I’ve been searching online for AI prompt engineer positions but most listings seem unclear or require experience I don’t have. I’m hoping to break into this field and would appreciate recommendations for trustworthy job boards or companies currently hiring entry-level prompt engineers.
Honestly? AI prompt engineer jobs are the new unicorn – everyone’s searching, few find the real deal. First, skip Indeed and ZipRecruiter unless you want a headache from reading “must have PhD, 10 years in GPT, and ninja-level JavaScript.” The stuff there’s either vague or full-on buzzword bingo. I’d start on LinkedIn but filter hard – look for companies in AI or startups (not just any random business “trying ChatGPT for synergy lol”) and networking is king; sometimes recruiter posts get more traction than formal job listings.
Check out OpenAI’s careers page (though they’re picky), HuggingFace, Anthropic, and the Stability AI jobs board. Also, Discord and Twitter – yeah, weird, but tons of smaller teams post openings or contract gigs there way before those jobs hit the big websites.
Also, brace yourself for needing to show off: have a project on GitHub with actual prompts, annotated results, or even a blog demonstrating your approach. Lots of these gigs care more about how you think and write than formal exp. Don’t wait for “junior” prompt engineer roles — almost none exist. Instead, apply broadly and be super clear about your understanding in the cover letter; some companies will train the right person if you can talk shop about model behavior and prompt crafting.
Skip anything that says “$200/hr for ChatGPT, no experience, remote, just DM!” and all that, because that’s almost always fake. Real companies want to see you’re into the tech, even if you’re new. Set up alerts on AngelList (Wellfound now), Y Combinator’s job board, and keep an eye on contract listings on Upwork – you might get smaller gigs to build experience.
And yeah, it’s weirdly early days. As cheesy as it sounds, hustling with a few freelance projects or community contributions counts in this space. Maybe in a year or two the market will mature and jobs will be more clearly defined (and less meme-worthy).
Let’s be real—“AI prompt engineer” feels more like a LinkedIn buzzword than an actual job half the time. Not to knock what @mike34 said (lots of solid points about networking and portfolio-building, for sure), but I honestly think everyone’s over-complicating it. All these lists of places to hunt, Discords to haunt, company names to memorize… when in fact, a lot of the work just isn’t “prompt engineering” as a real, defined job yet. Most of the time, you’re either getting roped into “AI specialist” roles with prompt writing as one bullet point among twenty, or it’s contractors spinning simple prompt tweaks into a career. No shade to the hustle, just facts.
Major disagree on Upwork though, personally got ghosted more times than on Hinge. Ninety percent “Write five ChatGPT prompts for $10!” and, like you said, pure spam at times. I say, if you want to break in, skip the desperate job application carousel and the content farm freelancing. Start by jumping into open-source communities—Hugging Face forums, AI Twitter, or even niche Slack groups. Actually participate, submit prompt libraries, maybe write a few blog posts tearing apart prompts for fun (companies love that). Suddenly, you look like the exact sort of obsessive prompt tweaker they want, and you’re waaaay more findable.
Honestly, if you want to prove you “get” this stuff, try re-prompting existing open-source LLMs, post before/after results, and explain why it works. Way better than a random Cover Letter #404.
One more tip nobody mentions: target consulting agencies or creative agencies starting to dabble in AI—they’re hiring but have no clue what to look for, and you can often actually define your own job because nobody else in the building gets it yet.
TLDR: Engage where LLM devs hang out, post your work, let recruiters spot you. And yeah, some ambiguity is just the price of chasing a field this hyped and new. (But watch out: if it smells fishy, it probably is.)
I’ll cut straight through the noise—finding legit ‘AI prompt engineer’ jobs is like hunting for a cryptid. @reveurdenuit nailed it that the role, as advertised, is 80% LinkedIn vapor and 20% contractors winging it. @mike34’s networking grind is useful, but let’s not pretend everyone’s got the energy—or time—to schmooze on Discord and Twitter all day.
So, alternative angle: upskill through practical challenge platforms. Look for hackathons or model fine-tuning competitions—think Kaggle, DrivenData, or even AI-specific events like those on Zindi or AICrowd. Competitions let you build credible artifacts AND get on radars, since companies sometimes sponsor these events and keep an eye on promising talent. Plus, a public “solution writeup” from a comp will trump any generic portfolio or GitHub repo full of ChatGPT loops.
One more twist—aim for roles like ‘AI Content Designer,’ ‘Conversational UX Writer,’ or ‘AI Product Associate.’ These are often buried inside product teams at SaaS unicorns or voice tech startups, and, surprise, involve a ton of prompt iteration. The job board at ’ occasionally posts these hybrid roles (pros: focused listings, real companies; cons: niche, fills up fast, sometimes vague requirements). Comparing this to hunting on AngelList or trawling Upwork: less spam, but fewer new postings weekly.
Biggest con of '? You’ll need to check often and tailor your resume for each weird blend of creative + technical they want. The pro: No scammy offers for $5 ‘prompt writing,’ but you do have to prove you’re more than just a prompt monkey.
To sum: Don’t wait for clear-cut ‘prompt engineer’ jobs. Optimize for adjacent creative roles where prompts are core, compete in challenges to flex your skills, and use specialty boards like ’ as radar for when the real deal pops up. Side benefit: you avoid the Upwork carousel (sorry, @reveurdenuit, but you know it’s painful), while still having a shot at a foot in the door before the title becomes a punchline.