Write your AI prompt

Claude’s response — use this to build your Word document and spreadsheet

Write Your Personal Takeaway

Step 1 — Write what surprised you.

Pick one specific thing from your research that you did not expect — a salary number, a day-to-day task, something about how AI is changing the field, or something about the field itself.

Example: “I was surprised that entry-level Financial Analysts start around $60,000–$80,000 — I assumed it would be closer to $45,000 straight out of college.”

Step 2 — Explain why it surprised you.

Don’t just state the fact — say what you believed before and how this research changed that.

Example: “I think I underestimated how much technical, data-driven work is involved in finance roles — I pictured more client meetings than spreadsheet modeling.”

Step 3 — Write how this changes your plans, specifically.

Does this career still interest you? More or less than before? Reference something concrete from your own report, not a general feeling.

Example: “Knowing that AI is already automating a lot of the data-cleaning work in this field makes me want to focus more on the causal-reasoning and client-facing skills my report mentioned, since those are described as harder to automate.”

Step 4 — Say what you’d want to learn more about next.

One or two sentences on what this research made you curious about, or what you’d research next if you kept going.

Example: “I’d want to look into what the CFA certification actually requires, since a few of the job postings my report referenced mentioned it as a differentiator.”

Step 5 — Check that it’s actually yours.

Read back what you wrote. If it could apply to any student researching any career — swap in a different job title and it still makes sense — rewrite it. Your takeaway should reference something specific from your own report: a number, a task, a skill.

Build Your Word Doc & Spreadsheet

Step 1 — Copy the full response.

Once Claude’s response looks good, click the Copy button above it.

Step 2 — Paste into a new Word document.

Open Microsoft Word, create a new blank document, and paste (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V). This gives you all four sections plus both data tables in one document — this becomes your report.

Step 3 — Find the Salary Data table inside your Word doc.

Select just that table — the rows with Job Title, Entry Salary, Mid-Career Salary, Senior Salary.

Step 4 — Copy it into Excel.

Open Microsoft Excel, click cell A1 on Sheet 1, and paste. Because the data is tab-separated, Excel will automatically split it into columns — no retyping numbers.

Step 5 — Save both files.

Save your Word document as .docx and your Excel spreadsheet as .xlsx — not Google Docs or Google Sheets. You’ll upload both in the next step.

Step 6 — Upload both files.

Come back to FlashGrade and upload your .docx and .xlsx files in the upload zones below.

How to Write a Strong Prompt

Step 1 — Start your prompt by typing:

“I'm a [your year] at [your school] researching [career field] as a career I'm seriously considering.”

Example: “I'm a college freshman at Arizona State University researching Economics as a career I'm seriously considering.”

Step 2 — Now write the structure instruction.

“Please structure your response as a formal report with four clearly labeled sections, using plain section headers (no markdown symbols like asterisks or pound signs):”

Example: “Please structure your response as a formal report with four clearly labeled sections, using plain section headers (no markdown symbols like asterisks or pound signs):”

Step 3 — Write your first section label and what it should cover: CAREER OVERVIEW.

“what professionals in this field actually do day-to-day, the tools and skills involved, typical career progression, and what industries hire for this role.”

Example: “CAREER OVERVIEW — what professionals in this field actually do day-to-day, the tools and skills involved, typical career progression, and what industries hire for this role.”

Step 4 — Now write your second section label and its coverage: JOB MARKET CONDITIONS.

“is demand growing or shrinking, which regions or cities have the strongest job market, and how competitive it is to break into.”

Example: “JOB MARKET CONDITIONS — is demand growing or shrinking, which regions or cities have the strongest job market, and how competitive it is to break into.”

Step 5 — Write your third section label and its coverage: SALARY DATA.

“entry-level, mid-career, and senior-level salary ranges for at least 5 related job titles within this field.” Then write the format instruction: “Present this as a simple tab-separated table with columns: Job Title, Entry Salary, Mid-Career Salary, Senior Salary — formatted so I can copy and paste it directly into Excel.”

Example: “SALARY DATA — entry-level, mid-career, and senior-level salary ranges for at least 5 related job titles within this field. Present this as a simple tab-separated table with columns: Job Title, Entry Salary, Mid-Career Salary, Senior Salary — formatted so I can copy and paste it directly into Excel.”

Step 6 — Now write your fourth section label: CAREER COMPARISON.

“a second tab-separated table comparing 3 to 5 of those same job titles, with columns: Job Title, Top Skills Required, Average Salary, 5-Year Growth Outlook.”

Example: “CAREER COMPARISON — a second tab-separated table comparing 3 to 5 of those same job titles, with columns: Job Title, Top Skills Required, Average Salary, 5-Year Growth Outlook.”

Step 7 — Write your final section label and its coverage: AI'S IMPACT ON THIS FIELD.

“which tasks are being automated or AI-assisted right now, and which skills are becoming more valuable as a result.” Then write the anti-vagueness line: “Avoid vague statements like 'AI will change everything' — give concrete, current examples.”

Example: “AI'S IMPACT ON THIS FIELD — specifically which tasks are being automated or AI-assisted right now, and which skills are becoming more valuable as a result. Avoid vague statements like 'AI will change everything' — give concrete, current examples.”

Step 8 — Now write the tone and purpose instruction.

“Write in a professional, report-style tone rather than a casual explanation, since I'll be formatting the report sections into a Word document and the two tables into an Excel spreadsheet.”

Example: “Write in a professional, report-style tone rather than a casual explanation, since I'll be formatting the report sections into a Word document and the two tables into an Excel spreadsheet.”

Step 9 — Write the closing instruction on specificity and uncertainty.

“Be specific and current, and flag anything you're not fully confident is accurate so I know to verify it.”

Example: “Be specific and current, and flag anything you're not fully confident is accurate so I know to verify it.”

Build and upload your files

Write your personal takeaway

35

Prompt

15

Report

15

Spreadsheet

35

Takeaway