Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Career Development

Use AI to:

• Generate lists of potential careers based on your interests, skills, or resume
• Identify technical and transferable skills needed for specific jobs
• Identify careers that are known for [this skill, major, or value]
• Research labor market trends and growth fields
• Draft questions to ask alumni or professionals in your target field in an informational interview
• Research individual employers in preparation for job interviews, informational interviews, or when networking 

Don't:

• Accept AI-generated career matches without personal reflection
• Skip networking and informational interviews
• Assume AI’s suggestions are comprehensive or unbiased

Sample Prompts:

• What career should I pursue as a [your major] who loves [your interest]
• What are some entry-level positions for a [your major] with [your skills] and [your interests]
• What career paths are open to someone with this experience: [paste resume and/or LinkedIn profile]
• I am thinking about majoring in [potential major], please generate 25 career paths I could pursue with a bachelor’s degree in [major] and 10 that require a master’s degree in [major] 

Use AI to:

• Reformat your resume for readability and be sure the AI system does not format it in a template that cannot be read by an applicant tracking system 
• Create the template you want for your bullets (e.g., action verbs, scope, the format you want for your bullets)
• Tailor your resume to specific job descriptions [ask the Career Center about JobScan and Rezi]
• Highlight relevant keywords and transferable skills
• Receive feedback on gaps or unclear points

Don't:

• Copy and paste AI-generated resumes without editing (many of them are outdated and in templates that cannot be read by current applicant tracking systems 
• Lose your authentic experiences and voice
• Share sensitive personal data on unsafe platforms

Sample Prompts:

• Basic: Write a resume for [X] job and reformat this resume to ensure consistent font, formatting, and spacing
• Advanced: Instead, rewrite my existing resume to be a good fit for this job: [paste job description] and [paste resume]
• Pro: Instead, what would you recommend changing about my existing resume to apply for this job
• Transition the bullets in this resume into this format: [strong action verb, scope, and what you produced or accomplished, and explain results where possible] 

Use AI to:

• Create a draft outline for your cover letter
• Personalize letters to highlight alignment with job descriptions
• Compare your draft to best practices

Don't:

• Rely on generic, impersonal letters
• Ignore your own voice, storytelling, and motivation
• Skip proofreading and editing for tone and accuracy

Sample Prompts:

• Basic: Draft an outline for a cover letter for [X] job
• Advanced: Outline a cover letter personalized to this job description and my resume: [paste JD] and [paste resume]
• Pro: What feedback would you give me about my existing cover letter compared to this job

Be sure the cover letter reflects your own voice and writing style. This is a sample of your writing for the employer. Also, be sure that the cover letter uses specific examples from your own experiences to highlight your strengths as they relate to each position. 

Use AI to:

• Generate common interview questions for specific roles
• Practice answering with mock interviews or simulations
• Research the company to learn their mission values etc., and find articles and reviews by current employees 
• Research interview questions they have used in the past 
• Refine your answers by comparing them to sample responses
• Draft thank-you emails after interviews

Don't:

• Memorize AI answers word for word
• Prepare only for the Specific questions AI provides
• Skip practicing with a real person or Career Center counselor—and don’t assume AI feedback is accurate 
• Overlook company-specific culture, values, and needs

Sample Prompts:

• Basic: What questions can I expect for an [X role] interview
• Advanced: Generate likely interview questions and answers for this job, based on my resume [paste job description and resume]
• Pro: Give feedback on this interview answer compared to the job description and my resume
• Outline a sample thank-you note for [this position]

Use AI to:

• Define pathways
• Gain confidence and forecast the future of pathways
• Brainstorm and test out an idea
• Compile lists of potential employers, by region; identify potential job titles and keywords to use in search engines
• Enhance traditional networking techniques, research events, people, and networking questions 

Don’t:

• Avoid reaching out to real people and utilizing real-world networking strategies
• Create a tone and plan that does not reflect your own interest and voice 

Sample Prompts:

• I am about to graduate with a degree in [your major], I am good at [your skills] and I don’t want to work in [industry you don’t prefer]
• Outline a LinkedIn summary combining [my Resume, LinkedIn profile] and [my interests and skills]
• Generate a list of potential networking events and professional development opportunities for someone in [career field]
• Create 10 career prototype career paths for me to explore a career in the [career field]
• As a [your class year] student majoring in [your major] with an interest in working for [these types of companies] 
• Create 10 different five-year plans I could consider after graduation 
• This is my traditional elevator speech, take this and my resume and refine my elevator speech to network with people from [this industry] (what should I add) 
• Who are the top employers for [this position] in this state
• What are potential keyword and other position titles for [this position]