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Check salaries against a pay band using full-time equivalents
Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You're checking Analyst II salaries against the pay band of $60,000-$75,000, which applies to full-time equivalent (FTE) pay. Convert part-time salaries to FTE by dividing by the FTE. Write exactly 5 numbered lines, one per employee, each showing the salary (and FTE math if part-time) and IN, BELOW or ABOVE, then one unnumbered last line: Review: [names]. Plain text, under 80 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Not mentioning FTE. The AI flags Osei as below band from her part-time salary. Try: Add: "The band applies to FTE pay. Divide part-time salaries by FTE."
- Not giving the band. The AI can't mark IN, BELOW or ABOVE. Try: Add: "Band: $60,000-$75,000."
- Not asking to see the work. The comp committee will want the FTE math. Try: Add a line to copy: "3. K. Osei: $56,000 ÷ 0.8 = $70,000 IN"
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each line: "each line under 12 words."
- Forgetting where it goes. AI loves markdown tables and bold, which show up as clutter in a comp committee note. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, headings or tables."
What a strong prompt includes
- Mentions FTE
- Gives the band
- Asks to show the math
- Sets a word limit
- Asks for plain text
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