8 Generative AI Prompts Every Recruiter Should Have in Their Back Pocket

There’s no doubt about it: When it comes to the workplace, AI is here to stay.

Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) has become one of the most buzzed-about topics in business and talent acquisition. According to LinkedIn’s 2024 Future of Recruiting report, 62% of recruiters are optimistic about AI’s impact on recruitment, and the number of recruiters who added AI skills to their profiles jumped by 14% last year. Yet, despite this enthusiasm, only 27% of talent professionals surveyed are actively using or experimenting with generative AI.

Whether you’re just dipping your toes into the GAI waters or are a seasoned AI enthusiast looking to level up your workflow, making these tools work for you starts with one key step: writing great prompts.

Best practices for writing effective AI prompts

In a nutshell: The better the prompt, the better the results.

Generative artificial intelligence has become a powerful tool for enhancing workplace productivity and tackling repetitive tasks. Tools like Microsoft Copilot, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude can create a wide range of content — including text, images, audio, and even code — based on the prompts we provide.

While the potential of these tools is immense, harnessing generative AI’s full power begins with crafting a detailed prompt — and then refining it for accuracy and relevance. Here are some best practices to help you write better, more effective prompts that yield precise, useful results:

• Talk to the chatbot like it’s human. A blank chat box can feel intimidating, so write conversationally and use simple, natural language as if you’re talking to a colleague, not a computer. This approach makes it easier for the AI to understand your request.
• Assign a role to the AI. Start by specifying the role you want the AI to play. After all, in the real world, if you were looking for assistance with administrative tasks, you’d want to talk to an administrative assistant. Begin your query by requesting it to “Act like atalent acquisition specialist” (or a technical recruiter, hiring manager, or whoever you think would be most helpful). This provides the AI with a framework to guide its responses.
• State your goal. Clearly define the format you want the AI to use for its output before writing your prompt. For instance, you might request a numbered list, a table, or a slide deck.
• Be specific. The more details and context you share, the better the AI can deliver what you need. Avoid vague or open-ended queries; instead, craft prompts that include specifics about the task, target audience, tone, word count, and any other relevant information.
• Be polite. We all know that people are more likely to do something if you ask nicely, but does this also apply to AI? Surprisingly, yes. Recent research suggests that polite prompts can lead to higher-quality responses from large language models (LLMs) — the technology behind generative AI chatbots. However, researchers warn that there’s a balance to maintain because overly effusive prompts may actually lead to lower-quality results. Ultimately, they recommend “moderate politeness,” much like in everyday social interactions. So be sure to say “please” and “thank you.”
• Ask follow-up questions. If the initial response isn’t quite what you expected, ask clarifying questions to improve and refine the subsequent output. This iterative process helps refine the results to better meet your objectives.
• Review and edit. Always double-check the AI’s work for accuracy, coherence, bias, and inclusion. The best outcomes typically result from a combination of AI output and human refinement, so take the time to thoroughly edit the responses before finalizing them.

8 GAI prompts every recruiter should add to their toolbox

Ready to dive in? Here are eight powerful gen AI prompts designed for each stage of the recruiting process. Save them in your company’s prompt library for quick access and future use.

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