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Compare contractor and employee cost for year one and keep it factual

  • For FP&A and financial analysts
  • You practice Setting limits and rules
  • Time about 5 minutes
  • Level Intermediate

About this exercise

You're comparing two ways to staff a role for one year. Write a prompt for plain text with lines starting "Contractor:", "Employee year 1:", "Difference:" and "Not included:", each with the math where it applies. Include the recruiter fee and equipment in the employee year-1 cost. Facts only: no recommendation, and no comment on quality or risk. Under 90 words. No bullets or numbering.

Common mistakes when you ask AI for this

  • Forgetting one-time employee costs. The AI compares $153,000 to $142,615 and says the employee is cheaper. Try: Say: "Employee year 1 includes equipment and the recruiter fee."
  • Repeating the claims. The AI mentions continuity and experience as reasons. Try: Add: "Facts only; ignore claims about continuity or experience."
  • No unlisted costs line. The AI skips ramp and management time. Try: Add: "Not included: the costs the notes say are not costed."
  • Markdown extras. The AI adds bold labels, headings and a closing note. Try: Say: "Plain text, no bold. Output only the lines asked for."
  • Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting and runs past word limits. Try: Ask for fewer words than the real cap and keep each line short.

What a strong prompt includes

  • Names the four lines
  • Includes all employee costs
  • Shows the sum
  • Bans recommendation
  • Caps length

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