The Free AI Job-Search Playbook

Cover. Your CV gets 7.4 seconds. Make them count. No paid tools. No extensions. One free AI chat, one job ad and 6 copy-paste prompts.

Why it matters. In that first look, recruiters in the Ladders study looked mostly at job titles and section headings. So the top of your CV has to match the ad.

Before you start. You need one job ad, your CV and a free AI chat. Delete your phone number and home address first. A reader's note: you can upload your resume to Claude and do all this with the free account.

Step 1 of 6. Decode the job ad. A prompt that lists the must-have and nice-to-have skills, the words to reuse and the problem the employer wants solved, with an example answer.

Copy the Step 1 prompt:

Here is a job ad: [paste the full ad]
List the must-have skills, then the nice-to-haves.
Pick 8 words from the ad I should reuse in my CV.
In one sentence: what problem is this job hiring to solve?

Step 2 of 6. Find your gaps. A prompt that compares your CV with the ad in a table, with an example table.

Copy the Step 2 prompt:

Compare my CV with this job ad in a table: what the ad asks | where my CV shows it | match.
Use only what is in my CV. Don't invent anything.
Then name my 2 biggest gaps and one honest fix for each.
CV: [paste]  Job ad: [paste]

Step 3 of 6. Turn duties into results. A prompt plus a before and after example of a CV bullet.

Copy the Step 3 prompt:

Rewrite my CV bullets for this job ad in under 20 words each.
Start with a verb, keep my numbers, and use the ad's words only where true.
If a bullet has no result, ask me one question.
Bullets: [paste]  Job ad: [paste]

Step 4 of 6. A cover note they'll finish. A prompt plus an example cover note under 120 words.

Copy the Step 4 prompt:

Write a cover note for this job in under 120 words. Don't open with "I am writing to apply".
Use two facts from my CV that match the ad, and end with one small ask.
CV: [paste]  Job ad: [paste]

Step 5 of 6. Match your LinkedIn. A prompt plus a before and after LinkedIn headline.

Copy the Step 5 prompt:

I'm moving from [current job] to [target job].
Write 3 LinkedIn headlines under 200 characters, then rewrite my About section in 3 short paragraphs.
Use the same skills as my CV. Plain words.
About: [paste]

Step 6 of 6. Practice the interview. A prompt that makes the AI ask 5 questions one at a time and give feedback, with an example exchange.

Copy the Step 6 prompt:

Be the hiring manager for this job. Ask me 5 interview questions, one at a time, and wait for each answer.
After each one, tell me one thing that worked and one to improve.
Job ad: [paste]

5 ways AI can cost you the job: invented skills, one CV for every job, private details pasted in, sending without reading, and a robot tone.

One ad. Six prompts. Apply this weekend. From Smarter with AI: Clear your AI backlog. Turn saved ideas into useful work. Practical guides, walkthroughs and adaptable prompts in the AI Library. $29 once, no recurring subscription. Explore the AI Library.

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Sources: the 7.4-second figure and the finding that recruiters look mostly at job titles and section headings come from the Ladders eye-tracking study (2018), as reported by HR Dive. Its method isn't fully published, so treat the number as a rough guide. Example answers were written by Claude from a made-up sample CV and job ad, then shortened. Your answers will differ.

The Free AI Job-Search Playbook

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