Stop copy-pasting generic prompts. Learn how to build ones that actually fit your situation.
They're generic because they don't account for YOUR situation. A prompt that works for someone confidently pivoting careers won't work for someone who's overqualified, bitter, and just needs to pay bills.
Here's what you're going to learn instead:
How to build prompts using ROCO + Your Truth - so AI actually helps instead of just spitting out more corporate word salad you have to fix.
Every good AI prompt has four parts:
Role: Who is AI being for you? (Be specific. Not just "career coach" but "a career coach who understands I'm overqualified and tired")
Objective: What do you actually need? (The real thing, not the polite version)
Context: What's your real situation? (This is where you tell the truth: "I need money, not passion")
Output: What format/constraints do you need? ("Two versions - one safe, one bold" or "Under 150 words because I'm exhausted")
The key: Be honest about where you are. AI can't help you if you're feeding it the LinkedIn-optimized BS version of your life.
Most people ask AI: "Give me 5 LinkedIn headline options."
That's why they get garbage. AI doesn't know what problem you solve, who you solve it for, or what makes you different.
So we're going to build the prompt in two steps.
Copy-paste this prompt into ChatGPT:
ROLE: You are a career strategist who helps people articulate their value by asking smart questions.
OBJECTIVE: Help me figure out what to put in my LinkedIn headline by asking me questions that get at what I actually do and who I help - not just my job title.
CONTEXT: I know generic job titles don't work for LinkedIn headlines, but I'm stuck. I'm not sure how to describe what I actually do in a way that makes people want to hire me.
OUTPUT: Ask me 5-7 questions (one at a time, wait for my answers) to help me figure out:
- What problem I solve (not my job title - the actual problem)
- Who I solve it for (be specific about the type of person/company)
- What I produce or create when I do my work well
- What people say about me when I'm not in the room
- What I want to be known for (even if I'm not quite there yet)
After I answer all your questions, summarize what you learned in 2-3 sentences. Then we'll use that to build my headline.