How can you get what you need from Chat GPT? I’ve been discovering that there’s an art to producing relevant, useable and information. As the saying goes, ‘garbage in, garbage out.’ If you want to create workable content, it’s all about the prompts you use.
There is much buzz currently about Chat GPT in the careers world. At a recent careers conference, Careers Consultant Danny Mirza ran a session which provoked significant enthusiasm and discussion. Danny referenced a handy acronym CLEAR, which helps to frame the prompts you need from Chat GPT or other AI.*
CLEAR stands for:
Contextualise: Provide a clear context or background for the question, so Chat GPT understands the situation or subject matter.
Limit: Set a limit to the response. This helps to guide Chat GPT in generating an answer of the desired length and detail.
Elaborate: Be specific. Ask for elaboration on certain points or aspects of the topic. This encourages the AI to provide more in-depth information.
Assume: State any assumptions or prerequisites that Chat GPT should consider while generating a response.
Redirect: If necessary, guide Chat GPT’s response by providing examples, asking follow up questions, or redirecting the focus to a particular aspect of the topic.
Tone of voice
You can also ask Chat GPT to use a particular tone. For example: persuasive, professional, enthusiastic, witty, dry.
My example
Armed with this advice, I experimented with CLEAR, using the following prompts to create my elevator pitch. (I had to remind myself I didn’t need to prefix my request with ‘please’).
Contextualise: As a careers professional and coach, with an interest in gender equity, I have experience in leading successful women’s development programmes and of facilitating workshops. I have many years’ experience of leading teams. I’m a licensed Strengths and MBTI practitioner. I write a blog, The Career Catalyst.
Limit: Create my pitch in 300 words, in a persuasive tone.
Elaborate: Emphasise my career credentials.
Assume: Create my elevator pitch using the content of my LinkedIn profile (I cut and pasted this in).
Redirect: After version one, I then asked Chat GPT to change from American to English spelling.
This is what Chat GPT suggested:
Are you ready to unlock the full potential of women in the workforce? As a careers professional and coach with a keen interest in gender equity, I am on a mission to empower women to achieve career fulfilment and progression. With an impressive track record, I have successfully led women’s development programs that have propelled over 90% of participants to achieve well-deserved promotions.
My expertise extends to facilitating workshops and delivering programs at prestigious institutions like Warwick University, positively impacting hundreds of students. As the founder of Inspiring Women at Warwick University, I secured substantial funding and attracted influential speakers, fostering personal and professional growth.
I am not just a facilitator; I am a catalyst for change. As a Strengths Leadership Trainer, I have designed and delivered impactful training sessions, boosting the self-awareness and confidence of students and staff across multiple Russell Group Universities. My blog, The Career Catalyst, serves as a platform to inspire women in Higher Education to strive for more, and I regularly contribute to reputable newsletters and publications in the field.
Recognised as a thought leader, I have been invited to speak at esteemed national conferences, sharing insights on women’s career development. I am also at the forefront of shaping the next generation of leaders, currently leading Warwick University’s team of professionally qualified Careers Consultants.
My credentials speak volumes—I am a qualified careers consultant, coach, and licensed practitioner in both Springboard and Strengths methodologies.
With my passion for empowering women and my wealth of experience, I am confident that together, we can shatter glass ceilings and create a more inclusive, equitable workforce. Let’s collaborate to inspire women to unleash their true potential and drive lasting change in the professional world. Together, we will write a success story that paves the way for a brighter and more prosperous future for all.
- If I’m being picky, there were still some American spellings and the word count was 305.
- The wording in places was slightly clunky.
- 1 or two points weren’t entirely accurate.
- The ‘persuasive’ tone in particular was one to note-especially if you are someone who is not comfortable with self-promotion. I’m sure some of you will have squirmed a bit reading through my pitch. (I must confess, I positively glowed. ‘Not just a facilitator, but a catalyst for change.’ Yes please!). My achievements are factually correct- so perhaps you simply need to embrace yours. You could choose to experiment with a ‘confident’ rather than a ‘persuasive’ tone and see how that sounds. It’s important you ‘own’ your elevator pitch.
- It’s also too long for an elevator pitch-unless the meeting is in a very tall building! It should be closer to 150 words. My fault- I asked for 300. However- this has provided me with raw material to work with. I can now streamline it to make it snappier and more memorable.
My thanks to Danny for agreeing to share CLEAR and for forging a path so others can put AI to good use. AI developments are moving at warp speed- watch this space for more as I continue to experiment. If you’ve not played with Chat GPT yet- what are you waiting for?
See also my other posts on Chat GPT; How to ask useful careers questions and Defining your Superpowers.
*Lo, L. S. (2023). The CLEAR path: A framework for enhancing information literacy through prompt engineering. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 49(4), 102720
