Most people use AI for job hunting the same way: paste the job description, type "write me a cover letter," and send whatever comes back. Recruiters can smell it instantly — the same hollow phrasing, the same "I am excited to apply for this opportunity," the same letter a thousand other applicants also generated. It doesn't help you. It makes you blend in.

The problem isn't the model. It's that the highest-value thing AI can do for your search isn't writing your application — it's helping you figure out what to target, tailor your materials to each role, prepare for interviews, and negotiate the offer. Used well, it's a career coach, a CV editor, an interview partner, and a negotiation advisor rolled into one. Used lazily, it's a generic-letter generator that gets you ignored.

Here's how to actually use it.

Give it your real experience — and never let it invent any

The single most important rule of using AI in a job search: it works from your truth, and it must never fabricate. Compare these:

Write me a cover letter for this marketing role.

Here's my real experience and the job description. Write a cover letter that connects what I've actually done to what they need — and flag anything you think is missing rather than inventing it.

The first makes up a plausible-sounding candidate who isn't you. The second makes the real you land harder. Every prompt in this library is built to work only from the experience you provide — the system prompts are explicitly instructed never to invent achievements, inflate results, or fabricate credentials. If something's missing, they ask or flag it. That's not a limitation; it's what keeps you honest in interviews you'd otherwise have to back up.

Figure out the target before you fire

This is the step almost everyone skips, and the reason the library leads with Figure Out What I Want.

Applying to everything is the slowest way to land a job. Before you write a single application, get clear on what you're actually aiming for:

Help me figure out what jobs to look for.

What am I actually good at — including skills I undervalue?

Help me define my ideal next role.

A focused search of ten well-fit applications beats a hundred scattershot ones. If you don't know precisely what you're targeting, every later step gets weaker — vaguer CV, generic letters, unconvincing interviews.

Tailor everything — generic is the enemy

The fastest way to get filtered out is to send the same CV and letter everywhere. The CV and Applications sections exist to tailor fast:

Tailor my CV to this job.

Decode what this job really wants.

Match my cover letter to what this role really prioritises.

A tailored application takes ten minutes with the right prompt and dramatically outperforms a generic one. Decode what the posting is really asking for, then surface the real experience that maps to it. Same you, aimed properly.

Prepare for the interview like it's a skill — because it is

Interviewing well isn't talent, it's preparation, and AI is the perfect practice partner. The Interview Prep section runs full mock interviews:

Run a mock interview with me for this role.

What questions will I likely get for this role?

Help me structure a STAR answer from this real example.

Practising your answers out loud — and getting honest feedback — is the difference between rambling and landing your point. And crucially, these prompts coach you to answer truthfully: a strong, specific, real answer, never a fabricated one you'd have to defend later.

Don't leave money on the table

Most people accept the first number out of relief. The Offers & Negotiation section helps you do better — ethically:

Help me decide whether to take this offer.

Help me negotiate my salary.

Help me negotiate things beyond salary.

Negotiating a single offer politely and with a real justification is one of the highest-return things you'll ever do. These prompts build your case from your genuine value — never a bluffed competing offer or a made-up number — and they'll remind you to verify current market rates yourself, since an AI can't look them up live.

A 30-second router

Not sure where to start? Match your situation:

Not sure what you're even looking for → Figure Out What I Want.
Need to fix or tailor your CV → CV & Resume.
Writing a cover letter or application → Cover Letters & Applications.
Applying randomly, getting nowhere → Search Strategy.
Need to reach people → Networking & Outreach.
Interview coming up → Interview Prep.
Just interviewed → After the Interview.
Got an offer → Offers & Negotiation.
Profile needs work → Profile & Personal Brand.
Worn down by the whole thing → Mindset & Momentum.

A quick example

Say you see a great role and ask AI to "write a cover letter." You get something fluent and forgettable, you send it, you hear nothing — same as the last twenty.

Don't. Back up: run "decode what this job really wants" and you discover the posting quietly prioritises stakeholder management over the technical skills you led with. Now run "tailor my CV to this job," feeding it your real experience, and reorder to surface the stakeholder work you actually did. Write the letter with your genuine reason for wanting this company. Then, before the interview, run a mock interview and practise the two answers you keep fumbling. You walk in prepared — and you got there by aiming properly, not by generating faster.

Don't want to choose? Follow the journey

If the whole search feels overwhelming, run the six-step journey instead — it walks you from lost to hired in the order that works:

What job should I look for? — get a target.
Tailor my CV to a job — make your materials fit.
Write a cover letter — make a genuine case.
Build a job-search plan — get organised, not scattered.
Practice interview questions — prepare to perform.
Negotiate my salary — don't leave money behind.

Run those six in order and you've used the whole library's logic without browsing a single category.

The bottom line

Prompts are starting points; your real experience and honesty do the heavy lifting. The best results come from three habits, every time:

Feed it your truth — and never let it invent any.
Aim before you fire: target the right roles, tailor every application.
Treat interviewing and negotiating as skills you practise, not luck.

If you only ever use ten of these, use these:

What job should I look for?
Tailor my CV to a job.
Critique my CV.
Write a cover letter.
Build a job-search plan.
Write a networking message.
Practice interview questions.
'Tell me about yourself.'
Negotiate my salary.
Improve my LinkedIn profile.

Work the order, give it your real story, and these prompts will do far more than churn out applications — they'll help you target better, present yourself truthfully and well, and land somewhere you actually want to be.

One caution worth repeating: AI should help you tell your real story, never invent one — and it can't look up live salary data, so verify market rates yourself before you negotiate.