explains each step. Try: Cap each line instead: "each line under 20 words, no explanations."
  • Generic follow-ups. The AI writes the same "great to meet you" note to everyone. Try: Add: "Mention one specific detail from my notes about each person."
  • Not reading their instructions. The AI attaches your resume to everyone, including the person who said apply online. Try: Add: "Attach my resume only where they asked for it."
  • Writing to everyone. The AI follows up with someone who said they're not hiring, and might send it all. Try: Add: "Only people who asked me to follow up. Never send."

What a strong prompt includes

  • Picks who to write to
  • Asks for a specific detail
  • Sets a length
  • Handles the resume
  • Says draft, never send

Practice this now ↑

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