How to use ChatGPT to prepare for a technical interview (with prompts)
ChatGPT has thousands of use cases. It can answer questions, help in research, and even make you ready for a job interview. If you’re looking for a job in the IT world, you know how important it is to be prepared before meeting your future employer. Consider using ChatGPT to act as a friendly recruiter who can walk you through the whole interview process and ask questions that might pop up.
Read further to learn how to lead a conversation with ChatGPT that will set you up for success. Find out what prompts to use, what to focus on during the “conversation,” and what to do with all the answers.
How to use ChatGPT to update a resume?
To show you how to use ChatGPT to polish up your resume, I will go through the whole process using a job description from Maxima Careers Portal. I will also show you the prompts I used and what results I got.
Before using ChatGPT, ensure your CV has all relevant information: the latest experience, skills you’ve learned, education, etc. Once that is done, you can copy from it and paste the contents into ChatGPT.
Done? Now it’s finally time to start using the power of AI.
Summarizing the job description
Sometimes a job description has too much information in it. In such a case, ask ChatGPT for a summary and quickly learn who would be the best candidate for a given role.
“I want to apply for a position at Maxima Consulting. What candidates are they exactly looking for? Who would be the best fit for this role?
Here is the job description: [job description].”
From now on, the tool can answer your questions based on the information you provided.
Updating the resume
Paste in the contents of your resume and use the prompts below to update it with ChatGPT.
- Let’s start with listing your achievements. Use this prompt to create bullet points for each role you’ve been in before:
“Turn this information [paste role description and achievements here] into bullet points I can use in my resume.”
- If you’ve been at a company for a long time and have over 10 bullet points, you should also create a short summary. Do it by using this prompt:
“Please create a summary based on this information [information].”
- Most recruiters use ATS software, which uses keywords to sort profiles. You can leverage it by adding keywords relevant to your target industry to your resume. Use this prompt to do it:
I’m applying for a job as a [role] in [industry]. What keywords and industry terms should I include in my resume?
- The “About me section is the first thing recruiters see, and it might say a lot about your personality. Use this section to show why you are the best candidate. ChatGPT is here to help:
“Based on my resume, please create a short summary of my career. Mention that I’m a [character trait] and want to become a [future role] to show the path I want to take.”
- Usually, when applying for a job, you can attach a message to your resume. Use this opportunity to tell the recruiter a bit about yourself and why you’d be the best candidate. Use this prompt:
“Create a summary of my work experience so it suits the job opening. Use my resume and the job description for reference.”
- Once you’ve got your resume updated, you’re almost good to go. To get feedback on the changes you made, copy the new resume and paste it into ChatGPT, and ask:
“Is my new resume a good fit for the job description I provided before?”
Remember that adding one more page to your resume is always better than skipping important information! We have a complete guide on crafting the perfect IT Resume, with tips on all things IT recruiters pay attention to. You can read it here: How to Create a Successful IT Resume in 2022? (with template).
How to practice a job interview with ChatGPT
Practice makes perfect, but stress levels are always increased during important moments. Since your future career depends on how you perform during an interview, and the results will significantly impact your life, it’s natural to feel stressed before. You can combat this feeling by practicing. Consider using ChatGPT to perform a mock interview. Follow the steps below, and the tool will ask questions you can expect (and give feedback on your responses).
Remember that soft skills are just as necessary as technical skills today, and employers prefer candidates who match their company culture and values.
1. Starting the interview
Start by telling ChatGPT what type of job interview you’re getting ready for. All interviews are different, do give as much context as possible. Name the company and the industry it’s in. Share the job description and your CV. After providing the information, ask:
“Based on the job description I sent to you, what prompts can I ask you to help me prepare for this interview?”
You can also ask ChatGPT to pretend it’s a recruiter and you are applying for a job. Use the prompt below and tell it to ask you questions based on the provided job description.
“I want to apply for this position. Please pretend that you are an IT Recruiter and do a mock interview with me.”
ChatGPT will start with typical questions asked during interviews, and you will have the chance to think about your past experiences, achievements, and goals. The more detailed your answers, the better ChatGPT responses become. Just like a real recruiter, it will try to learn about your professional experience.
2. Technical questions
During the actual job interview, the recruiter will ask technical questions. Use the prompt below to jump into the technical part of the interview.
“Start asking me coding interview questions I might be asked when I apply for this role. Ask me questions related to the following topics: [topic 1], [topic 2]. [topic 3]. Reply only as the interviewer and ask follow-up questions.”
3. Mock live coding
Depending on the position, there might be a need for a live coding interview. To get ready, you can go to LeetCode or Codewars to find relevant questions. Or you can use ChatGPT to come up with the task for you with this prompt:
“I’m applying for a [position] and will participate in a live coding interview. I’ve gone through the first stages of the process, and here is what I know about the project [industry, technologies, goals, etc.]. Ask me an { Easy / Medium / Hard } Leetcode/Codewars question based on the information I provided and evaluate my solution.”
4. Practicing responses
ChatGPT can help you in the technical interview, but it won’t always be completely honest with you. You have to take its answers with a grain of salt and evaluate if your answer is as good as possible. If you’re not fully satisfied, you can edit them and see if the response from your virtual recruiter will change. Do your best to make sure that your answers are concise and relevant.
5. Regenerating responses
If ChatGPT repeats itself while asking you questions, you can click the “Regenerate response” button. This will make ChatGPT ask you a new set of questions.
Tips & tricks for using ChatGPT to prepare for IT job interviews
There are no perfect tools out there. Even calendars have their flaws. It’s the same with ChatGPT. It’s awesome, but it often makes mistakes. Try following the bits of advice listed below to get the most out of it.
- Provide context. Without context, you will get very generic advice, similar to what you can find on Google Snippets. Add the job description, company information, and your resume, and state what you want to get out of the conversation. ChatGPT will give you more relevant answers if you provide better input.
- Be specific. Tell ChatGPT precisely what you’re looking for. Sometimes, you will have to repeat your goal a few times - otherwise, the tool’s answers will drift in a random direction. Write clear prompts and focus on one question at a time. ChatGPT gives the best answers if the questions are clearly defined and focused.
- Ask, “Do you understand?” ChatGPT is a language model which will always generate a response. It doesn’t mean that it will always generate a response to your question. While testing the tool, I saw how it started talking nonsense to give me just any answer. But by adding a short sentence like “Do you understand?” you’ll ensure that it will answer the question you asked.
- Use the prompt “Do not write explanations.” Sometimes the tool might misunderstand your prompt and start explaining the topics you want to discuss. By adding this sentence, you will avoid such situations.
- Regenerate responses often. The first answer can be good, but clicking “regenerate response” lets you see that the second answer can be even better. Just as people can communicate one idea in many different ways, ChatGPT also can. By regenerating responses, you’ll eventually find satisfying descriptions of your experience.
- Fact-check and make adjustments. Bots are cool, but they sometimes make up information. When crafting your resume with the help of ChatGPT, you always have to proofread the answer, as it might add skills you don’t have or skip a piece of crucial information. Also, the result doesn’t sound like you. Humans are unique, and you must tweak AI-generated text to properly show your personality in your resume.
ChatGPT is the best help before your next job interview
Job interviews are among the most stressful situations in our lives, but thanks to ChatGPT, we can be more confident when dealing with them. It’s a tool that can help you practice your answers to the most basic and difficult questions. Not only does it provide tips, but it can also do a mock interview with you and give feedback on how good your answers are. Moreover, it can help you polish your resume to ensure it stands out from other candidates.
I believe it’s worth using the tool and investing a bit of time to gain the confidence you need before an interview. Especially if you didn’t participate in an interview in the past months. But you should always be a bit skeptical about its answers. Not every response from ChatGPT will be accurate, and it can mislead you.
To learn more about how you can get ready for your next job interview, read our other articles with tips for candidates.
