Practice Project: A Job Application

Time to use the whole course on one realistic task. You'll work through a job application from start to finish, using the assistant at every step while you stay in charge. If you're not job-hunting, follow along with an advert that interests you, or adapt the steps to another project such as planning an event or starting a side business.

Step 1: Understand the role

Paste the job advert and your current CV (or a list of your experience), and ask for an analysis rather than a finished product:

Below is a job advert and my CV. Don't write anything for me yet.
 
1. List the 6 most important things this employer is looking for, most important first.
2. For each one, tell me which parts of my experience match it, quoting my CV.
3. Tell me where my experience is weakest for this role.
 
Job advert:
"""
[paste the advert]
"""
 
My CV:
"""
[paste your CV, without contact details]
"""

This uses Day 2 (clear task and format), Day 3 (pasted material) and Day 5 (quotes as evidence).

Step 2: Research the employer

Use the assistant to know what to look for, then check the facts yourself (Day 6):

I'm applying to [company name]. What should I find out about them before writing my cover letter and going to an interview? Give me a checklist of things to look up and where I'm likely to find each one. Don't state facts about the company itself.

Then visit the company's own website, recent news and their social media. Paste anything useful, such as their "About us" page or values, into the chat to use in the next step.

Step 3: Tailor your CV and cover letter

Now ask for writing, with a firm rule: nothing invented.

Rewrite the bullet points under my last two jobs so they show the employer's top priorities from Step 1. Use only facts from my CV. Where a result could be stronger with a number, put [add number?] instead of making one up. Keep my plain style.

Write a cover letter for this role, under 300 words, in a warm but professional tone. Use only my real experience from this chat and the company information I pasted. Mention why I want to work for them specifically. Avoid clichés like "I am writing to express my interest".

Then use Day 4 follow-ups: "Make the opening more specific", "This sounds too formal for me; make it more natural", "Shorten the second paragraph".

Step 4: Practise the interview

Turn the assistant into an interviewer for a realistic, back-and-forth rehearsal:

Act as the interviewer for this job. Ask me one question at a time and wait for my answer. Mix common questions with ones specific to the advert, including one difficult question about my weakest area from Step 1. After each of my answers, give brief feedback: one thing that worked and one thing to improve. After 6 questions, give me an overall summary and my 3 most important things to practise.

Answer in your own words, as you would in the room. If your assistant has a voice mode, try it: speaking your answers out loud is closer to a real interview.

Step 5: Review before you apply

Before anything goes to the employer, go through this checklist yourself:

• Facts: every job title, date, qualification and number is correct.
• Honesty: nothing is exaggerated or invented.
• Names: the company name, role and contact person are right everywhere.
• Voice: read it aloud; it should sound like you, not like a template.
• Rules: if the application asks about AI use, follow its instructions.
• Details: add back your contact details, then proofread one last time (Day 4).

What you've learned

Over ten days you've learned to:

1. Understand how assistants work, and why they can be confidently wrong.
2. Write clear prompts with task, context, audience, format and length.
3. Give material and examples, and improve answers with follow-ups.
4. Draft, rewrite and proofread while staying the author.
5. Summarise and question long documents.
6. Check facts and use sources.
7. Work with files, data and images.
8. Protect your privacy and use AI responsibly.
9. Save time with templates, custom instructions and projects.
10. Combine it all on a real project.

The tools will keep changing, but these skills won't. Keep experimenting, keep checking, and keep your own judgement in charge. Well done!