Writing prompts that produce high-quality HR outputs
A prompt is a brief. Imagine handing a task to a capable temporary colleague who knows nothing about your company: the quality of what comes back depends on the quality of the brief. There are no magic words. What works is being clear, specific and complete.
The CRAFT structure Many mnemonics exist for prompt structure and none is official. This course uses CRAFT because it covers what matters:
| Element | What to include | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Context | Background the model cannot know: the company, the audience, the situation, source material. | “Brightwater is a 400-person logistics company. The reader is a new warehouse associate with no prior logistics experience.” |
| Role | The perspective to write from. | “Act as an experienced HR generalist who writes in plain language.” |
| Action | The specific task, stated with a verb. | “Draft a first-day welcome email.” |
| Format | Length, structure, headings, table or prose. | “Under 200 words. Subject line, three short paragraphs, then a bulleted list of what to bring.” |
| Element | What to include | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Tone and constraints | Voice, reading level, things to avoid, rules to follow. | “Warm and direct. No jargon. Do not mention pay. Use only the facts I provide; if something is missing, put [CONFIRM] instead of guessing.” |
A sixth element, examples, is optional but powerful: paste one or two samples of what good looks like and ask the model to match them.
Weak and strong, side by side
Write interview questions for a customer support job.
Context: Brightwater Logistics is hiring a Customer Support Specialist. The role handles 40-60 phone and chat contacts a day from business customers tracking shipments. The three competencies we assess are: problem solving, clear communication, and staying calm under pressure.
Role: Act as an HR business partner experienced in structured interviewing.
Action: Write 6 behavioural interview questions, two per competency. For each question, add what a strong answer would include and what a weak answer would look like.
Format: A table with columns: Competency | Question | Strong answer signs | Weak answer signs.
Tone and constraints: Questions must be job-related and the same for every candidate. Do not ask about age, family, health, nationality or anything not related to doing the job. Use plain language.
The strong version takes two minutes longer to write and saves several rounds of correction. It also builds a fairness safeguard into the request.
Techniques that improve results
| Technique | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Supply the source | Paste or attach the policy, job description or data, and say “use only this material”. This is called grounding and is the strongest defence against invented facts. |
| Ask it to interview you first | “Before you draft, ask me up to five questions about anything you need to know.” |
| Give examples | Paste one or two approved samples and say “match this style and structure”. |
| Technique | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Break the task into steps | Outline first, then draft, then refine. Each step is easier to check than one long output. |
| Ask for options | “Give me three versions: formal, friendly, and very brief.” |
| Ask for a self-check | “Review your draft against this checklist and list anything that fails.” Useful, though it does not replace your own review. |
| Name the audience and reading level | “Write for a new hire whose first language may not be English, at about a grade 8 reading level.” |
| Ask it to flag uncertainty | “List any assumptions you made and anything I should verify.” |
| Iterate | Treat the first output as a draft. Say what to change and why. |
Common problems and fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Generic, bland output | Not enough context. | Add audience, situation, examples. |
| Invented details | No source provided. | Ground it; tell it to mark gaps with [CONFIRM]. |
| Too long | No length given. | State a word limit and structure. |
| Wrong tone | Tone not specified. | Describe the voice or supply a sample. |
| Ignores an instruction | Prompt is long or contradictory. | Shorten; put the key rule near the end and repeat it. |
| Inconsistent between runs | Normal variation. | Use a saved template and fixed instructions (Module 2). |
Vendor guides are worth reading once you have the basics: OpenAI’s prompt engineering guide, Anthropic’s prompt engineering overview, and the independent Prompt Engineering Guide.
Jot down key ideas in your own words. Saves automatically.