Why generic AI applications get caught
Real talk first: recruiters can spot a ChatGPT'd cover letter from a mile away. The clichés ("dynamic team player"), the puffed-up generic skills, the "I'm passionate about [industry]" energy. They've seen 400 of them this week. Yours blends in.
Worse — even if it gets through the screening, the interview catches it. The recruiter asks you about something on your CV that actually wasn't yours. You stumble. You're out.
The fix isn't more AI — it's better AI
The Claude project below doesn't write your application from thin air. It interviews YOU. It takes your real CV. It reads the job description. Then it asks you 8-12 specific questions about your actual experience — the bits that match what they're hiring for. Your answers become the application. Nothing's invented.
Result: a CV and cover letter that are 100% true to you, just framed for this job. And a list of interview questions you'll actually be asked, with prep notes for each.
The 3 inputs you give Claude
This isn't "drop the JD in and watch the magic". It's a three-piece setup. Each piece matters.
Your real CV
Whatever you have. Up to date or not. PDF, doc, plain text — Claude reads all of them. Don't dress it up first. Claude needs the truth.
The job description
Paste the full thing. Including the bits about the company. Especially the bits about the company — it tells Claude what tone to write in.
Your honest answers
Claude will ask you 8-12 questions about your actual experience. Answer them honestly. Even rough notes work. The richer your answers, the better the output.
3 deliverables
Tailored CV (your real experience, reframed for THIS role). Cover letter that sounds like you. The 8-12 interview questions you'll actually be asked + how to think about each.
The system prompt — copy this
Make a Claude project called "Job Application Coach". Paste this in. Drop your CV in the project's knowledge base. From now on, every job you apply to is one new chat in this project.
You are my job application coach. Your job is to help me apply for roles in a way that's 100% true to my actual experience — never invented, never inflated, always specific. YOU OPERATE IN 4 STAGES. STAGE 1 — INTAKE When I start a new chat, I'll either drop a job description in or paste a link. Read it carefully. Note: - The actual must-have requirements vs the nice-to-haves - The company's tone of voice (formal, casual, mission-driven, scrappy) - The 3-5 things they care about most (often hidden in the company-blurb section, not the requirements list) - Any red flags or weird signals (vague responsibilities, salary not listed, "rockstar" language, etc.) Then read my CV (already in this project's knowledge base). Output a short summary: - "Here's what I think they really want" - "Here are the 5 strongest matches between you and this role" - "Here are the 2-3 weak spots — bits we'll need to address" STAGE 2 — INTERVIEW ME Now you ask me 8-12 questions to fill in the gaps your read of my CV missed. The questions should: - Probe for specific examples I haven't put on my CV (most people undersell themselves on paper) - Surface evidence of the 3-5 things the role cares about most - Address the weak spots you flagged in stage 1 - Be open-ended — "tell me about a time when..." not "do you have experience with X" Wait for my answers. Don't write anything yet. If my answers are vague, ask follow-ups. "Can you give me a specific example?" "What was the result?" "What did you actually do vs what the team did?" STAGE 3 — DELIVERABLES Once you have enough material, write three things: 1. TAILORED CV — same facts as my real CV, but reordered, reworded, and reweighted for THIS role. Lead with the strongest matches. Use the company's tone. Drop bullets that aren't relevant. Never invent. 2. COVER LETTER — sounds like ME, not LinkedIn. Specific examples from my answers in stage 2. Maximum 250 words. No "I am writing to express my interest". Lead with a hook. 3. INTERVIEW PREP — 8-12 questions they'll most likely ask based on the JD + my CV gaps. For each: a one-sentence "why they're asking this" + a 3-bullet outline of how I should answer (using my real examples). STAGE 4 — REFINE After you give me the deliverables, I'll come back with edits. Apply them. Don't argue. If I say "this paragraph isn't me", believe me. GROUND RULES: - Australian English by default. UK/US if the role is in those markets. - Direct, specific, evidence-based. No fluff. - NEVER invent. If I haven't told you about something, you can't say it. - If a JD asks for something I don't have, don't fake it. Address it honestly in the cover letter — sometimes the honest version wins. - Match the tone of the company. A government role and a tech startup don't read the same. START STAGE 1 WHEN I PASTE A JOB DESCRIPTION.
The honesty bit
This prompt is built around "never invent". That's the whole point. You can't fake your way through an interview if the AI faked your CV. The output is only as good as your stage-2 answers — which is exactly how it should be. You're using AI to communicate your real experience better, not to invent a version of you that doesn't exist.
The 4-step workflow
- One-time setup (5 mins): Make a Claude project called "Job Application Coach". Paste the prompt above into the project's custom instructions. Upload your real CV into the project's knowledge base. Done — this is your forever-setup.
- For each role (5 mins): Start a new chat inside the project. Paste the job description. Claude does its stage 1 read.
- Answer the questions (10-15 mins): Claude asks 8-12 specific questions. Answer them. Be specific. Even rough bullets are fine — Claude will polish.
- Get your three deliverables: Tailored CV, cover letter, interview prep questions. Read them. Edit them. Send the application. Save the chat for the interview later.
The interview-day move
Day before the interview: open the chat for that role. Skim the interview-prep questions. Read your stage-2 answers — those are the receipts you'll lean on in the room. You'll walk in knowing the exact stories that match the questions they're going to ask.
Use it for
This isn't just for the "I need a new job" moment. It works for every flavour of "I need to make a case for myself":
- First proper job hunt. Most career advice was written for a market that doesn't exist anymore. The interview-me approach gets you specific, lived examples instead of generic resume-speak.
- Career pivot. The "I'm switching industries" panic. Claude finds the transferable skills you didn't realise you had — by asking the right questions.
- Internal promotion. Same workflow, JD = the job description for the new internal role, CV = your current achievements at the company. The cover letter becomes your case for the manager.
- Freelance pitch. Treat the client brief as the JD. Claude finds the bits of your portfolio that match. Cover letter = your pitch email.
- Funding application / grant. Treat the grant brief as the JD. Claude interviews you about your work. Cover letter = your case for funding.
The whole approach in one line
Use AI to communicate your real experience better — not to invent a version of you that doesn't exist. That's the only thing that survives the interview.
Want me to teach you to build Claude projects like this?
A job-application coach is just one example. Inside the Wright Mode Membership I show you how to build Claude projects for any kind of work — your business, your client work, your finances, your kids' homework. Same idea, infinite uses.
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