What should I ask ChatGPT when I am just starting out?

Written 2026-10-15

Short answer. Start with a small job you already have: fix an email, shorten a long text, or explain something you do not understand. Paste the real text, say what you want back, and say what it must not do. Five prompts you can copy are below.

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Three habits that make the answer better

Give it the real text. "Make my email better" gets a guess. The email itself gets a useful rewrite.
Say what shape you want. "One version only", "5 bullet points", "under 120 words".
Say what it must not do. "Do not invent facts", "do not add numbers I did not give you".

Five prompts to copy

Copy the text, paste it into any AI chat tool, and replace each [bracket] with your own words.

Fix an email

Rewrite the email below so it is clear, polite and short. Keep my meaning. Give me one version only.

Email: [paste your email here]

Summarise a long text

Summarise the text below in 5 bullet points for someone who has 1 minute. Then list 3 words or ideas I should look up.

Text: [paste]

Explain something simply

Explain [topic] as if I am 12 years old. Use one everyday example. Then ask me 3 questions to check that I understood.

CV lines

Here is something I did at work or at school: [describe it in plain words]. Turn it into 3 short CV bullet points that each start with a verb. Do not add numbers or facts I did not give you. If something is missing, ask me.

Check an offer

Read the message or offer below. List every warning sign you see (pressure, money upfront, promised income, requests for passwords or gift cards). Do not tell me it is safe. Tell me what I should check on the seller's own pages.

Text: [paste]

What not to paste

Keep passwords, bank details and ID numbers out of any AI tool. Before you paste a CV or a letter, delete your phone number and home address.

After the answer

Read it before you use it. AI chat tools can sound sure and be wrong, so check names, numbers and dates yourself. How to check an answer in three steps.

Questions

Which AI chat tool should a beginner use?
Any of the main free chat tools can do the jobs on this page. Start with the one you already have an account for, and try the same prompt in a second tool if the first answer is poor.

Is it safe to paste my CV into an AI tool?
Treat anything you paste as something you are handing to the company that runs the tool. Remove your phone number, address and ID numbers first, and read the tool's privacy settings.

What if the answer is wrong or too long?
Say so in the next message: "Shorter, 3 bullet points" or "You added a fact I did not give you. Remove it." You can keep correcting in the same chat.