👏 How to Use AI to Get a Job + Start a Bizz
Prompts inside!
Hi Oddies,
Jen Glantz here.
About 6 times a day, I find myself saying to anyone who will listen how much AI changed my life. It makes so many things easier, from brainstorming marketing strategies to even coming up with recipes for dinner based on the ingredients I have in my fridge.
But it can also be an awesome tool to help you find a job or start a business. If you're hoping to do either, or know someone who is trying, here are exact prompts to use to help let AI have your back.
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Hey, you!!
Whether you're looking to land your dream job or launch a startup, AI can provide personalized guidance, automate tedious tasks, and help you make data-driven decisions.
Let’s get started.
👇Using AI in Your Job Search
Resume and Cover Letter Optimization
AI tools can analyze your resume against job descriptions, highlighting gaps and suggesting improvements. They can help tailor your application materials for specific roles, ensuring you pass through applicant tracking systems.
Simple Prompts:
"Analyze this job description for [position title] and my resume. Identify gaps in my qualifications, suggest specific achievements I should highlight, and recommend skills I need to emphasize. Also, point out any keywords I'm missing."
"Review my cover letter for a [position title] at [company name]. The company values [list 2-3 values]. Suggest improvements to better align my experience with their company culture while maintaining my authentic voice."
"Based on this job description, rewrite my professional summary to highlight my most relevant experience in [industry] and emphasize my expertise in [specific skills] without exceeding three sentences."
More prompts to use:
Step 1: Find Your Career Path: "Generate 10 specific job titles that could be a good fit for me based on my favorite skills: [list skills], my interests: [list interests], my major: [your major], and my resume: [paste resume or key points]."
Step 2: Test Your Job Fit: "What are three specific ways I can test my fit with each of the following roles: [insert roles]? Include networking strategies, experience-building opportunities, and self-assessment techniques."
Step 3: Build Your Skills: "What are the specific fastest and cheapest ways to learn [skill]? Please recommend free courses, certifications, and practical projects I can complete within the next 3 months."
Step 4: Create a Company List: "Generate a list of the 100 top employers of [job title] in [industry] and [location]. Categorize them by size, growth potential, and company culture if possible."
Step 5: Review Your Resume: "Please rate the following resume bullets based on the impressiveness of their accomplishments and their inclusion of important keywords for [role]. Suggest specific improvements for each bullet point: [paste bullet points]"
Step 6: Revise Your Cover Letter: "Please rate the following cover letter for a [role] based on how clearly my skills and passion align with the role. Suggest specific ideas to improve it: [paste cover letter]"
Step 7: Prepare for Your Interview: "Generate a list of the 10 most likely interview questions I'll face based on the following job description. For each question, generate an answer in Challenge-Action-Result format, drawing only from my resume. Job description: [paste job description] Resume: [paste resume]"
Step 8: Write a Thank You Message: "Generate a short thank you email to my interviewer, focusing on what I learned from the conversation, including: [specific insight from interview] and expressing appreciation for [specific aspect of the conversation]."
Step 9: Negotiate Your Salary: "Generate a short, conversational email to my recruiter, thanking them for their job offer ($[amount]), and letting them know that I'd like to explore what's possible based on the following facts: Current Salary: $[amount], Other Offers: [details of competing offers if applicable], Pay Research for Role/Location: [salary range from research]"
Step 10: Nail the First 90 Days: "What are the 5 biggest challenges and opportunities facing [company]? And what's a 90-day action plan to tackle the job described in this job description: [paste job description]"
Bonus - Resume Tailoring: "Compare my current resume to this job description and identify the top 5 keywords or skills I should emphasize to pass through ATS screening."
Bonus - LinkedIn Profile Optimization: "Review my LinkedIn headline and summary and suggest improvements that will make me more discoverable to recruiters in the [industry] field."
Bonus - Job Search Strategy: "Based on my target role of [job title], create a weekly job search schedule that includes time for applications, networking, skill-building, and self-care."
Bonus - Interview Follow-up: "I haven't heard back from the employer after [number] days since my interview. Draft a polite follow-up email that reiterates my interest without sounding desperate."
Tools:
JobScan: Analyzes your resume against job descriptions and provides an ATS compatibility score
Grammarly: Ensures your application materials are error-free and professionally written
ResumAI: Creates tailored resumes based on specific job descriptions
Interview Preparation
Practice interviews with AI that simulates common questions for your industry and provides feedback on your responses. AI can analyze your communication patterns and suggest improvements in clarity, confidence, and conciseness.
Prompts:
"I have an interview for [position] at [company type]. Generate 10 behavioral and 5 technical questions specific to this role. For each question, provide guidance on how to structure a compelling answer using the STAR method, with specific examples from my background in [relevant experience]."
"Role-play as an interviewer for a [position] role at a [company size] [industry] company. Ask me challenging questions about [specific skill/experience], and provide constructive feedback on my answers regarding content, delivery style, and areas for improvement."
"I tend to [specific interview challenge, e.g., 'ramble when nervous']. Create a personalized interview preparation plan to address this weakness, including specific exercises, response frameworks, and 3 practice scenarios relevant to my target role in [industry]."
Job Discovery
AI can scan job boards based on your preferences and skills, surfacing opportunities you might otherwise miss. Some tools can even analyze your work history to suggest career pivots that align with your experience.
Prompts:
"Based on my experience in [current/previous role] with skills in [list key skills], suggest 5 potential career pivots that would value my transferable skills but offer new challenges or better work-life balance. For each suggestion, explain what additional skills I might need to develop."
"I'm interested in remote positions in [industry] that offer [specific benefits/culture traits]. Create a comprehensive job search strategy including: specialized job boards to check, keywords to use in searches, types of companies likely to offer these conditions, and how to identify these traits in job descriptions."
"Analyze these 3 job descriptions I'm considering applying for. Compare them based on growth potential, alignment with my stated career goals in [field], and match with my current skill set. Highlight which opportunity might be the best long-term career move and why."
Leveraging AI for Entrepreneurship
Market Research
AI can analyze market trends, consumer behavior, and competitor strategies to help identify viable business opportunities. It can process vast amounts of data to reveal insights that might inform your business model.
Tools:
Exploding Topics: Identifies trending topics and growth opportunities
SimilarWeb: Analyzes competitor traffic and customer behavior
Crayon: Tracks competitors' digital footprints and marketing strategies
Prompts:
"I'm considering starting a business in [specific industry] targeting [customer demographic]. Analyze current market trends, identify 3-5 underserved customer needs, and suggest potential unique value propositions. Include analysis of key competitors' strengths and weaknesses and how my business might differentiate itself."
"For my business idea of [brief description], conduct a detailed SWOT analysis. Identify internal factors (strengths, weaknesses) based on my background in [relevant experience] and external factors (opportunities, threats) based on current market conditions in [geographic location/target market]."
"Research the regulatory and compliance requirements for launching a [business type] in [location]. Identify potential legal hurdles, necessary permits, insurance requirements, and industry-specific regulations I should be aware of before proceeding with my business plan."
Business Plan Development
From financial projections to marketing strategies, AI can help draft comprehensive business plans with realistic timelines and resource allocations.
Tools:
LivePlan: Creates financial projections and business plan documentation
Canva: Designs professional business plan visuals and presentations
Bizplan: Develops interactive business plans with financial modeling
Prompts:
"Create a detailed 12-month marketing plan for my new [business type] with a budget of [amount]. Include monthly goals, channel-specific strategies, content calendar recommendations, key performance indicators, and realistic customer acquisition cost estimates for my target audience of [demographic details]."
"Develop a financial projection model for the first 3 years of my [business type]. Assume initial investment of [amount], monthly fixed costs of [amount], and variable costs of [percentage] of revenue. Include break-even analysis, cash flow projections, and recommended pricing strategy based on competitors charging [price range]."
"Draft an executive summary for my business plan for [business concept]. Emphasize my unique selling proposition of [USP], target market of [demographic], initial investment needs of [amount], and projected timeline to profitability. Keep it under 500 words while covering all essential elements investors look for."
Product Development
AI can assist in designing prototypes, conducting user testing simulations, and identifying potential improvements before launch.
Tools:
Figma: Creates interactive prototypes with AI design assistance
UserTesting: Simulates user interactions and gathers feedback
Webflow: Builds functional websites with AI-enhanced design
Prompts:
"I'm developing a [product type] for [target users]. Create a comprehensive user testing plan including: 5 specific testing scenarios, 10 task-based questions to measure usability, metrics to track during testing, and a framework for evaluating and prioritizing the feedback we receive."
"Based on these initial product sketches for my [product], suggest 3 different design approaches that balance aesthetic appeal, functionality, and manufacturability at scale. For each approach, highlight potential manufacturing challenges, cost implications, and user experience considerations."
"My early user testing for [product/service] revealed these 3 major pain points: [list issues]. Suggest innovative solutions for each problem that balance user needs with technical feasibility and development time. Prioritize solutions based on impact vs. implementation difficulty."
Tips for Maximum AI Effectiveness
Be specific in your requests—include industry, experience level, and goals
Iterate on AI outputs rather than accepting first drafts
Combine AI insights with human networking and relationship building
Use AI to handle repetitive tasks while focusing your energy on high-value activities
Verify AI-generated information, especially for industry-specific or technical content
AI tools aren't replacements for human judgment or expertise, but they can significantly enhance your capabilities. The most successful professionals and entrepreneurs use AI as a complement to their skills, allowing them to work more efficiently and make better-informed decisions.
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