Chapter 4 of 8
Build your working profile
A good profile tells Copilot how to help with your real work. Keep it concrete, short enough to review and safe enough to use in your work environment.
01Write instructions that change the work
“Be helpful and professional” sounds tidy, but it doesn't make a decision. Your profile should answer practical questions:
- What kind of work do you do?
- Who receives it?
- What does a useful answer look like?
- What should Copilot ask before it starts?
- What must it check or never invent?
The profile holds stable preferences. The prompt still carries the current task, source and deadline.
Keep it clean
Describe your work without naming clients, exposing personal data or pasting internal policy text. Link or attach approved source material only when a task needs it.
02Read a profile with some grip
This fictional example is for a project coordinator. Notice that each line helps make or check the output.
ROLE I'm a project coordinator working across operations, product and external suppliers. READERS Most of my updates go to senior managers who need status, decisions, risks and owners quickly. HOW TO HELP - Start with the answer or current status. - Use short headings and bullets when they improve scanning. - Separate confirmed facts, assumptions and open questions. - Keep routine updates under 200 words unless I ask for detail. - Use plain Australian English and contractions. ASK BEFORE STARTING WHEN - the audience isn't clear - the source material conflicts - the deadline or decision needed is missing QUALITY CHECKS - Check every name, date, number and owner against the source. - Never invent progress, approval, sentiment or a deadline. - Flag missing information as a question. - End action lists with an owner and date where the source provides them.
This isn't a biography. It gives Copilot a usable default and tells it where to stop guessing.
03See what the profile changes
Suppose both requests use the same fictional meeting notes.
Without the profile
Prompt: Write an update from these notes.
Likely result: A broad recap in meeting order, with polished filler and no clear decision at the top.
With the profile
Prompt: Use my working profile. Draft the weekly update from these notes.
Useful result: Status first, then the decision, risks and actions. Unsupported details appear as questions instead of confident prose.
The profile doesn't guarantee that result. It gives you a clearer standard to test and correct.
04Turn your inventory into a profile
Paste the safe context salvage sheet from Chapter 3 into Copilot, then use this prompt.
Turn the notes below into a one-page working profile for an AI assistant. Use these headings: ROLE READERS HOW TO HELP ASK BEFORE STARTING WHEN QUALITY CHECKS FIRST WORKFLOWS TO IMPROVE Rules: - make every instruction specific enough to change an answer - remove repetition and vague words such as "good" or "professional" - don't add facts, preferences or policy rules I didn't provide - flag anything that may be confidential, personal or unsafe to store - keep the result under 450 words [PASTE YOUR REVIEWED NOTES HERE]
Read the result line by line. Delete anything that sounds impressive but wouldn't help Copilot choose what to do.
ROLE [What I do in plain language] READERS [Who receives my work and what they need] HOW TO HELP - [Structure] - [Tone and language] - [Length and formatting] - [How to separate facts, assumptions and questions] ASK BEFORE STARTING WHEN - [Missing information that would change the work] QUALITY CHECKS - [Facts to verify] - [Things never to invent] - [Policy or approval boundaries] FIRST WORKFLOWS TO IMPROVE 1. [Recurring job] 2. [Recurring job] 3. [Recurring job]
05Improve one line when Copilot misses
Don't rewrite the profile after every average answer. First ask whether the problem was the task brief, the source or the stable instruction.
If the same miss happens twice, ask:
What one line could I add to my working profile to prevent this specific mistake next time?
Add the smallest useful rule. Put a date on the profile and review it every few months. A profile that keeps every correction eventually becomes another document nobody can read.
Chapter complete
Your defaults are now explicit
Next, you'll put the profile into Copilot using the best option your account actually has.