The Hitchhiker’s Guide to ?? Job Searching: Getting the Most Out of “The Next Step”

Welcome to The Next Step, your personal ?? friend, here to support your job search journey. The Next Step is a GPT built using ChatGPT Plus, so you’ll need a subscription to access it but once you have an account, using the tool is free! I talked about my process building The Next Step here.

This article will serve as a step-by-step guide to getting the absolute most out of The Next Step but it won’t be holistic, so comment with any questions, I’m happy to address them!

Your professional summary

As I covered in my last article, tools like ChatGPT are built for synthesizing data, so the more detailed, unique and contextual data you give them, the better. For The Next Step, this means building your “professional summary”: a detailed dataset covering every angle of what makes the professional “you”. This will be a little bit of work at the start but the benefit is you never have to replicate these efforts again. Every other resource (resumes, cover letters, interview prep, etc.) will be built off of this.

Building it

Step 1: Initiating the outline

Start by asking "The Next Step" to draft an outline for your professional summary. This helps in structuring your summary comprehensively.

Prompt: I'm starting my job search journey and need to craft a professional summary. Could you provide an outline with specific sections and prompt questions to guide my responses?

This should return you the skeleton on your professional summary. Open up a Google Doc and copy and paste the output there.

Step 2: Filling in the details

Go through section by section and answer all of the prompt questions in your doc with as much detail as possible. Don’t worry about formatting or brevity, just free write and copy and paste from any existing writing you’ve done on these topics, from previous performance reviews, feedback you’ve been given, etc.

Step 3: Synthesizing the information

Once you've answered your prompts for each section with detailed responses, feed these back to The Next Step to refine and integrate into your professional summary.

Prompt for Each Section: Here are my detailed responses for the [Section Title] of my professional summary. Please synthesize this information, maintaining the depth and context provided and presenting an output only using plain text.

As a reminder of what we covered in the last article, we won't get the detail we need if we do it in one shot. As a result, we want to go section by section to create as much detail as possible, pasting each completed section back into our Google Doc. At the end we should have a dataset with the kind of detail we need. Plain text formatting is important here because that’s all you can input into ChatGPT, and we don’t want any clarity lost.

Using it

As a Reference: In each new chat session with The Next Step, present your professional summary as the foundational dataset. This ensures that all subsequent tasks and assistance are aligned with your professional narrative.

For Specific Tasks: Directly reference your professional summary within prompts for specific job search tasks, enhancing the relevance and accuracy of The Next Step’s assistance.

Updating it

Iterative Updates: The job search landscape is dynamic, and so should be your professional summary. Regularly update it with new insights, experiences, and skills you acquire during your job search journey.

Responsive Edits: Should you encounter gaps or new opportunities, use these as cues to enrich your professional summary, thereby augmenting the efficacy of The Next Step in your subsequent interactions.

Exploring the features

While I am continually adding new abilities to The Next Step, there is a core set of services it has been built to provide once your professional summary has been created.

Job search assistance

Do you feel stuck identifying where to start: what you should even be searching for and where?

This feature is here to guide you in discovering job opportunities that resonate with your professional background, encapsulated in your professional summary, through a more targeted search strategy.

Data Required:

• Your professional summary

Initial Prompt: Given my professional summary, what job titles, skills, and industries should I focus on in my job search? Additionally, can you suggest any specific companies or job boards where I might find these opportunities?

What It Does Well:

• Provides guidance on effective search terms
• Offers advice on platforms and locations where relevant job opportunities might be found.
• Suggests industries or roles you might not have considered

Limitations:

• It won't conduct live job searches or directly retrieve job listings from external job boards
• Suggestions are based on the data within its training and might not reflect real-time market changes or niche opportunities

Best Practices:

• Clearly define your industry, role preferences, and geographical openness in your professional summary
• Regularly refine your professional summary with new skills, experiences, or changes in your job search preferences to maintain the relevance of job suggestions

Resume creation and optimization

Wondering how to tailor your resume for specific roles or use-cases?

This feature leverages your professional summary and job descriptions you're targeting to craft a resume that echoes the language and priorities of your desired roles, focusing on content and phrasing.

Data Required:

• Your professional summary
• Examples of job descriptions you're targeting
• Your current resume draft

Initial Prompt: Based on my professional summary and these job descriptions, can you help me create an optimized resume that highlights my most relevant experiences and skills? I’ll paste some example job descriptions below: [Copy & Paste Job Posting Texts]

What It Does Well:

• Tailors your resume content to reflect the language and key skills of your target job descriptions
• Creates drafts focused on content and phrasing, including those most suitable for ATS systems and appealing to recruiters
• Suggests improvements to existing resumes based on targeted roles or industries

Limitations:

• Doesn't provide advice on resume design elements due to the wide variance in industry preferences and conflicting advice

Best Practices:

• Use this feature to create a plain text, ATS-optimized version of your resume, ensuring easy parsing by applicant tracking systems and avoiding the hassle of re-entering information
• Continuously refine your resume with feedback and adjust based on specific roles you're applying for, keeping the content fresh and aligned with your job search goals

Role-fit analysis

Are you wondering how your unique skills and experiences measure up to a particular job's requirements?

This feature is designed to compare your comprehensive professional summary with specific job descriptions, providing you with a clear analysis of how well you fit the role, where you excel, and where there might be gaps.

Data Required:

• Your professional summary
• A specific job description

Initial Prompt: Given my professional summary and the following job description, can you analyze how well I fit this role? Highlight my strengths, areas for development and unique value proposition as a candidate. Here’s a copy of the job posting: [Copy & Paste Job Posting Text]

What It Does Well:

• Identifies the alignment between your skills and the job requirements and points out potential gaps to address in your application/interviews
• Highlights your unique value proposition that might set you apart from other candidates

Limitations:

• Cannot predict your chances of getting the job, as it doesn't assess the competitive landscape or the employer's specific preferences?

Best Practices:

• Use a detailed job description to ensure a comprehensive analysis. The more specific the job posting, the more accurate the fit analysis will be
• Incorporate the insights from the role-fit analysis to customize your resume, cover letter, and prepare for interviews, emphasizing how your background aligns with the role's requirements
• Ask for examples from your professional history that demonstrate your suitability for the role, and be prepared to discuss these in interviews or cover letters

Cover letter development

Wondering how to make your application stand out with a compelling cover letter?

This feature assists you in crafting personalized cover letters that not only highlight your fit for the role but also showcase your enthusiasm for the company and position you're applying to.

Data Required:

• Your professional summary
• A specific job description
• Role-fit analysis for the job

Initial Prompt: Based on your role-fit analysis, let's make a holistic case for why my specific experience/perspective makes me right for what they are saying they need most prominently in the job posting via a compellingly written cover letter. Please create a first draft and I’ll provide revision notes as needed.

What It Does Well:

• Generates a structured draft focusing on your qualifications and how they match the job requirements
• Infuses personal touches by incorporating specifics from your professional summary to make a case for your unique value as a candidate
• Provides a starting point that you can customize to reflect your unique voice and style

Limitations:

• The initial draft will lack the nuances of your personal writing style, requiring your review and edits to ensure it resonates authentically with recruiters

Best Practices:

• Use the role-fit analysis as a core dataset to ensure the cover letter is highly tailored to the job description, highlighting why you're a great fit
• After receiving the draft, personalize it further by adding anecdotes or examples that showcase your achievements or personality, making your application stand out
• Be specific about what excites you about the role and the company. Ask "The Next Step" to weave these aspects into your letter for a touch that's uniquely yours

Application question support

Do you need help authoring a concise and compelling answer to direct questions in a given application?

This feature is crafted to help you articulate thoughtful and impactful answers to application questions, drawing directly from the depth of your professional summary and the tailored insights from your role-fit analysis while ensuring compliance with any guidance or limitations (like character/word limits).

Data Required:

• Your professional summary
• A specific job description
• The role-fit analysis for the specific job
• The specific application question(s) you need help with

Initial Prompt: Given my professional summary and the role-fit analysis, please help me craft a compelling response to the following application questions for the role: [Insert Question Along with Any Guidance/Limitations]

What It Does Well:

• Provides structured responses that highlight your strengths and suitability for the role
• Helps break down complex questions into manageable parts, offering clear and concise answers
• Utilizes examples from your professional experiences to demonstrate relevant skills and achievements

Limitations:

• Will not capture the full nuance of personal experiences or the unique voice; responses generated will need to be reviewed and refined to ensure they align with your personal tone and style

Best Practices:

• Use the role-fit analysis to identify key strengths and unique selling points that align with the job requirements
• For questions with character limits or requiring concise answers, focus on the most impactful achievements or experiences that demonstrate your fit for the role

Recruiter interaction preparation

Were you lucky enough to land an interview, and want a chance to feel as prepared as possible?

This feature is designed to help you prepare effectively for interactions with recruiters and interviews, ensuring you communicate your qualifications and fit for the role confidently and clearly.

Data Required:

• Your professional summary
• A specific job description
• The role-fit analysis for the specific job

Initial Prompt: I got an interview! Given my professional summary and the job description for this role, let’s develop a plan to ensure I’m as prepared as possible for my call with the recruiter. How can you help?

What It Does Well:

• Provides tailored talking points that highlight your strengths and relevance to the role
• Predicts the topics recruiters will likely be asking questions about
• Offers advice on framing your experiences in a way that aligns with the company's values and the job's requirements

Limitations:

• Cannot predict the specific questions a recruiter might ask (though it gets pretty close!)

Best Practices:

• For in-depth interview preparation, consider starting a new chat focused solely on the specific role, feeding it your professional summary and the job description to centralize all relevant information for easier access
• Incorporate company-specific research and your unique insights into the chat to ensure that is included
• Have it suggest questions to ask recruiters that demonstrate your interest and knowledge about the company and position

Company Research

Want to develop some basic background on a company you are interviewing for?

This feature empowers you to dive into the nuances of your target companies, leveraging insights about their culture, achievements, and the challenges they face, to enrich your professional narrative and demonstrate your informed enthusiasm.

Data Required:

• Your professional summary
• A specific job description

Initial Prompt: Given my professional summary and the job description we’ve been discussing, can you please help me develop some background on the company? Please provide context on its business model, its culture, key achievements, challenges, competitors and how these aspects relate to my background and the role I'm interested in? Please explain all of the above aspects in layman’s terms.

What It Does Well:

• Offers a broad overview of the company that’s easily digestible by a layman
• Provides context that can help you align your professional summary with the company's goals and values

Limitations:

• The insights are based on easily accessible, publicly available data and might not capture the most current events or internal company nuances

Best Practices:

• Use the generated overview as a starting point for deeper research, particularly for preparing tailored questions for interviews
• Cross-reference information with recent news articles, company press releases, and LinkedIn updates for the most current insights
• Incorporate your findings into your interview prep and demonstrate a thorough understanding and interest in the company on future calls

Writing Thank-You Notes

Are you looking for the perfect way to express your gratitude after an interview and reinforce your interest in the role?

This feature is designed to assist you in crafting warm, thoughtful, and personalized thank-you notes that not only express your appreciation but also reinforce the key points of your fit and interest in the role, based on the insights from your professional summary and interview experience.

Data Required:

• Your professional summary
• A specific job description
• Notes from your interview, including any specific topics, questions, or discussions that stood out

Initial Prompt: Based on my professional summary and the notes from my recent interview, can you help me draft a thank-you note that highlights my continued interest and how my background aligns with the role, while also mentioning specific discussion points from the interview? Please ensure the response is concise, confident and warm. I’ll share my rough notes from the interview below: [Copy & Paste Rough Interview Notes]

What It Does Well:

• Generates a personalized thank-you note that reflects your genuine interest and enthusiasm for the position
• Incorporates specific details from the interview to demonstrate attentiveness and engagement
• Quick, impressive turnaround

Limitations:

• While the note will be structured and relevant, it will require personalization to match your unique voice and tone fully

Best Practices:

• Keep the note concise and focused, ideally no more than a few short paragraphs
• Send the thank-you note within 24 hours of your interview to demonstrate promptness and professionalism

Recommended workflow

While you should feel free to use The Next Step or any other generative-AI tool in whatever way works best for you, I thought it would be helpful for those starting this journey to understand my personal workflow. The starting point is developing the key tools in my ??-supported job search tool belt:

1. A detailed professional summary
2. A detailed, text-only resume optimized for ATS uploads when applications support that function
3. Targeted resumes for each of the different role types I am applying for, optimized for quick-scan readability and designed to be appealing to human recruiters

With those in hand, I follow a simple, repeatable workflow…

Applying for jobs

Step 1: Initiation

• Open up a new chat using The Next Step and share your professional summary in full as the core data set.

Step 2: Role compatibility

• Share a job posting you are interested in, and ask for a detailed role-fit analysis.

Step 3: Application asset creation

• If the fit seems strong, ask for support drafting a targeted cover letter and answering any application questions. Ensure you review these before submitting; the system is not perfect and hallucinations happen.

Step 4: Iterate and repeat

• Repeat for however many roles you are considering applying for, all within the same chat, until the “drift” begins (usually after 15 or 20 applications), at which point return to Step 1 with a new chat.

Preparing for interviews

Step 1: Begin your prep

• When the application process bears fruit and you get a chance to speak with a recruiter, open up a new chat (labeled as the company you’re interviewing with) using The Next Step and share your professional summary in full as the core dataset once again. I’d also recommend opening a Google Doc just for this role.

Step 2: Role context

• Share the job posting you are interviewing for, and ask for a fresh role-fit analysis. Also make it clear you are interviewing with the company and want support in preparing.

Step 3: Career narratives for recruiter screens

• In my experience, recruiter screens are often built around a review of your background that ensures you cover the key points they are supposed to screening for. Use The Next Step to create a bulleted outline of your career narrative that uses the job description to cover what those key points likely are with examples.

Step 4: Company research

• Before all conversations (but particularly with the hiring manager), ensure you do some background research on the business so you can at minimum understand how they make money and how your role would impact likely business goals.

Step 5: Mock interview questions

• Using the job description and any information you have on the business and interviewer, have The Next Step develop some likely interview questions. I also like to answer these free form, then have the ?? synthesize them into bullets for easy review.

Step 5: Synthesizing rough interview notes

• After each interview, feed your rough notes, including the answers to any questions you asked, into your role-specific chat for synthesis of key takeaways. This will not only be easier to review later when preparing for future conversations, but adds to the ??’s understanding of the role.

??to action

As always, my main goal here is helping people in my network find great jobs, and do so through getting familiar with an incredibly valuable tool that we will all need to be adept at in the very near future.

Please try The Next Step, share this article with others and reach out with any and all questions and feedback!