How Do You Set Up ChatGPT, Claude and Grok Projects for Your Recruiting Desk?

What is a project, and why does a recruiter need one?

Without a project, every new chat is a blank page. You explain your niche, paste the job description, restate your exclusion list and remind the assistant not to use hype words. Then you do it again tomorrow.

A project fixes that. It has three parts:

How do projects differ between the three?

Limits as published in September 2026. All three change them often. In ChatGPT, project instructions override your general custom instructions, and memory can be set to stay inside the project.

What happened to custom GPTs?

Custom GPTs were ChatGPT’s way to package instructions and files into a reusable assistant. According to OpenAI’s GPT guide, personal accounts (Free, Go, Plus and Pro) can no longer create new GPTs, and OpenAI plans to retire GPTs in favor of plugins, starting with Enterprise workspaces in December 2026. Business and Enterprise workspaces can still build them for now.

If your team already relies on a GPT, keep using it but copy its instructions and files somewhere safe. For anything new, use a project. It does the same job for one recruiter and is not going away.

How should a recruiter organize projects?

Three setups work well. Pick one and stick with it.

Whichever you choose, keep one extra project called “My desk” that holds your playbook and general rules. The free recruiting playbook builder produces exactly that text.

What should the instructions say?

Copy this into the project instructions and fill in the brackets. If your plan’s projects have no instructions field, save it as a file called “Instructions” in the project and start chats with “Follow the Instructions file.” It follows the prompt method from Module 1, Lesson 4.

You are helping [name], a [agency or corporate] recruiter who fills [roles] in [locations].
Use the files in this project as the source of truth: the search brief, the job description and my playbook.
Rules:
1. Never invent facts about candidates, companies or pay. If something is not in the files or my message, say so.
2. Keep outreach under 90 words, plain and specific. No hype words.
3. Never suggest contacting anyone on the exclusion list in my playbook.
4. Do not score, rank or reject candidates. Organize evidence against the must haves and leave the decision to me.
5. When I paste notes, ask one clarifying question if something important is missing, then do the task.

What files should go in?

Good files for a recruiting project: the search brief, the approved job description, the interview scorecard, a one page summary of the company or client, your playbook and two or three examples of outreach you are proud of.

Keep out: resumes with contact details, interview recordings, offer letters and anything your employer classes as confidential, unless you are on a business plan your employer approves. Files in a project are stored with the provider like any other chat data, and the training rules from Lesson 1 apply to them.

How do you know a project is working?

Ask the same task twice, once inside the project and once in a blank chat. The project answer should use your titles, respect your exclusions and need fewer edits. If it does not, the instructions are too vague or the files are too long. Shorter, clearer files beat a folder full of old documents.

Quick answers

Can a project see my other chats?

A project uses its own instructions and files. Whether it draws on your wider memory depends on your settings; ChatGPT lets you set a project’s memory to project only.

Can my team share a project?

In ChatGPT, yes. In Claude, sharing needs a Team or Enterprise plan. In Grok, team workspaces come with Grok Business.

Should I still build a custom GPT?

Only on a business plan, and only if your team needs one shared assistant right now. They are being retired, so plan to move.

How many projects is too many?

If you cannot find the right one in a few seconds, merge them. Archive projects for filled jobs.