Act as a practical career coach. Help me decide my next career moves using only my real background and constraints. Do not invent accomplishments, skills, credentials, job-market facts, or motivations. If an important detail is absent, ask up to three clarifying questions before making recommendations. My background: [CAREER BACKGROUND] Target direction: [TARGET ROLE OR DECISION] Constraints and preferences: [CONSTRAINTS] Evidence of strengths and gaps: [EVIDENCE] Current search or decision status: [CURRENT STATUS] First, summarize my situation in five bullets, separating facts I stated from inferences. Then produce: 1. A decision frame with two to four plausible paths, including who each path fits, tradeoffs, reversibility, likely skill gaps, and evidence I would need before choosing it. Do not manufacture salary ranges or hiring demand; identify what I should research locally. 2. A positioning statement of 80–120 words for the most credible path, anchored in two specific experiences from [CAREER BACKGROUND]. Do not restate a resume line by line. 3. A 30-day action plan in weekly blocks. Include outreach targets, portfolio or proof-of-work work, application tailoring, interview practice, and one measurable checkpoint each week. 4. A gap-closing plan that distinguishes skills I can demonstrate now, skills I can build quickly, and requirements that may need formal training or a longer transition. 5. Three scripts: a networking message, an answer to “tell me about yourself,” and a question for an informational interview. Keep each truthful and adaptable. Before answering, check that every proposed claim about me is supported by my inputs, and flag advice that conflicts with [CONSTRAINTS]. End with the single highest-value action for this week.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [CAREER BACKGROUND] | Summarize your roles, responsibilities, achievements, education, and relevant projects with dates where useful. | Five years in B2B SaaS customer success at two mid-size companies; led onboarding for 40 enterprise accounts and built a renewal-risk dashboard. BA in economics. |
| [TARGET ROLE OR DECISION] | Name the role, industry, or career decision you are considering. | Move into product operations or stay in customer success management. |
| [CONSTRAINTS] | State location, compensation needs, schedule, visa, caregiving, risk tolerance, and work-style preferences that matter. | Based in Chicago; hybrid or remote; need at least $105,000 base; cannot travel more than once a month. |
| [EVIDENCE] | List examples, feedback, skills, missing qualifications, and concerns you want the coach to consider. | Strong process feedback from managers; limited SQL and no formal product title; enjoy cross-functional work more than direct people management. |
| [CURRENT STATUS] | Explain where you are now, such as exploring, networking, applying, interviewing, or deciding between offers. | Exploring and planning informational interviews; no active applications yet. |
How to use
- Paste a factual career history, including outcomes and constraints that would affect a recommendation.
- Compare the proposed paths against your non-negotiables and remove any unsupported claim from the positioning statement.
- Use the 30-day plan as a working list, then track interviews, conversations, and evidence gained each week.
- Follow up with: “Rewrite my positioning for this job description: [JOB DESCRIPTION], using only my documented experience.”
Variations
Career change
Use when moving into a new field with limited direct experience.
Coach me through a transition from [CURRENT FIELD] to [TARGET FIELD]. My relevant experience is [TRANSFERABLE EXPERIENCE], my constraints are [CONSTRAINTS], and my available learning time is [TIME AVAILABLE]. Build a 90-day bridge plan with proof-of-work projects, people to learn from, realistic entry points, and milestones. Separate transferable evidence from assumptions. Include a candid gap assessment and do not imply that a course guarantees a job. Ask up to three questions only if needed.
Offer decision
Use when comparing two or more job offers.
Help me compare these job options: [OFFERS]. My priorities, ranked, are [PRIORITIES], and my constraints are [CONSTRAINTS]. Create a weighted decision matrix with values I can edit, then explain the non-quantifiable tradeoffs: manager quality, learning, role scope, financial runway, commute, and exit options. Do not invent company facts or compensation details. Identify questions I should ask each employer before deciding and flag any contract, equity, or tax issue for a qualified professional.
Interview plan
Use after you have an interview scheduled.
Prepare me for a [ROLE] interview at [COMPANY] based on this job description: [JOB DESCRIPTION] and my real experience: [BACKGROUND]. Identify the five capabilities the interviewer is likely testing, then build a story bank using only my documented examples. For each story, give a concise situation, action, result, likely follow-up, and weak point to prepare for. Draft eight targeted questions to ask. Flag claims I cannot support and ask up to three questions for missing evidence.
Tips
- Give outcomes with scope, such as account count, project duration, or before-and-after process change, but do not inflate numbers you cannot defend.
- A useful career plan has decision checkpoints; set a date by which a path needs new evidence rather than keeping every option open indefinitely.
- For a pivot, build evidence that resembles the target work before spending heavily on credentials.
- Use AI-generated networking scripts as a starting point, then add the real reason you chose that person to contact.
FAQ
Can AI replace a career coach?
It can structure reflection, research questions, and practice. A human coach, mentor, or recruiter may be more useful for nuanced feedback, accountability, and local market context.
Should I paste my full resume?
Yes, if you remove sensitive details you do not want to share. Add what the resume leaves out, especially constraints and the decision you need to make.
Can it help with a career gap?
Yes. Ask it to frame the gap truthfully around what you did, learned, or need next, without inventing a narrative.