Using AI Tools in Career Exploration
AI (Artificial Intelligence) such as Bard, ChatGPT, etc., are powerful tools that can assist you in many parts of career exploration. This guide provides insight and tips to best use AI technology responsibly.
Download a PDF version of the guide here.
AI Options & Comparisons
| AI Name | Pros | Cons |
| Chat GPT | – Free to use – Quick responses – Evolves with user input and feedback – Externally records chat logs -Archives chat history for reference | – Stores all user data – Can only source information from 2021 and prior – Can only work on one task/query at a time |
| Claude | – Free to use – Quick responses – No character limit for queries or responses – Can upload documents to it for content analysis | – No disclosure about information sourcing – Minimal disclosure about data use and storage – Limited amount of queries per day – Occasionally has down time due to “capacity constraints” |
| Gemini (previously Bard, powered by Google) | – Free to use – Has access to internet data in real time – Relatively quick response time – No limit on the number or prompts | – Cannot access with Augsburg email address at this time – Stores user data – Sometimes does not generate as many ideas as desired or stalls out – Does not store AI generated responses for reference |
| Grammarly | – Specifically designed for writing (particularly essays or emails) – Points out over use of words – Helps with sentence structure, tone, spelling, and grammar | – Free version only checks for errors in spelling, not style and content – Only allows documents up to 4 MB and 100,000 characters – May offer questionable suggestions |
Another tool available through Google Labs is Career Dreamer. It uses AI to help generate statements based on the skills and career information you provide, which is useful to help create summaries for resumes and bios for LinkedIn. It also provides a map of possible future career paths supplied by data from Lightcast, a database of career statistics and trends. If you click on one of these opportunities, it will give you specific details about the role. This is specifically designed for people engaging in career exploration – from current students to alumni – and can really help you narrow in on certain areas of focus.
How to Use AI in Career Planning
AI can be a good starting point to generate ideas, start research, or as a writing supplement. However, it’s no substitute for your own insight and voice. Use it as a tool, not a key source or expert.
Below are some sample prompts to get you started.
- What {undergraduate/graduate} degree programs align with an interest in {interest}?
- Generate a list of careers relating to {degree}
- Generate a list of industries where professionals with a background in {major} are in high demand and provide insights into specific job titles
- Note: depending on the AI program (ex: ChatGPT), this information may not be relevant or recent
- What are the most important skills for a career in {field}?
- Generate current positions titles for {degree}.
- What job search strategies help applicants seeking positions in {field} specifically?
- What technical and soft skills should an applicant develop to excel in {field}?
- What type of networking options or mentorship programs relate to {field}?
- What jobs do people with {major} find after college?
- What companies in Minneapolis are in the {industry}?
Some AI platforms allow you to upload or copy/paste your resume or cover letter into their software to compare it to the job description. NOTE: Make sure all personal identifying information has been removed from your resume prior to uploading.
- Identify the skills mentioned in this job description.
- Follow up question: Provide suggestions to showcase these skills better.
- Provide a list of industry-specific keywords to be added in order to tailor the document for {degree/field/position}.
- Follow question: Where can those keywords be integrated into the document?
- What skills could be added to improve the applicant’s chances for this position?
- Tailor this document to the following job description for {position} and highlight the relevant skills: “{job description}”
You can also ask AI to help you craft bullet points or sentences to describe your work experience. Examples are:
- What are strong skill statements summarizing a barista job?
- What keywords should be used in a {major} resume?
- Review resume for programmer, formatting, and content suggestions.
- Using the resume attached and the job description linked, please formulate experience bullet points to match the key words in the job description. Use XYZ formula. Section it off by experience.
Read this piece from Careerflow for more information on how to use AI (specifically ChatGPT in this article).
- What is the structure for a {job title} cover letter?
- Use AI to help tailor your cover letter to a specific job by providing some details about the position.
- Use AI for riding assistance, clarity, conciseness, and general proofreading.
- What questions could I be asked in a {job title} interview?
- What are some common interview questions for {field/position title}?
- What is a good {technical/behavioral} interview question for {degree/field}?
- Follow up question: What is a good response to this question?
- Follow up question: What is an interviewer looking for in a response to this question?
Writing AI Prompts
Sometimes, a little bit of structure is needed when prompting AI. These machines don’t quite work they way the human mind does and you’ll need to formulate your questions to help it process. Below are three different approaches to crafting AI prompts.
RISE stands for:
- Role: defining the AI’s role in the context of the prompt to clarify what you are asking it to do.
- Input: Specifying the information, data, or resource that AI should consider in its response.
- Steps: Outlining the series of actions or processes AI should follow in addressing the prompt.
- Expectations: Describe what you want – the outcome, format, or details of the AI response.
- Context: What does the AI need to know in order to support you? Consider: your job/organization, roles and work you have done, specific tasks, etc.
- Task: What do you want the AI to do? What components are needed and how should it be structured?
- Constraints: What should the AI not focus on or exclude?
This structure was formulated by a library and professor at the University of New Mexico. CLEAR stands for:
- Concise: Focus on the keywords for the AI tool to analyze. Try to omit as many needless words as possible.
- Logical: Make sure your query presents concepts accurately and in a logical order as many AI tools look for relationships between words and concepts.
- Explicit: Be clear what you want from the AI. This will give the AI directions that will produce a helpful answer and reduce the number of times you need to improve the results.
- Adaptive: If a second prompt is needed, use keywords or topics the AI suggested or investigate AI settings that may produce better results.
- Reflective: Take a moment to evaluate the AI’s response. Does it make sense to you? What information might be inaccurate? Is there information missing?
How do Employers Use AI?
Many HR teams – even in the biggest of companies – cannot handle the volume of applications. So they’ve turned to AI tools – specifically, ATS. ATS, or applicant tracking systems, which review applications with an AI feature. These systems review resumes for HR teams and hiring managers, looking for specific keywords, skills, and abilities from the job description to determine if an applicant meets the minimum requirement for the role. If the applicant does not, their resume and cover letter is sent to a discard pile without ever being looked at with human eyes.
So what’s the best way to beat a computer? Using a computer and engaging with AI to help ensure your resume can get through the ATS filters.
Opinions on AI usage are diverse and we understand if you do not want to use these tools. There are ways to tailor your resume to get through ATS systems without AI, however we strongly recommend AI as it will make the process easier and faster. We strongly recommend exploring resources from JobScan, an tool that works like an ATS system so applicants can see how their resume fairs against a job posting (you can have JobScan review your resume, but the free account option limits how many times per month the system can review your resume and you will not have access to all features).
We’ve also put together some information about whether employers can tell if you’re using AI in your resume and mistakes to avoid.
Best Practices and Tips
Bias
AI pulls information from a certain amount of internet data – be wary that some information may be biased or not representative of every person. Be critical when reviewing AI’s responses and decide whether the information is sound and represents your values.
Privacy Protection
Be aware of how your data is being stored, used, and shared by reviewing the data privacy policy page of the tools you are using. Never include identifying information such as names, addresses, and company names. Keep queries general and, if using a specific job description, avoid using the name and location it came from.
In the result of a data breach, an unauthorized party could gain access to your conversation logs, user information, and other sensitive information. Use AI tools that are transparent about how their systems and data tracking works as those that do not provide much information may not be safe/more susceptible to data attacks.
Specific Prompts & First Drafts
The more specific your prompt is, the more helpful AI will be. AI is only as good as the users interacting with it as well, and refining your prompts or comparing a couple different AI tools can help you find a different range of responses.
AI works best for initial ideas and first drafts. It cannot substitute for your unique, authentic voice. Using AI as a tool to help you practice your current writing skills and clarify communication is a great way to make the best use of it.
Ethics & Limitations
Your resume, cover letter, and other written materials should be representative of your skills. Make sure if you are verifying and citing sources, double check the accuracy of information, and use human advice/eyes for any final reviews. AI can do many things but it is not perfect and may make strange suggestions or miss things.
AI also lacks emotional intelligence (EI) and may not offer suggestions that fit your values, perspective, or context of the situation.
As a rule of thumb: use AI for first drafts, not final results.
Still have questions or need advice regarding AI answers? Make an appointment with a Strommen Center Staff member!
Want more prompts to take this guide on the go? Download a PDF copy here!
Guide adapted from University of West Florida and University of Minnesota resources. Please see PDF for full sources and credits.