Study Guide: Alex for Job Seekers

Your personal reference for using Alex to land your next role. Ready-to-run prompts for resumes, cover letters, portfolios, and interview prep.

What This Guide Is Not

This is not a habit formation guide (see Self-Study Guide for that). This is a job search toolkit — the specific ways Alex can accelerate your search, and the prompts that get results.

Core Principle for Job Seekers

Job searching is a matching problem. The best candidates don’t just have the right skills — they communicate them in ways that match what employers are looking for. Alex’s highest value is helping you translate your experience into language that resonates with specific opportunities.

The key pattern to master: be specific about the target role. Paste the job description. Name the company. The more context you give Alex, the more tailored and compelling the output.

Sharpen Your AI Edge

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The Seven Use Cases

1. Resume Tailoring

When to use: You have a base resume and want to tailor it for a specific job posting.

Prompt pattern:

I'm applying for [job title] at [company].
Here's the job description:
[paste full job description]

Here's my current resume:
[paste resume text]

Help me:
1. Identify which of my experiences best match their requirements
2. Suggest bullet point rewrites that use their language
3. Flag any gaps I should address in my cover letter

Follow-up prompts:

Rewrite my top 3 bullet points to emphasize [specific skill from the JD].

What keywords from this job description are missing from my resume?

Make my accomplishments more quantifiable. Where can I add metrics?

2. Resume Writing from Scratch

When to use: Starting fresh, changing careers, or haven’t updated your resume in years.

Prompt pattern:

Help me build a resume. Here's my background:

Current/most recent role: [title, company, dates]
What I did: [describe responsibilities and accomplishments]

Previous role: [repeat for 2-3 roles]

Education: [degrees, certifications]
Skills: [list technical and soft skills]

Target roles: [what you're looking for]

Create a professional resume with:
- Strong action verbs
- Quantified accomplishments where possible
- Clear section headers
- ATS-friendly formatting suggestions

Follow-up prompts:

I don't have metrics for my accomplishments. Help me estimate impact or reframe without numbers.

Write a professional summary that positions me for [target role].

Which experiences should I emphasize vs. minimize for [industry/role]?

3. Cover Letter Writing

When to use: Crafting a compelling cover letter for a specific application.

Prompt pattern:

Write a cover letter for [job title] at [company].

Job description:
[paste key requirements]

Why I want this role:
[your genuine motivation — be specific about the company]

My relevant experience:
[2-3 key accomplishments that match their needs]

Tone: [professional / conversational / enthusiastic]

Keep it under 300 words. Make the opening memorable.

Follow-up prompts:

The opening is generic. Make it specific to [company's product/mission/news].

I'm overqualified for this role. Reframe my experience to show enthusiasm without intimidation.

I'm underqualified. Emphasize transferable skills and learning ability.

I have an employment gap. Help me address it briefly and confidently.

4. LinkedIn Profile Optimization

When to use: Making your profile work harder — for recruiters, networking, and job applications.

Prompt pattern:

Help me optimize my LinkedIn profile for [target role/industry].

Current headline: [your current headline]
Current about section: [paste it or "none"]
Current experience: [paste top 2-3 roles]

Create:
1. A headline that's searchable AND compelling (not just my job title)
2. An "About" section that tells my professional story in 3 paragraphs
3. Suggestions for my experience bullets that differ from my resume

Follow-up prompts:

What keywords should I add so recruiters searching for [role] find me?

Write 3 headline variations — one focused on skills, one on outcomes, one on industry.

My About section is too formal. Make it more personable while staying professional.

What should my Featured section showcase for [target role]?

5. Portfolio and Personal Website

When to use: Planning or building an online presence to showcase your work.

Prompt pattern:

I'm building a portfolio website for [your field: design / development / writing / marketing / etc.].

My best work includes:
[list 3-5 projects with brief descriptions]

Target audience: [recruiters / clients / hiring managers at X type of company]

Help me:
1. Decide which projects to feature and in what order
2. Write compelling project descriptions (problem → approach → result)
3. Suggest a simple site structure
4. Write an "About Me" page that's professional but has personality

Follow-up prompts:

Write a case study structure for [specific project] — what sections, what to emphasize.

How do I present work I did on a team? What credit language should I use?

I don't have "impressive" projects. Help me frame learning projects or side work compellingly.

What should my homepage headline and subhead say?

6. Interview Preparation

When to use: Preparing for upcoming interviews — phone screens, behavioral rounds, or final interviews.

Prompt pattern:

I have an interview for [job title] at [company] on [date].
Interview type: [phone screen / behavioral / technical / panel / final round]

Job description highlights:
[paste key requirements]

Help me prepare:
1. Likely questions they'll ask based on this JD
2. My STAR stories for common behavioral questions
3. Questions I should ask them
4. A 2-minute "tell me about yourself" that's tailored to this role

Follow-up prompts:

Help me structure a STAR answer for: "Tell me about a time you [specific scenario]."
My situation was: [describe what happened]

What's the most common reason candidates fail at [company/role type]? How do I avoid it?

I'm nervous about [specific topic]. Help me prepare a confident answer.

Research [company] and give me 3 thoughtful questions that show I've done my homework.

7. Networking and Cold Outreach

When to use: Reaching out to people at target companies, reconnecting with contacts, or building your network.

Prompt pattern:

I want to reach out to [person's name], who is [their role] at [company].
I found them via [LinkedIn / mutual connection / company website].

My goal: [informational interview / referral / advice / connection]

What I have in common or can offer:
[anything genuine — same school, shared interest, their content you liked]

Write a brief, non-generic outreach message that:
- Has a specific subject line
- States why I'm reaching out
- Makes a small, easy ask
- Is under 100 words

Follow-up prompts:

This sounds too transactional. Make it more genuine.

They haven't responded in a week. Write a polite follow-up.

Write a thank-you message after an informational interview that keeps the door open.

I have a mutual connection. How do I get an introduction without being awkward?

Your First Week: Practice Plan

Day	Task	Time
Day 1	Tailor your resume for one target job posting	30 min
Day 2	Optimize your LinkedIn headline and About section	25 min
Day 3	Write a cover letter for your top-choice role	20 min
Day 4	Prepare STAR stories for 3 common behavioral questions	30 min
Day 5	Draft 2 networking outreach messages	15 min

Month 2–3: Advanced Job Search

Application Tracking Keep Alex informed of your applications and outcomes:

I applied to [company] for [role] on [date].
Status: [applied / phone screen scheduled / interviewing / rejected]
Notes: [any feedback received]

Track this and remind me to follow up if I haven't heard back in [X] days.

Rejection Analysis When you don’t get the role, learn from it:

I was rejected from [role] at [company] after [stage: application / phone screen / final round].
Feedback (if any): [what they said]
My guess at why: [your hypothesis]

Help me:
1. Identify what I can learn from this
2. Decide if I should reapply in the future
3. Find similar roles that might be a better fit

Salary Negotiation Prep

I received an offer from [company] for [role].
Offer: [base salary, bonus, equity, benefits]
Market rate for this role: [your research or "help me find this"]
My leverage: [competing offers, unique skills, their urgency]

Help me:
1. Evaluate if this offer is competitive
2. Script a negotiation conversation
3. Decide what to prioritize (base vs. equity vs. flexibility)

Building Your Narrative For career changers or those with non-linear paths:

My career path: [describe your journey, including pivots]
What I'm targeting now: [desired role]
The story I want to tell: [what connects your experiences]

Help me craft a 2-minute narrative that makes my path look intentional and valuable.

Quick Reference: Prompt Starters

Situation	Prompt Start
Resume feels weak	”How can I make these accomplishments sound more impactful?”
Cover letter blocked	”What’s a memorable opening for a cover letter to [company] that isn’t ‘I’m excited to apply’?”
LinkedIn dead	”What changes would make my profile rank higher for [target job] searches?”
Interview nerves	”What’s the toughest question they might ask, and how should I answer it?”
No responses	”Review my application materials for [role]. What’s turning employers off?”
Career gap	”Help me explain my [X]-month gap in a way that’s honest but positive.”
Overqualified	”How do I show enthusiasm for this role without seeming like I’ll leave quickly?”

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Generic everything — Never send the same resume/cover letter twice. Always tailor.
Underselling — Job seekers often minimize accomplishments. Let Alex help you claim credit.
Keyword stuffing — ATS optimization matters, but humans read too. Balance both.
Passive job searching — Use Alex for outreach, not just applications. Networking > job boards.
Perfectionism paralysis — Done is better than perfect. Ship applications, then iterate.

Saving Your Best Work

When you create prompts or outputs that work well:

/saveinsight title="Cover letter opener for tech startups" insight="[paste the line or pattern that worked]" tags="job-search,cover-letter"

Build your personal library of winning language.

Continue your practice: Self-Study Guide — the 30/60/90-day habit guide.