Source: https://wiity.ai/resources/feeling-lost-in-the-ai-recruitment-maze Reading version: https://wiity.ai/resources/feeling-lost-in-the-ai-recruitment-maze.md [← All resources](https://wiity.ai/resources) Prompting & skills / PRACTICAL GUIDE # How to get useful AI outputs without guessing the right prompt ‘Write me a candidate summary’ sounds like a straightforward request. It leaves the tool to guess the audience, the role, the format and what it is allowed to infer. A longer response is not necessarily a better one. [Jordan Betteridge](https://wiity.ai/about#jordan-betteridge) AI Experience & Change · 15 years in recruitment technology Updated 20 October 2026 · 3 min read ![BRIEF → CONTEXT → USEFUL OUTPUT](https://wiity.ai/assets/resources/feeling-lost-in-the-ai-recruitment-maze.svg) IN THIS GUIDE [Give the task a purpose](https://wiity.ai/resources/feeling-lost-in-the-ai-recruitment-maze#part-1) [Supply relevant context](https://wiity.ai/resources/feeling-lost-in-the-ai-recruitment-maze#part-2) [A candidate-summary brief you can adapt](https://wiity.ai/resources/feeling-lost-in-the-ai-recruitment-maze#worked-example) [Specify evidence and uncertainty](https://wiity.ai/resources/feeling-lost-in-the-ai-recruitment-maze#part-3) [Use a reusable brief](https://wiity.ai/resources/feeling-lost-in-the-ai-recruitment-maze#part-4) [Improve the process, not just the wording](https://wiity.ai/resources/feeling-lost-in-the-ai-recruitment-maze#part-5) [Keep people responsible for the final use](https://wiity.ai/resources/feeling-lost-in-the-ai-recruitment-maze#part-6) [Take this into your next team conversation](https://wiity.ai/resources/feeling-lost-in-the-ai-recruitment-maze#put-it-to-work) [Questions worth asking](https://wiity.ai/resources/feeling-lost-in-the-ai-recruitment-maze#reader-questions) THE PRACTICAL VIEW Treat a prompt as a brief someone else must be able to follow and a reviewer must be able to check. The evidence matters more than the cleverness of the wording. ## Give the task a purpose Replace ‘write a candidate summary’ with a clear request: prepare a client-facing summary for a specified role, using only the supplied CV and interview notes. State the intended audience, the required length and the decision the document will support. ## Supply relevant context Provide the role requirements, approved template and terminology. Use authorised information and remove personal details that are unnecessary for the task. Examples can demonstrate structure and tone, but avoid using a previously hired candidate as a proxy for who should succeed next. WORKED EXAMPLE · ILLUSTRATIVE ## A candidate-summary brief you can adapt Prepare a draft summary for the hiring manager using only the supplied, authorised CV and interview notes. Organise it under relevant experience, evidence against the role requirements, and information still to confirm. Do not infer qualifications, availability or salary expectations. Identify the supporting source for each factual claim. Keep the draft under 250 words. Flag contradictions for the recruiter before producing a final version. ### Where it can go wrong The review is part of the task. Check that every claim appears in the source, that an unanswered question has not become a negative judgement and that the draft does not include irrelevant personal information. Strong wording cannot rescue weak source material. ## Specify evidence and uncertainty Ask the tool to distinguish documented experience from missing information. For example: ‘Do not infer qualifications. Flag any requirement not evidenced in the supplied material. Include the source for each factual claim.’ A recruiter must still check that the references and conclusions are accurate. ## Use a reusable brief Try this structure: ‘Task: [outcome]. Audience: [reader]. Sources: [approved material]. Format: [sections and length]. Boundaries: [what not to infer or do]. Review: [checks before use].’ Save versions that work, together with examples and known limitations. ## Improve the process, not just the wording When an output disappoints, check whether the information was adequate and the task was suitable for the tool. Compare revisions on the same examples. Do not assume the model will remember corrections or learn across sessions unless that behaviour is explicitly configured and understood. ## Keep people responsible for the final use AI can prepare a draft, but a recruiter needs to validate its facts, relevance and tone before sending it. Training should include situations where the right response is to stop, ask for missing information or complete the task manually. PUT IT TO WORK ## Take this into your next team conversation Tick off the points you have covered. This is a working checklist, not a compliance score. Selections reset when you leave the page. Practical review checklist State the audience and intended use. Name the authorised sources and required format. Say what must not be inferred. Check every factual claim before sending. 0 of 4 points covered Reset checklist ## Questions worth asking Will a longer prompt always perform better? No. Extra instructions can introduce contradictions or distract from the task. Include the context necessary to do the work, then test the brief against representative examples. Can we reuse a successful prompt across the team? Yes, as a controlled template. Record its intended use, source requirements and review steps. Retest it when the tool, data or workflow changes. Continue with [LLMs in Recruitment: Connect Data Safely](https://wiity.ai/resources/how-recruitment-agencies-can-use-llms-beyond-simple-prompts) . **About this guide** This guide builds on Jordan’s Hyper Automate resource library, updated for Wiity. Worked examples illustrate the approach; they are not customer case studies. ![Jordan Betteridge](https://wiity.ai/assets/team/jordan-betteridge.webp) YOUR AUTHOR ## Jordan Betteridge **AI Experience & Change** 15 years of recruitment technology experience. Jordan leads Wiity’s brand, experience and hands-on solution design. He shapes how people discover, experience and use what we build, from websites to bespoke applications. He brings recruitment technology experience to making complex ideas clear and creating practical tools that fit the way people work. KEEP EXPLORING ## More useful next steps. [How to attract recruitment leads without chasing rankings alone ↗](https://wiity.ai/resources/seo-that-actually-makes-sense-for-recruiters) [How to connect LLMs to recruitment workflows without losing control of your data ↗](https://wiity.ai/resources/how-recruitment-agencies-can-use-llms-beyond-simple-prompts) FROM IDEAS TO EVERYDAY WORK ## Make the next step work for your people. Explore a focused AI project, a transformation roadmap or connected recruitment data with Ella. [Let’s talk about your business ↗](https://wiity.ai/contact)