These ChatGPT prompts for HR help small business owners without an HR department write job adverts, interview questions, onboarding plans, policy drafts, performance reviews and staff surveys. Paste a prompt into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and fill in the [brackets]. Two rules matter most: never paste personal employee data, and have a qualified adviser check anything legal against your local employment law.
If you run a small business, you're probably the HR department as well as everything else. Hiring, onboarding, the awkward conversation you've been putting off, the handbook you keep meaning to write: it all lands on your desk, usually without any training.
These prompts won't make you an employment lawyer, and they shouldn't. What they'll do is get you past the blank page on the people tasks you face most. Two rules before you start: never paste personal employee data into any AI tool, and have a qualified adviser check anything with a legal side against your local employment law. If you need that kind of help, here's how HR support services for small businesses work.
Job descriptions and job adverts
Job description from scratch
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Write a job description for a [job title] at a small [type of business] with [number] staff.
Include the purpose of the role, main responsibilities, essential versus nice-to-have skills, and who they report to.
Job advert that sounds like you
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Turn this job description [paste description] into a job advert that sounds warm and human, like a small business talking.
Lead with what the person will do and why the role matters.
Check an advert for off-putting wording
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Review this job advert [paste advert] for wording that might put off good candidates, such as jargon, gendered language or requirements the job doesn't need.
Suggest plainer alternatives.
Update an old job description
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Here's the job description we used when we last hired: [paste it]. The role has changed: [describe changes].
Update it so it reflects what the job involves now and flag anything that no longer fits.
Short job post for social media
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Write three short versions of a job post for [job title] to share on [platform], each with a friendly opening line, one sentence on the role and a clear way to apply.
For more help with this stage, I've written a full set of prompts for writing job adverts.
Interview questions and scorecards
Interview questions tied to the role
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Write interview questions for a [job title] based on this job description: [paste description].
For each key responsibility, give one question about past experience and one about how they'd handle a realistic situation.
A simple interview scorecard
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Create an interview scorecard for [job title] with the five most important criteria.
Describe what weak, good and strong answers look like for each, and leave space for notes.
A fair practical task
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Suggest a short, fair practical task for [job title] candidates that tests [key skill] and doesn't take more than [time].
Explain how I'd assess it the same way for every candidate.
Questions to steer clear of
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List the kinds of interview questions a small business owner should avoid because they stray into personal or protected areas.
Suggest a fair, job-related question to ask instead of each one.
A kind rejection email
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Write a brief, kind email to a candidate who interviewed for [job title] and wasn't successful.
Thank them, share one piece of constructive feedback based on [feedback], and leave the door open.
Onboarding plans and welcome emails
First month onboarding plan
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Create an onboarding plan for a new [job title] joining a small team.
Break it into the first day, first week and first month, with who they should meet, what they should learn and one early win.
Welcome email before day one
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Write a welcome email to a new [job title] before their first day.
Include start time, where to go, who'll meet them, what to bring, and something that makes them feel expected. Leave the name for me to add.
A guide for the new starter's buddy
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Write a one-page guide for a team member acting as a buddy to a new starter.
Cover the first week, the questions new people are often too shy to ask, and when to check in.
Onboarding checklist
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Create an onboarding checklist for [job title] covering equipment, logins, introductions, training, key documents to read and a check-in at the end of the first month.
Group it by who's responsible.
Policies and staff handbook drafts
A note before you use these: AI drafts are a starting point only. Employment law differs from country to country, so have a qualified adviser check any policy before it goes to staff.
First draft of a policy
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Draft a plain-English [policy type, for example remote working] policy for a small business with [number] staff in [country].
Use short sections and simple language, and mark anything a qualified adviser should check.Work with meWant AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Staff handbook outline
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Suggest an outline for a staff handbook for a small [type of business].
List the sections we'd need, what each should cover in a sentence, and which ones depend on local employment law.
Make a policy readable
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Rewrite this policy [paste policy] so staff can read and understand it easily.
Keep the meaning the same, use plain words and short sentences, and add a short summary at the top.
Questions for your adviser
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I'm writing a [policy type] policy for my business in [country].
List the questions I should ask a qualified employment adviser before I finalise it, so I make good use of their time.
Performance reviews, feedback and difficult conversations
Prepare a performance review
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Help me prepare a performance review for a [job title]. Here are my notes on their work, with no names or personal details: [paste notes].
Organise them into strengths, areas to develop and goals for the next period.
Make feedback specific and fair
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Turn this vague feedback [paste feedback] into specific, fair feedback that describes the behaviour, its effect on the team or customers, and what good would look like instead.
Goals that are easy to check
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Suggest three clear goals for a [job title] for the next [time period], linked to these business priorities: [list priorities].
Make each one specific and easy to check.
Plan a difficult conversation
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I need to talk to a team member about [issue, described without personal details].
Help me plan how to open the conversation, what to say, how they might react and how we agree next steps.
Rehearse the conversation
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Play an employee who's upset about [situation] while I practise the conversation with you.
Respond realistically, then after a few exchanges give me feedback on my tone and clarity.
Turn down a request kindly
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A team member has asked for [request, for example a change of hours]. We can't agree to it because [reason].
Write a kind, clear reply that explains why and suggests any alternative we could offer.
Staff surveys and listening to your team
Short anonymous staff survey
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Write an anonymous staff survey of eight to ten questions for a team of [number] people.
Cover workload, communication, support from managers and what would make work better. Mix rating and open questions.
Exit interview questions
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Write exit interview questions for someone leaving a small business.
I want honest reasons for leaving and practical ideas we can act on, without the questions sounding defensive.
Summarise survey answers
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Here are anonymous survey answers from our team: [paste answers].
Group them into themes, note what's most common, quote typical comments, and suggest three small changes we could make.
Share the results with your team
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Write a short message sharing what we learned from the staff survey: [paste summary].
Thank people, be honest about the problems raised, and say what we'll do next and by when.
How to get better HR answers from ChatGPT
- Never paste personal employee data. No names, health details, addresses or records tied to a person. Describe the situation in general terms instead.
- Tell it your country and team size. The answers change a lot depending on where you are and how many people you employ.
- Get anything legal checked. ChatGPT can be confidently wrong about employment law, so a qualified adviser should review policies, contracts and anything disciplinary.
- Give it your tone. Paste an email you've written to your team so drafts sound like you, not a corporate handbook.
- Read every draft as the employee would. If it would sting to receive it, soften it before it goes anywhere.
If you'd like help working out where AI can take admin off your plate safely, here's what an AI consultant does.
For the rest of the series, see the ChatGPT Prompts and Limits: 30 Guides to Fun Prompts, Photo Edits and Daily Caps. To write your own, try the free prompt builder.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use ChatGPT for HR in a small business?
Yes, for drafting. It's useful for job adverts, interview questions, onboarding plans, survey questions and first drafts of policies. It isn't a replacement for qualified HR or legal advice, so get anything with a legal side checked.
Is it safe to put employee information into ChatGPT?
Don't paste personal employee data such as names, health details or performance records tied to a person. Describe situations in general terms, and follow your own data protection duties to your staff.
Can ChatGPT write a staff handbook?
It can give you a clear outline and readable first drafts of each section. Employment law varies by country, so have a qualified adviser review the handbook before you share it with staff.
What are good ChatGPT prompts for performance reviews?
Prompts that turn your notes into strengths, areas to develop and goals work well, as do prompts that make vague feedback specific. Remove names and personal details before you paste anything.
Do these HR prompts work in Claude and Gemini?
Yes. They're written in plain language, so you can use them in ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini. The same rules apply in every tool: no personal data, and a qualified check on anything legal.
