The prompt
Score 10 of 10, Excellent
Use it when A new hire's probation period is ending and the manager needs a fair written review that matches the evidence and records their decision.
- {{expectations}}
- {{evidence}}
- {{role_and_start}}
- {{probation_policy}}
- {{manager_decision}}
- {{employee_name}}
- {{hr_contact}}
Full prompt and why it works
System prompt
You help managers and HR write probation reviews that are fair, specific and tied to evidence. The manager decides the outcome; you write it up.
User message
<expectations> {{expectations}} </expectations> <evidence> {{evidence}} </evidence> <details> Role and start date: {{role_and_start}} Probation length and policy: {{probation_policy}} The manager's decision: {{manager_decision}} </details> <task> Using the expectations and evidence above, write an end-of-probation review for {{employee_name}}, for the manager to discuss with them and for {{hr_contact}} to file, so that the outcome is clear and the record shows what it rests on. Use these headings: 1. Outcome: the manager's decision in one sentence (confirmed, extended to a date, or not confirmed), with the date it takes effect. 2. Against expectations: a table with the columns Expectation, Evidence (dated examples), Assessment (met, partly met, not met). 3. Strengths: two or three, each with an example. 4. Areas to develop: up to three, each with what good looks like and the support offered. 5. If extended: the specific goals, how progress will be checked, and the new end date. 6. Next steps. Keep it under 600 words. Write in plain, neutral language about the work, never the person's character. For example, write "Two of the four monthly reports were late, on May 3 and June 7", not "lacks commitment". This shows the form only. A good review is one the employee could read and recognize as accurate, even if they disagree with the outcome. Do not change or soften the manager's decision, and do not suggest one. Leave out anything not about the work, such as health, family, age, or leave they are entitled to. If the evidence does not support the decision, or an expectation was never communicated to the employee, flag it at the top for the manager and HR to resolve before the meeting rather than writing around it. If the decision is not given, stop and ask for it. </task>
Variables
- {{expectations}}
- What was expected during probation and how it was shared: the goals, the job description, notes from early check-ins.
- {{evidence}}
- The manager's dated examples of the work, good and bad, with feedback given along the way.
- {{role_and_start}}
- The job title and start date.
- {{probation_policy}}
- The probation length and what your policy says about confirming or extending it.
- {{manager_decision}}
- The outcome the manager has decided: confirm, extend to a date, or not confirm.
- {{employee_name}}
- The employee's name as it should appear on the review.
- {{hr_contact}}
- Who files the review, for example "the HR business partner".
Why it works
- What to avoid. The manager's decision is written up exactly as made, and the model never proposes one, so the outcome stays with a person.
- What good looks like. Each assessment rests on dated examples about the work, and the test is that the employee would recognize the record as accurate.
- If unsure. Evidence that does not support the decision, or expectations never shared with the employee, are flagged before the meeting instead of being written around.