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Compare two offers on hourly pay including commute time
Practice: Giving the right context. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You count commute time as unpaid work time, and you work 48 weeks a year. Compare two offers on effective hourly pay: salary ÷ (weekly hours incl. commute x 48). Write exactly 2 numbered lines with the math (2 decimals), then one unnumbered last line: Better hourly: [company]. Plain text, under 70 words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Not counting commute time. The AI compares salaries and picks Halden for $2,000 more. Try: Add: "Count commute time as unpaid work time."
- Not giving work weeks. The AI guesses 50 or 52 weeks. Try: Add: "I work 48 weeks a year."
- Not asking to see the work. You need each step to trust the answer. Try: Add a line to copy: "2. Brightwell: $50,000 ÷ (40 x 48 = 1,920) = $26.04"
- 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 16 words."
- Forgetting where it goes. AI loves markdown tables and bold, which show up as clutter in your job search notes. Try: Add: "Plain text, no bold, headings or tables."
What a strong prompt includes
- Counts commute time
- Gives work weeks
- Asks to show the math
- Sets a word limit
- Asks for plain text
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