Explore your interests, evidence of skills and practical constraints. Turn possible directions into small research or learning actions before making a large commitment.
A career plan can start with uncertainty. AI is useful for organising questions and comparing options, but personal decisions need evidence from your own experience and the people or organisations involved.
A practical workflow.
Review what you know
List work or study activities you enjoyed, tasks you handled well and situations you want less of. Include time, location and financial constraints without sharing private account information.
Explore a few directions
Ask for a small set of role categories and the reasons they might fit. Treat the suggestions as hypotheses, not a personality diagnosis or guaranteed match.
Check the real requirements
Look at current job descriptions and official training information. Record qualifications, costs and practical requirements using verified sources.
Choose a reversible next step
Plan an informational conversation, a small project or a short learning task. Use what you learn to update the shortlist before paying for a major programme.
READY TO MAKE YOURS
Start with this prompt.
Help me explore career options using these real experiences: [experience], interests: [interests] and constraints: [constraints]. Suggest three directions, explain the evidence for each and list unknowns. Give me one small research or practice action per direction. Do not promise a salary, job or perfect fit.
Replace the brackets. Leave out private details. Check the response.
ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
A clearer request.
A VAGUE STARTTell me my dream career.
A CLEARER BRIEFHelp me compare three career directions based on these interests, experiences and constraints. List questions I should research and suggest a small low-cost test for each option.
The prompt makes exploration practical without claiming certainty.
Before you use the result.
- Suggestions are treated as options.
- Training and vacancy information is verified.
- Costs and constraints are considered.
- The next step is small and useful.
A few useful answers.
Can AI tell me what I am good at?
It can reflect patterns in examples you provide. Compare that reflection with actual work, feedback and your own experience rather than treating it as an assessment.
Should I buy a course immediately?
First confirm what you need to learn, whether the course fits and what it costs. A small trial or direct research can help you make a more informed choice.
PUT THE GUIDE TO WORK
Career-planning prompts for comparing options and trying a small experiment
Career advice is most useful when it turns a broad question into something you can investigate. Instead of asking AI to choose your future, describe the options, constraints and experiences you already have. Then build a small experiment, a conversation or a sample project that helps you learn more before making a larger commitment.
Compare the day-to-day work
A job title can hide very different responsibilities. Look for actual tasks, typical working conditions and the skills demonstrated in current role descriptions. Write down what attracts you and what you have not tested. An interest in a sector is a starting point; it is not evidence that you would enjoy every role in it.
Make the next experiment small enough to finish
A useful experiment has a question, a short activity and a way to reflect on what you learned. For example, try preparing a simple project brief to test your interest in coordinating work. Record which parts you enjoyed, where you needed help and what another practitioner would notice. One experiment gives information, not a verdict on your career.
Open a card, copy the prompt and replace the brackets with your own details. Each card includes a follow-up and a check before you use the answer.
SITUATION 01 ↗
Compare two directions without choosing for you
Make the trade-offs and missing information visible.
Open the prompt +
Help me compare [option A] and [option B]. Use my constraints [paste], interests [paste] and actual experience [paste]. Create a table of relevant factors, what I know, what I am assuming and what I should investigate. Do not recommend a life decision based on limited information or invent salaries and hiring demand.
Refine the next draft
Turn the three most consequential unknowns into research questions. Suggest primary sources or informed conversations that could answer them.
Before you use it
Check current role descriptions and local requirements yourself.
SITUATION 02 ↗
Design a small sample of the work
Learn by doing a contained, realistic task.
Open the prompt +
Design a small, low-cost experiment to explore [role or skill]. Actual tasks I found in role descriptions: [paste]. I have [time] and [tools]. Give a clear output, a short sequence, a self-review checklist and a reflection question. Avoid pretending this project is professional employment.
Refine the next draft
Reduce the experiment so it can be finished in one session. Keep the part that best tests my question: [question].
Before you use it
Keep practice materials separate from real client or employer work.
SITUATION 03 ↗
Prepare questions for an informational conversation
Ask about work, rather than for a job promise.
Open the prompt +
Prepare six thoughtful questions for a short informational conversation with someone working in [field]. I already know [facts]. I want to understand [uncertainties]. Ask about everyday tasks, learning paths and common misconceptions. Do not ask for confidential company information or assume they can offer me a job.
Refine the next draft
Choose the three questions most likely to reveal whether my assumptions about the work are accurate. Add a courteous opening and closing.
Before you use it
Respect the person’s time and permission; contact them yourself through an appropriate channel.
SITUATION 04 ↗
Review an experiment and choose what to learn next
Use observations, not a personality label.
Open the prompt +
Review this career experiment using only my observations and feedback. Separate tasks I enjoyed, tasks I found difficult, skills to practise and remaining unknowns. Suggest two possible next experiments and explain what each would test. Observations: [paste]. Feedback: [paste].
Refine the next draft
What conclusion would be too strong for this small amount of evidence? Rewrite my reflection to acknowledge that limitation.
Before you use it
A single enjoyable or difficult session should not decide a major commitment.
The examples below are original, illustrative edits using fictional situations. They show the checks to make, rather than promising what an AI tool will produce.
A career experiment brief
Option I want to explore: Question I need to answer: Relevant tasks from real role descriptions: Small activity I can try: Time and resources available: Who could give informed feedback: What I will observe: What remains uncertain: Next decision after the experiment:
WORKED EXAMPLE
Make a career question testable
An original, fictional example. Use the method with your own evidence.
FIRST DRAFTShould I become a project manager?
AFTER CHECKINGDo I enjoy turning a loose request into a clear brief and coordinating the next steps? I will prepare a sample event plan and ask an experienced coordinator to review it.
What changed
The revised question focuses on a real part of the work. It invites evidence instead of asking a tool to predict long-term fit.
WORKED EXAMPLE
Keep a small experiment in proportion
An original, fictional example. Use the method with your own evidence.
FIRST DRAFTI struggled with the spreadsheet, so this career is not for me.
AFTER CHECKINGI enjoyed organizing the task list but needed help with the spreadsheet. My next step is to practise that tool and ask how often it is used in an entry-level role.
What changed
The revised reflection distinguishes an interest in the work from a skill that has not yet been developed.
Try it with your own task.
Choose one uncertainty that would change your decision. Find a realistic way to investigate it, then record what you learned before choosing the next step.
GO DEEPER / 4 FREE TEMPLATES
Prompts for this part of the task.
Use a template for the step you are working on. Add the required inputs, then check the result against your source material.
Browse the task-guide directory ↗
Use a small workflow that you can repeat.
- Start with the actual job description and your verified experience.
- Choose examples that show your actions and outcomes; label unknown numbers.
- Draft for relevance and clarity, then check the facts against your records.
- Practise explaining the evidence aloud so your application and interview tell the same story.
Keep in mind: Do not invent qualifications, references, dates or performance figures. Remove personal contact information and confidential employer details before using an AI tool.
Explain a career gap clearly
Use only the details you choose to share.You get: Clear account of a career gap+
COPY. PERSONALISE. CHECK.
Help me write two brief ways to explain a career gap for [application or interview]. Facts I am comfortable sharing: [facts]. Relevant activity or learning: [activity, if any]. Desired tone: [tone]. Keep the explanation honest and forward-looking. Do not infer medical, family or other sensitive reasons, invent work, or apologise unnecessarily. Then connect it to the skills I bring now.
Example input
An applicant took time away and wants to mention a completed course without explaining private circumstances.
Illustrative scenario, not a generated or verified AI result.
Then ask
Make the explanation two sentences and remove personal details that are not necessary.
Before using the answer
Check that you are comfortable sharing every detail and can support any learning claim.
Build a small portfolio project
Show a skill with something you can explain.You get: Small portfolio project plan+
COPY. PERSONALISE. CHECK.
Suggest three small portfolio projects for [role] using my current skills [skills] and available time [time]. Each should demonstrate one relevant ability using public or synthetic data. Give a deliverable, a success check and a short explanation of my decisions. Avoid confidential employer material and fake client claims. Help me choose the smallest project I can complete and explain honestly.
Example input
An aspiring analyst can spend one weekend analysing a public transport dataset.
Illustrative scenario, not a generated or verified AI result.
Then ask
Break the chosen project into four tasks and identify the simplest useful deliverable.
Before using the answer
Check data permissions and clearly label practice work and your own contribution.
Explain transferable experience
Connect a previous role to a new field accurately.You get: Transferable-skill map and introduction+
COPY. PERSONALISE. CHECK.
I am moving from [previous field] toward [target role]. Here are the actual tasks I have done: [tasks]. Target requirements: [requirements]. Map relevant tasks to transferable skills, explain where the comparison is limited and list gaps I need to address. Then write a short introduction using only supported connections. Preserve the distinction between related experience and direct experience.
Example input
Retail shift coordination may support scheduling skills for an operations assistant role, but I have not used its inventory software.
Illustrative scenario, not a generated or verified AI result.
Then ask
Rewrite the introduction so it sounds natural when spoken in 30 seconds.
Before using the answer
Remove any wording that implies qualifications or direct experience you do not have.
Compare two role descriptions
Spot meaningful differences beyond the job title.You get: Role comparison and questions to resolve+
COPY. PERSONALISE. CHECK.
Compare these two role descriptions [A and B] using my priorities [priorities]. Separate stated facts from missing information. Show differences in responsibilities, reporting, hours, location and required experience only where supplied. List questions that would resolve the biggest uncertainties. Do not infer company culture, salary or promotion prospects from enthusiastic wording.
Example input
Two coordinator roles have similar titles; one explicitly includes weekend events and the other does not state working hours.
Illustrative scenario, not a generated or verified AI result.
Then ask
Turn the three most important uncertainties into a polite message to the recruiter.
Before using the answer
Confirm details with the employer; silence in a listing does not mean a requirement is absent.
Keep learning from original sources.
These sources inform the workflow and checks; the templates above are original LifestyleGlide prompts.
