# Claude Prompts for Resume and Job Search 35 copy-paste prompts for [Claude](https://claude.ai), in the order you will need them: your master career file, your resume, cover letters and emails, LinkedIn, reading job posts, interview practice and the offer. Replace every [bracket] with your own details. Paste one prompt at a time, read the answer, then correct it. --- ## Before you start: five rules 1. **Never let Claude invent anything.** Every prompt below says so, and you should still check. Your resume must be true. Anthropic's [usage policy](https://www.anthropic.com/legal/aup) also prohibits misrepresenting professional credentials. 2. **Keep private data out.** Do not paste your national ID or social security number, bank details, passwords, or your references' private details. Your name, work history and the job post are enough. 3. **Check your privacy setting.** Anthropic's [help article on sensitive data](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8325621-i-would-like-to-input-sensitive-data-into-my-chats-with-claude-who-can-view-my-conversations) explains how chats can be used to improve Claude, that you can change the setting any time, and that incognito chats are not used for that. Look at your own setting before you paste anything personal. 4. **Add the numbers yourself.** Claude cannot know your results. If a bullet needs a number, you supply it. If you do not know it, write what you honestly know. 5. **You are the final editor.** Read every line out loud. If it does not sound like you, change it. If you cannot defend it in an interview, delete it. You can paste text into the chat, or upload a PDF or Word file. Anthropic's [file upload article](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/8241126-uploading-files-to-claude) lists the file types it accepts. If you plan to do the whole job search in one place, a [Claude Project](https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9517075-what-are-projects) keeps your master file and instructions together, and Projects are available on free accounts too. --- ## Part 1: Build your master career file (do this once) Everything else works better when Claude starts from one complete, true record of your career. **1. Collect your history** > I am going to give you rough notes about my work history. Do not write anything polished yet. Turn my notes into a clean master career file with these sections: roles (employer, title, dates), what I did in each, results I achieved, tools and skills I used, and anything I am proud of. Use only what I tell you. If something is unclear or a result is missing, list it as a question at the end instead of guessing. Here are my notes: [paste notes] **2. Fill the gaps** > Ask me one question at a time to fill every gap in my master career file. Prioritise missing results, numbers, team sizes and outcomes. Wait for my answer before the next question. Stop when you have asked 10 questions. **3. Save a rules block** > Save these rules for the rest of this chat: never invent employers, titles, dates, numbers, tools or qualifications. If you need a fact I have not given you, ask me. Write plainly, in my voice, without buzzwords. Mark anything you are unsure about in [square brackets]. --- ## Part 2: Resume **4. Resume audit** > Here is my current resume: [paste]. Review it like a hiring manager who has 30 seconds. Tell me: what stands out, what is unclear, what is missing, and what should be cut. Do not rewrite anything yet. Rank the top five fixes by impact. **5. Rewrite weak bullets** > Rewrite these resume bullets so each starts with a strong action verb, says what I did, and ends with the result. Use only facts in the bullet and my master career file. Where a result or number is missing, leave a [bracket] for me to fill in. Bullets: [paste] **6. Add the numbers honestly** > For each of these bullets, ask me the questions that would help me find a real number or outcome (how many, how often, how long, how much, compared to what). Do not suggest numbers. Bullets: [paste] **7. Tailor the resume to one job** > Here is a job post: [paste]. Here is my master career file: [paste]. Build a one-page resume for this job using only true information from my file. Put the most relevant experience first. List which requirements from the job post I clearly meet, partly meet, and do not meet. Do not claim anything I do not have. **8. Honest keyword check** > Compare this resume with this job post. List the important skills and terms in the post that my resume already shows, and the ones it does not show. For the missing ones, tell me whether my master career file supports adding them truthfully. Only suggest adding what I can honestly do. **9. Professional summary** > Write three versions of a three-line professional summary for me, aimed at [job title]. Use only facts from my master career file. No clichés such as "results-driven" or "passionate". Make each version a different tone: plain, confident, warm. **10. Skills section** > Build a skills section from my master career file for [job title]. Group the skills under 3 to 4 headings. Include only skills I have actually used, and tell me which ones to leave out because they are weak or outdated for this role. **11. Career change** > I am moving from [old field] to [new field]. Here is my master career file: [paste]. Find the transferable skills and experience that matter for [new field] and show me how to describe them in the language of that field. Do not exaggerate. Tell me honestly which gaps a hiring manager will notice. **12. Little or no experience** > I am a [student / recent graduate / returning to work] with little formal experience. Here is what I have done: [projects, volunteering, coursework, side work]. Turn it into resume entries that show real skills, written honestly. Tell me what to leave off. **13. Employment gap** > I have a gap in my work history from [date] to [date] because [honest reason]. Suggest two short, truthful ways to handle it on my resume and one way to explain it in an interview. Keep it factual and calm. Do not invent activity I did not do. **14. Trim to one page** > This resume is too long. Cut it to one page without losing anything that matters for [job title]. Tell me what you removed and why, so I can overrule you. --- ## Part 3: Cover letters and emails **15. Cover letter** > Write a cover letter under 250 words for this job: [paste job post]. Use only facts from my master career file: [paste]. Open with why this company and role interest me: [your real reason]. Give two specific examples of relevant work. Close simply. No clichés and no flattery. Mark any claim you cannot support from my file in [brackets]. **16. Short application email** > Write a short email (under 120 words) to send with my application for [role] at [company]. It should say who I am, why I am a fit in one sentence, and that my resume is attached. Plain tone, no hype. **17. Follow-up after applying** > Write a polite follow-up email (under 90 words) for an application I sent [number] days ago for [role] at [company]. Do not sound desperate. Offer to share anything else they need. **18. Thank-you after an interview** > Write a thank-you email (under 120 words) after my interview with [name] for [role]. Mention one specific thing we discussed: [detail]. Restate in one sentence why I am a good fit. **19. Asking for a referral or intro** > Write a short message (under 100 words) asking [name], who works at [company], for advice about the [role] opening. Make it easy to say no. Do not ask them to submit my resume in the first message. **20. Replying to a recruiter** > A recruiter sent me this message: [paste]. Draft a reply that shows interest, asks two useful questions about the role, and suggests times I am free: [times]. Keep it under 100 words. --- ## Part 4: LinkedIn **21. Headline** > Write five LinkedIn headlines for me under 120 characters, aimed at [target role], using only facts from my master career file. Say what I do and who I help, not just my job title. **22. About section** > Write a LinkedIn About section of about 180 words in the first person. Use my master career file: [paste]. Start with what I do and who I do it for. Include two real results. End with how to contact me. Plain, warm tone, no buzzwords. **23. Rewrite a role description** > Rewrite this LinkedIn role description so it is easy to skim. Use three or four short bullets, each with a result. Use only these facts: [paste]. Mark missing details in [brackets]. **24. Message a hiring manager** > Write a LinkedIn connection note (under 300 characters) to [name], hiring manager for [role]. Mention [a real shared interest or post]. No pitch in the first message. --- ## Part 5: Reading job posts and planning the search **25. Decode a job post** > Read this job post: [paste]. Tell me in plain English: what the job really is day to day, the three requirements that matter most, which requirements look optional, and anything vague or worrying (unclear pay, too many unrelated duties, unrealistic demands). Then list five questions I should ask them. **26. Should I apply?** > Compare my master career file with this job post. Give me an honest fit score out of 10, the three strongest matches, the three biggest gaps, and whether the gaps are deal-breakers. Tell me if I should apply as it is, tailor it, or skip it. **27. Choose target roles** > Based on my master career file, suggest five job titles I should search for, including some I may not have thought of. For each, explain why I fit and what I would need to show. Do not assume qualifications I have not mentioned. **28. Application tracker** > Create a simple table I can paste into a spreadsheet to track applications. Columns: company, role, link, date applied, resume version used, contact, status, follow-up date, notes. Then give me a weekly routine of about 5 hours that mixes applying, networking and follow-ups. --- ## Part 6: Interview practice **29. Likely questions** > Based on this job post and my resume, list the 12 questions I am most likely to be asked, split into: about me, about the role, behaviour ("tell me about a time"), and tough ones. Job post: [paste]. Resume: [paste]. **30. Build a story for "tell me about a time"** > Help me turn this real experience into a story using Situation, Task, Action, Result: [describe what happened]. Ask me questions to fill any gap. Then write it as a 90-second spoken answer. Use only what I tell you. **31. Critique my answer** > Here is my answer to the question "[question]": [paste]. Act as a fair interviewer. Tell me what worked, what was unclear, and what I should cut or add. Then show one improved version using only my facts. **32. Tough questions** > Help me prepare honest answers to these tough questions: [why are you leaving your job / why is there a gap / why this change of field / what is your biggest weakness]. Keep each answer truthful, calm and under 60 seconds spoken. **33. Mock interview** > Run a mock interview for [role] at [company type]. Ask one question at a time and wait for my answer. After each answer, give two lines of feedback. After 8 questions, give me an overall summary with my three biggest strengths and three things to practise. --- ## Part 7: The offer **34. Questions to ask them** > Suggest 10 thoughtful questions I can ask at the end of an interview for [role] at [company]. Focus on how success is measured, the team, onboarding and what the first 90 days look like. Avoid questions I could answer from their website. **35. Offer and negotiation prep** > I have received an offer: [paste details]. Help me think it through. List what to look at beyond salary, such as benefits, hours, growth, notice, probation, and what I should ask them to clarify. Then draft a polite message asking about [specific point]. Do not tell me what the market salary is. I will research that from reliable sources myself. --- ## The final check (do this every time) Before anything leaves your computer: - [ ] Every employer, title, date, number and qualification is true - [ ] Nothing is claimed that you could not explain in an interview - [ ] Names, company names and spellings are right (Claude can mix up details when you paste several documents) - [ ] No placeholder [brackets] are left - [ ] It sounds like you, not like an advert - [ ] The format is simple: standard headings, no tables or text boxes in the resume, saved as a normal Word or PDF file - [ ] File name is clear, for example [your-name]-resume.pdf - [ ] You have read it out loud once Nobody can promise that a resume will pass an employer's screening software, and Claude cannot either. Plain formatting, honest wording and a resume matched to the job post is the best approach you can control. Claude Prompts for Resume and Job Search from https://coding180.com