Using AI in Your Materials

Tips on how to use AI in your job and internship search effectively and ethically

  • ChatGPT and other generative AI tools do not provide the expertise or holistic, individualized approach that career advising does. We encourage you to use our drop-in advising and appointments to get well-rounded recommendations and support.
  • You always want to create a specific, unique prompt and edit the results so that what you submit to the employer is in your authentic voice. AI is a helpful tool to use, but it is not meant to replace your own writing in job applications.
  • Be sure to carefully review the content it provides and check for accuracy, bias and authenticity.
  • To preserve your privacy, remove personal details from your resume such as name, phone number, email or address.

Be Specific

Writing specific, unique prompts will generate better responses.

For example, instead of asking “Can you help me write a cover letter?", try “Can you help me write a cover letter to apply for a data analyst role using the following selection criteria" and include the job description in your prompt. 

Keep in mind: recruiters are already used to seeing the same exact materials from many applicants because they submitted exactly what the AI provided without tailoring or editing!

Sample Prompts:

Career Exploration

There are so many possible industries and job titles to explore, and using AI can be a great way to research possible pathways.

Sample Prompts:

  • Provide careers and job roles well suited to a [insert degree name].
  • Based on my [insert major, skills or interests], what career roles and titles should I consider?
  • Based my resume [attach or provide link], suggest potential careers and job roles for me.
  • Provide skills, experience and qualifications needed to become a [insert career or job title]?
  • Provide a rundown of a typical workday for a [insert job title or career].
  • Provide the average salary/salary range for a [insert job title or career] in [insert country, state or area].

Considerations: The suggestions it provides can be biased, and it does not know your full range of interests, skills and values. Feel free to come talk with a Career Advisor about the suggestions it provides for further conversation!

Writing Your Resume

Our recommendation for formatting your resume bullet points is to write Accomplishment Statements in the following formula: Action Verb + Context + Result AI can help you format your experience into accomplishment statements and tailor them to the specific job description.

Sample Prompts:

  • Write resume achievements with metrics based on this responsibility (include a specific responsibility).
  • Review my resume like an expert coach and let me know five specific changes I can make based on this job description.

Considerations: Check for irregularities or details that don't match your experience.

Tailoring Resume

Many jobs utilize AI to scan your resume for a match of keywords from their job description, so it's important to tailor your resume to match the specific job you are applying to.

AI can help you identify these keywords and incorporate them into your resume!

Sample Prompts:

  • What are 10 keywords from this job description that are missing from my resume? (paste in the job description and resume details)
  • How can I incorporate these into my resume?

Considerations: You can only incorporate keywords/skills that you actually have experience with!

Writing A Cover Letter

Some jobs will require cover letters, and AI can help you move from the brainstorming stage to the writing and editing stage.

Sample Prompts:

  • Write a 3-paragraph cover letter in a formal tone using experiences from my resume that align with this job description (paste job description).
  • Compose a professional cover letter demonstrating how my abilities align with the requirements for the [position] at [company]. Use the [job posting] as a guide.

Considerations: Remember that you will need to proofread and customize your cover letter. What AI provides is a starting point but should not be the final draft. It's important that your letter reflects your authentic voice that will carry through in your interview.

Networking

You can use AI to help as you prepare for Career Fairs and informational interviews and as you expand your network.

Sample Prompts:

  • Based on my resume, generate a short and engaging elevator pitch I can use for networking.
  • Provide suggestions for listing my key skills and areas of expertise in a way that is impactful for a professional bio.
  • Generate a 200-character message for a LinkedIn connection request based on [insert person's profile].
  • Provide some LinkedIn headlines (up to 150 characters) that include the most common keywords for a [insert job role or career].
  • What are five questions I should ask in an informational interview with [insert job title or LinkedIn profile]?
  • Suggest improvements for my LinkedIn profile [insert profile link] to attract employers in the [insert industry] industry.

Considerations: Remember to proofread and edit the message to ensure your authentic voice is represented.

Preparing for an Interview

You have an interview coming up, you are likely excited and a bit nervous. AI can help you prepare in advance.

We recommend using the SAR format to format your answers: Situation - Action - Result.

Sample Prompts:

  • Please generate 10 first-round interview questions for this job description (paste in the job description).
  • Now, please generate responses based on my resume (paste in resume) in the SAR answer format.
  • Ask me for my response to the following job interview question, then suggest improvements: [paste question].

Considerations: Remember that AI is available to everyone and others may see the same response you see. It's important to give the system specific and unique prompts to get better answers.

Skill to Build: Metaprompting

Metaprompting utilizes prompts that ask the AI chatbot to help it generate a better response. You can break your task down into smaller categories or steps, or ask it to give you feedback as if it were a coach or recruiter. 

Here are some examples:

  • How can I improve the following prompt by providing more specific details or context to elicit a more targeted and effective response?
  • Act as my Prompt Creator Robot and help me develop a high-quality, effective and concise prompt tailored to my needs. This prompt will be used by you, [ChatGPT/Copilot/Gemini].
  • Suggest five sample prompts to help college students use [ChatGPT/Copilot/Gemini] in finding internships and jobs.
  • Suggest sample prompts to help college students use [ChatGPT/Copilot/Gemini] in writing cover letters.

Resources from the Career Center:

Despite how helpful generative AI can be, it can't fully replace the in-depth personalized services of career advising. Here are some services we recommend to use in partnership with AI:

  • Career Resource Manual: our in-depth career guide with sample resumes, cover letters, interview tips and more.
  • ResumeReview+: Our online service gives you feedback online within 5 business days.
  • Drop-In Peer Advising: Come to the Career Center anytime Mon-Fri 10 AM-4 PM for 15-minute advising sessions on resumes, cover letters, job searching, Handshake and more.

Career Advising Appointments: schedule 30-minute appointments with a career advisor in Handshake to review resumes, cover letters, mock interviews, career exploration and more.