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Quick answer
Paste the job post and the company's website into an AI with web search, and ask for a one-page brief: what they sell, who pays, recent launches or hires, and the problems this role is probably there to solve. Open every source link before you use a fact in an application.
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At a glance
All outcome figures are estimates from cited sources, not independent verification by us.
- What it is allowed to do
- Read-only
Only reads, researches, or summarizes. It never drafts outbound content or changes anything.
- Time saved (estimate)
- About 30 to 45 minutes per application.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Tools needed
- ChatGPT, Claude, Grok Bot
- Typical cost
- Web search is available on free ChatGPT plans. Prices: Not stated in sources.
Reviewed Nov 2, 2026
Basis (estimate): Estimate only: based on the steps above, not timed.
What does this setup do?
Build a one-page company brief before you apply: what the company sells, who pays, recent news, and the problems this role is likely hired to solve.
Who is it for?
Job seekers who want applications and interviews that show they understand the company, without spending an evening on research per job.
How do you set it up?
Tools
- ChatGPT, Claude or Grok Bot with web search
- The job post
- The company website and careers page
Steps
- Copy the full job post and note the company's website.
- Turn on web search. OpenAI says ChatGPT can search the web for current information and include citations to sources.
- Run the prompt below and ask for a link on every fact.
- Open the links for anything you plan to mention. Drop any fact you cannot confirm.
- Keep the brief next to your resume; the problems list tells you which results to put at the top.
- Reuse the brief for outreach and interview prep.
Example output
Illustrative. Your results will differ.
- Sells: scheduling software to dental offices; offices pay monthly
- Oct 2026: launched a payments feature (company blog, Oct 14)
- Likely problems for this role: onboarding new offices faster; reducing cancellations
Where to paste this prompt
ChatGPT → Project instructions, or ChatGPT Tasks for scheduled reminders (once a day on Free)
Copy-paste prompt
Adapt bracketed fields to your situation.
Research this company for a job application. Use web search and link a source for every fact.
Company: [NAME, WEBSITE]
Job post: [PASTE]
Give me one page:
1. What they sell and who pays for it
2. How they make money, if public
3. Launches, funding, hires or leadership changes in the last 6 months, with dates
4. The 3 problems this role is most likely there to solve, based on the job post and news
5. 3 questions I could ask in an interview
If you cannot find something, say Not found. Do not guess.Newsletter
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What usually goes wrong?
Where agents tend to stall on this job. More patterns in Where AI gets stuck.
- Quoting a fact without opening the source.
- Old news presented as recent; always check dates.
- Mixing up two companies with similar names.
Which chat tools work with this prompt?
Paste the prompt into any of these assistants (free or paid tiers).
- ChatGPT
- Claude
- Grok Bot
Common questions
- How do I research a company before applying?
- Ask an AI with web search for a short brief with links: what they sell, who pays, recent news and the problems the role solves. Check the links.
- Can AI find the hiring manager?
- It can point to public team pages and posts. Confirm the person and role yourself before reaching out.
- How long should the brief be?
- One page. Enough to tailor the resume and ask good questions.
Where should you go next on this site?
What tips make it smoother?
- Recent news with a date beats a general company description.
- The problems list is the most useful part; build the resume summary around it.
- Small companies have little news; check their own blog and social posts.
Where do the claims come from?
Summaries use public sources linked below, not independent verification. How setups are picked.
- Read OpenAI’s write-up (help.openai.com)
OpenAI: Searching the web with ChatGPT: answers with current information and links to sources; responses may include citations (read 2026-11-02 from a search result excerpt of the page)
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Draft a short note to a hiring manager with a real reason to write now, one relevant result and one clear ask, ready for you to check and send.
- ChatGPT Prompt for Tailoring Your Resume to a Job Description
Match a specific job posting to your real resume.
- Do due diligence on a job offer before you sign
Break a job offer into total compensation, compare it against market data, and surface red flags and negotiation points.