If you are planning to incorporate networking as part of your job search, be sure to ask for help.
I am certainly here to be a resource. (Be sure to check out other articles posted here.) But also let technology do its part.
How ChatGPT can help with networking
Whether you’re reconnecting with past colleagues or reaching out to new unknown targeted contacts, ChatGPT can help guide you. For starters, it can offer you motivation for getting started. And sometimes that’s the hardest part.
But it can also add order, structure, and spark your creativity. Prompt it to help you find your preferred job criteria (roles, companies), draft an outreach plan, and remove the guesswork of crafting impactful email messaging.
The following 8 prompts for ChatGPT can give you networking ideas which will help you feel more confident and probably deliver better results.
8 ChatGPT prompts for easier networking
-
Tell ChatGPT why you are uneasy about networking and let it give you a pep talk.
“I am a senior level project manager and I am ready to begin job searching. I am a little nervous about starting to network. Can you give me a pep talk about it and tell me why it’s important in my job search?”
-
Share your goals with ChatGPT and have it help you narrow your focus.
“I’m currently searching for [Job Title] roles in [Industry]. I prefer companies with [these criteria]. Ask me a series of questions to determine which companies would be a good fit for me. Then use my answers to help me create a profile for the perfect company that matches my preferences.”
-
Have ChatGPT help you write an email to your existing contacts to re-engage them and share about your new job search.
“Draft a message I can send to my known contacts about my new job search. Make it casual and not too pushy. Include a suggestion to reconnect to catch up.”
-
Have ChatGPT help you find contacts to network with at targeted companies.
“I’m targeting a [Job Title] role at [list companies]. Which contacts should I try to network with? Share specific job titles and levels. Include organizational charts if possible. Include rationale on why I should focus on connecting with each one.”
-
Let ChatGPT help craft an outreach plan.
Screenshot your target’s LinkedIn profile and upload to ChatGPT. Include any other info you have about them (e.g. bio company pages). Then ask:
“Here’s information about a contact I want to network with. Help me brainstorm 10 different ways I could connect with them and capture their attention. Offer examples of how to be of service such as giving advice, information, and introductions.”
-
Ask ChatGPT to draft email scripts tied to your favorite suggestions from the previous prompt.
“For [insert suggestion], draft an email I could send to this contact. Keep the tone professional but conversational. Share five different versions with slight variations.”
Wordsmith the results and be sure to modify your final draft to make it sound like your voice. Eliminate signs of it being AI-generated.
-
Have ChatGPT develop a networking contact tracker for you.
“Create a networking contact tracker in spreadsheet format. Track the following: name, company, LinkedIn profile, message sent, response received, key follow-up dates, next steps, and notes. Include columns that help me prioritize high-value contacts and categorize the type of relationship (e.g. mentor, peer, potential referrer, recruiter, etc.). Keep it minimal but functional.”
-
Let ChatGPT create an outreach schedule with follow-up message ideas.
“Create a networking outreach plan for each contact. Including follow up timing in days for first, second, and final outreaches over a 3-week period. Then draft appropriate email messages for each one. Show me two variations for each.”
ChatGPT tips
Here are some tips that will help you get the most of ChatGPT and improve the results of your networking plan and outreach.
- Be as specific as you can in your ChatGPT prompts. The more tailored you make the prompts, the better the results will be.
- With any ChatGPT response, be sure to modify it to reflect your voice. Never just copy and paste. Edit anything that does not sound like you.
- Keep asking for further refinement of the results it gives back. Over time, ChatGPT can get to know your priorities and preferences.
Wrap-up
Networking doesn’t have to feel like guesswork or daunting when you can smartly leverage the power of tools like ChatGPT. It’s here to help you plan and organize your outreach so that you stay motivated and focused.
And it can be a reprieve from writer’s block when it produces casual, on-point messages that actually get responses. Leverage these powerful tools we’re lucky enough to have today. Take what you can to make your networking easier and more effective.