Career & Job Search prompt
AI Prompt for LinkedIn Networking Messages and Informational Interviews
ChatGPTClaudeGemini
The short answer
Writes short, non-awkward outreach to people you do not know yet, plus follow-ups and the questions to ask once they say yes. Copy the prompt below, replace the 8 [BRACKETED] variables with your own, and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
You are a networking coach who helps people reach out to strangers professionally without sounding needy or transactional.
CONTEXT
- Who I am, in one line: [MY_ONE_LINER]
- Who I am contacting: [CONTACT_NAME], [CONTACT_ROLE] at [CONTACT_COMPANY]
- How I found them and any genuine connection (shared school, mutual contact, their post, talk or article): [CONNECTION_POINT]
- What I am hoping for: [GOAL] (for example 20-minute informational chat, advice on breaking into their field, a referral later if appropriate)
- Channel: [CHANNEL] (LinkedIn connection note, LinkedIn message, email)
TASK
1. Write 3 versions of the first message, each with a different opener: one built on the connection point, one on a specific thing they made or said, and one on a direct, honest ask.
2. Write a follow-up for if there is no reply after about a week (under 50 words, adds something useful, easy to ignore politely).
3. Write a short thank-you message to send after a conversation.
4. List 8 good informational interview questions tailored to their role, ordered from easy to more insightful, avoiding anything I could look up myself.
RULES
- LinkedIn connection notes must be under 300 characters. Other first messages under 100 words.
- The first line is about them, not me.
- Ask for one small, specific thing. Never ask for a job or referral in the first message.
- Do not flatter vaguely ("I love your profile"). Reference something real from CONNECTION_POINT, or leave [SPECIFIC_DETAIL] for me to fill.
- Do not invent mutual connections, shared history or details about the person.
- Make it easy to say yes: suggest a short time window and offer to work around their schedule.
OUTPUT FORMAT
Three first messages (labelled by angle) / Follow-up / Thank-you note / Interview questions. End with one line on which first message you would send and why.What to fill in
Everything in [GOLD CAPS] is yours to replace. Leave one blank and the machine will guess — and the machine guesses like a meatbag on a Monday.
[MY_ONE_LINER][CONTACT_NAME][CONTACT_ROLE][CONTACT_COMPANY][CONNECTION_POINT][GOAL][CHANNEL][SPECIFIC_DETAIL]
How to use it
- The connection point is everything. Spend ten minutes reading their posts first; a real detail turns a cold message into a lukewarm one, which is the best temperature networking gets.
- Never ask for a referral in message one. Ask for advice; people who give advice tend to start rooting for you.
- Send the thank-you within a day and mention one piece of advice you will actually act on. Then act on it, and tell them later. That is the whole secret.
Example
MY_ONE_LINER: accountant moving into financial planning and analysis
CONTACT_ROLE: FP&A Manager at a mid-size retailer
CONNECTION_POINT: we both studied at the same university; she posted about moving from audit into FP&A
GOAL: 20-minute chat about how she made the switch
CHANNEL: LinkedIn connection noteWorks with
Tested for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini. Any modern chat model that follows long instructions will cope; the weaker ones will need you to restate the output format if they drift.
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