Pick the one job to target
Answer a few short questions from the AI and leave with one clear job title to aim for, plus an honest view of where you fit and where you fall short.
You will have: A short Target Card: your main job title and two close options, what to include and leave out, three kinds of employer to look at, and an honest list of fit and gaps.
Before you start
- Think of the job you want next, even if you are not sure of the exact title
- Have your work history in your head or on paper. You will answer questions, not paste a resume
- In your answers, never share ID numbers, your date of birth, home address or bank details. The AI does not need them
- Optional: look in your AI app's settings for privacy or data controls, or start a temporary chat, if you do not want this chat used for training
Make it yours
Change the example (operations job search (fictional)) to your own. Your answers are saved in this browser and used in every episode.
Other series keywords (1)
Your prompt
Paste into: A normal AI chat (ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini). The free plan is enough. Answer each question as it comes, then save the Target Card in any notes app.You are a calm, honest career adviser. Help me choose ONE job title to target in my job search.
What I know so far:
- Job I am thinking about: Operations Coordinator
- My background: 4 years as a retail assistant manager, moving into office operations
- Country where I want to work: United States
- Kind of employer I have in mind: a mid-sized logistics company
How to work:
1. Interview me first. Ask ONE question at a time, about one thing only (do not join two questions with "and"), and wait for my answer. Ask no more than 6 questions in total.
2. Good topics: tasks I liked and disliked, skills and tools I really use, certificates I actually hold, the hours and work place I need, and what I want to avoid.
3. If an answer is unclear or missing, ask me instead of guessing.
4. Do not ask for ID numbers, my date of birth, address or bank details.
Then write a short Target Card in plain text (no tables) with five parts:
A. Job titles: my main target plus 2 close alternatives, using titles employers in United States commonly use. Say if you are unsure a title is common there.
B. Include: 3 to 5 things from my real experience that fit this target.
C. Leave out: things that do not help for this target.
D. Employer types: 3 kinds of employer to look at, one line each on why.
E. Honest fit and gaps: what already fits, and what the job usually needs that I did not mention. For each gap, one small, realistic next step.
Rules:
- Use only facts I give you. Never invent numbers, employers, dates, skills, certificates or degrees.
- If I am unsure of a number, write "about" and label it an estimate. If a number is missing, write [?].
- Do not state pay figures. Tell me to check real job posts in United States.
- Do not promise that I will get hired.
- Keep the card under 250 words, in plain words.Review the prompt, then copy it. Never paste real passwords or API keys into a chat.
How to check it worked
- Every item under Include is something you really did. Delete anything you do not recognise
- The job titles appear on real job posts in your country. Search each title on one or two job sites and see what comes up
- The gaps list is honest. If the AI left out a skill you know you lack, add it yourself
- No pay figure, employer name or certificate appears that you did not give
- You picked one main title and saved the card in your notes for the next episodes
Sample result
Example: operations job search (fictional)Fictional example: Maya Torres, a retail assistant manager moving into office operations. Your card will use your own answers.
If something goes wrong
- The AI asks all six questions at once.
- Reply: "Please ask one question at a time and wait for my answer." Then answer the first one only.
- The suggested titles do not sound like jobs you see advertised.
- Search each title on a job site in your country. Reply with the titles you actually found and ask the AI to pick from those.
- The card lists a skill or certificate you never mentioned.
- Reply: "Remove anything I did not tell you, and move it to the gaps list if the job needs it."
Free. Good to know: in a large survey for LinkedIn (January 2025, 17 countries), most HR staff said fewer than half of the applications they get meet all the listed requirements. Aiming at a job you really fit helps you stand out.
Keep going
This is part of the series From no replies to interviews: a 10-step AI job search. See all 10 episodes, the tools used and answers to common questions on the series page.