AI Career Tips and Tools

AI tools can be very useful for Career Exploration and conducting industry research. For example, you can:

• Compare majors and possible career paths and find ways to incorporate some of your values, interests, personality, skills, and strengths (VIPS).
• Identify skill gaps and ways to develop those skills.
• Create lists to get you started on your next steps if you feel stuck or create timelines and goals.
• Formulate questions to ask those in your industry to learn more about a company, career, or job opportunity.

Here are some prompts you might consider using: 

• Can you suggest career paths in environmental science for someone with a biology degree?  
• What education or other professional development should I seek if I want to be a Financial Analyst? 

However, AI also has limitations. For example:

• AI doesn’t have all the answers for what is best for you and what will bring you most joy and success. Avoid making drastic career decisions based on AI. It’s always best to talk to faculty or staff.
• AI can’t replace career counseling and self-reflection.  We encourage you to come to the Career Studio to meet with one of our career coaches to explore your options and VIPS to help you determine the best course of action.

AI can be useful when writing and editing your Resume/CV. For example:

• You can use AI to help you develop and improve your bullet points.
• It can help you tailor your resume to the job description.
• You can use Resume AI to get detailed feedback on the formatting and content of your resume.

Here are some prompts you might consider using: 

• Can you provide a list of strong action verbs related to research experience?  
• Based on this job description, can you highlight the top 10 skills required for the position? 

However, it is important to keep in mind:

• Relying on AI to write your bullet points for you can result in it sounding generic.
• AI can’t understand the nuance of what you did in a job, it only knows as much as you tell it.
• Your bullet points need to sound like you, using your own voice.
• Be sure to proofread!

If you’re not sure where to start when writing a cover letter, AI can help with:

• Generating ideas, translating skills and experiences to demonstrate specific qualifications for a specific position.
• Grammar, spelling, and sentence structure.
• Highlighting specific skills in your background and aligning them with a specific position.

Here are some prompts you might consider using: 

• Review and edit my cover letter for spelling and grammar.
• Based on this job description and my resume, which of my skills should I highlight in my cover letter?  

However, be mindful of relying on AI exclusively to write the cover letter for you.

• Without proper crafting, your cover letter will not be in your own words, which could lead to potential plagiarism.
• When written by AI, your words may lack personalization to accurately tell your story.

AI is a fantastic tool to help you with your job search process. For example: 

• Identify new job search sites specific to your field/industry.  
• Compile information and compare companies of interest. 
• Create a document to help you keep track of all your job search information. 
• Research different job titles within an industry.  
• Research salary ranges that are competitive with a specific company/role opportunity.  

Here are some sample prompts you can try: 

• What is an example of a marketing job description at a company like Google? 
• What is the average starting salary for [position]? 

However, when it comes to using AI for the job search and salary negotiation: 

• Relying on AI to curate information is not always reliable. Be sure to look through its sources carefully and validate what you’re finding by speaking with professionals in the field.  
• AI information may not be pulling up-to-date information, so for relevant job information, be sure to check regularly monitored job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, Handshake, and of course NUworks.  

Feeling stuck preparing for an interview? You can use AI to:

• Generate questions to ask in the interview.
• Get an idea of the questions an interviewer might ask you.
• Practice formulating interview responses using the STAR format.
• Get feedback on your responses to interview questions using Big Interview
• Help you write a thank you email after the interview.

Here are some prompts you might consider using: 

• Can you ask me coding interview questions I might be asked when I am interviewed for a software developer position? Ask me questions related to the following topics: OOPS concepts, String handling, and Collection framework.  
• Generate 10 questions to ask X Company in an interview based on this job description. 

However, be mindful of:

• The questions may end up sounding generic, make sure you are asking questions you are genuinely curious about and aren’t something you could easily learn from visiting the company’s website, etc.
• AI can’t know what you will actually be asked in an interview.
• AI is not a substitute for human judgment and thorough research.
• It’s important to personalize your answers to ensure they reflect your unique experiences, skills, and perspectives.
• AI-generated responses may not always be accurate, so it’s crucial to double-check any information or advice.

AI can also help you with networking and when looking to set up an informational interview. For example:

• It can help you write an outreach message to send to someone on LinkedIn requesting an informational interview.
• It can help you write a thank you email after meeting someone new professionally.

Here are some prompts you might consider using: 

• Help me write a brief message to send a recruiter in LinkedIn to request an informational interview so I can learn more about their background and work at Google.  
• What types of networking opportunities for consulting should I pursue in Boston? 

However, be mindful that:

• Make sure messages are in your own voice/sound like you.
• AI can make your message sound generic, be sure to personalize it!