Authored by Carex’s Director of Scientific & Engineering Talent, Ginger Auchter. Originally posted on LinkedIn.
It’s been just over a year since ChatGPT was first launched on November 30, 2022. Though we’re all essentially “newbies” to it, this rapidly evolving tool, and the effort to gain expertise in it, is at the forefront of conversations within nearly every recruiting team. We’re all building that expertise as we go. As Martin Uzochukwu Ugwu said, “Knowledge is power. Sharing knowledge is the key to unlocking that power.”
Since prompts are definitely the power behind ChatGPT, here are 3 to share to get you started:
#1: Gain a Deeper Understanding of the Role
Even recruiters that come from the field they recruit for encounter positions they aren’t experts in. Gain a better understanding of the role before you even have a conversation with the hiring manager. Depending upon your own experience and understanding, you can adjust the prompt to explain at the level you prefer; “Explain it like I’m 5” and the following “I have a BS in Biology” will provide very different levels of depth. Directly paste in portions of the position description you’re trying to understand to help further:
“I’m a technical recruiter for a pharma company and need to have a deeper understanding of a lab automation role I’m recruiting for. I have a BS in Biology but don’t have an engineering background. Using details from the following position description, explain in layman’s terms robotic method wet run testing and IQ/OQ instrument qualification: (insert position description here)”
#2: Boolean Better
Recruiting has definitely changed post-Covid, where it seems every role now requires active sourcing, which is time-consuming. Let ChatGPT do the heavy lifting. Level up your current search string by reassessing and starting from the basics of title alternatives, industry, etc., and building your way up. Keep a Cheat Sheet reference guide for you and your team so that you don’t have to keep asking for the same Boolean prompts. (Full disclosure, creating a new one for my team is still on my To Do list).
“Please develop a Boolean search string for common and uncommon titles for those in Manager roles within the medical device industry. It should not include Director, VP, or higher level managers.”
#3: Create Compelling Interview Questions
Assess candidates more effectively and hit the center of the target every time with hiring managers by improving the quality of your interview questions. Try multiple, specific prompts, similar to the following, that target the different areas of the role you’re recruiting for. Note that these questions can also be used to help develop an Interview Guide for hiring managers as well!
“Please develop 20 probing and insightful questions a technical interviewer can ask a candidate to determine fit for a Senior R&D Scientist role at a biotech company focused on immunotherapy for cancer treatment. The questions should assess technical skills and abilities in T Cell engineering and assay development.”
BONUS TIP –
For general questions, instead of continuously clicking the “Regenerate” button to see more options that may be closer to what you’re looking for, include the following phrase in your initial search request: “Please provide 5 variations of“. Use whatever number of variations you would like to receive. You’ll be able to see multiple suggestions right away, and can combine the different parts you like the most. More choices, with more efficiency!
Wondering where Ryan Reynolds plays into this? Don’t worry – for those who prefer their AI with a side of sass, try the following prompt yourself using ChatGPT (and see why specifics regarding everything down to tone make such an impact): “Pretend you’re Ryan Reynolds and rewrite the following LinkedIn article:”. Copy everything prior to this paragraph, and as Ryan’s digital doppelganger would say, “slam that paste faster than Deadpool drops a punchline, hit the ol’ enter-oo, and behold! The sheer power of precision (and a peek into why Ryan Reynolds is the king of ka-ching).”