Generative AI is rapidly changing and improving how it can assist in a wide array of processes, including career development. Review the sections below to learn more about the ethical use of AI and how to effectively utilize this tool as you progress through your career development journey.

Applications for Career Development

There are numerous ways AI can augment your career development journey. With effective prompts, AI can: 

• Assess your interests or experience and generate suggested career paths while you explore your career options
• Provide information on companies and industries located in a geographic region
• Review a resume to suggest improvements, including in comparison to a specific job description
• Assess a keyword fit between a resume and job description to measure ATS match
• Review a job description to summarize themes and top skills for a job to inform your resume writing or interview prep
• Generate possible interview questions based on a job description or career level and industry
• Suggest strategies to augment your existing job search, networking, writing, interviewing and negotiating activities
• Offer feedback on your interview answers to help you refine your responses and improve your performance
• (Especially for career changers): Analyze your skills and experience to suggest new career fields or roles and generate ideas for leveraging them in different industries

…and countless more applications!

Prompt Engineering for Career Development 

There is not ONE “right way” to use prompts with AI to generate the information you are seeking. However, there are guidelines that can be helpful as you work to create your own prompts. Here are some tips for getting more helpful and accurate responses from Generative AI:

1. Be specific and provide context. 
   The more information you give, the better the response will be. Share details about who you are, what you're trying to accomplish and what kind of output you're looking for. Include your industry, role, goals and other relevant background. Avoid any identifiable information and vague requests like “help me with my resume” and instead clearly define your objective.
   • Example:
     Instead of saying: “Provide feedback on my resume”
   • Try: “Act as a senior recruiter at a tech startup and provide feedback on how to improve my resume for a software engineering internship. My resume is pasted below, and I’ve also included the job description.”
2. Set the tone and perspective.
   You can tell the system how you’d like it to respond - whether in a formal, conversational, persuasive or executive-level tone. You can also ask it to take on a specific role or point of view, such as a hiring manager, marketing director or grant reviewer. This helps tailor the content to your audience.
   • Example:
     “Write this email as if you are a nonprofit executive reaching out to a corporate sponsor. The tone should be professional but warm.”
3. Include source materials whenever possible.
   If you have documents like a resume, job posting, writing sample, or list of project goals, include them directly in the prompt. (We suggest removing identifiable information) The more input the system has, the more relevant and personalized the output will be.
   • Example:
     “Here is my resume and the job description. Please write a one-page cover letter that tells a story about why I’m a great fit, rather than simply summarizing my resume.”
4. Don’t be afraid to follow up or ask for refinements.
   If the initial response is too general or not aligned with your goals, ask for another version with more clarity. You can guide the system toward better results by providing additional direction.
   • Example:
     “This feedback is too general. Can you revise and provide five specific bullet points to make my resume stronger for an account manager role at a SaaS company?”
5. Break down complex tasks into steps.
   If you have a multi-part request, structure it in a way that allows for thoughtful, organized responses. You can request output in a specific order or format, such as lists, sections or side-by-side comparisons.
   • Example:
     “First, provide a summary of the top five skills mentioned in the job description. Then, identify which of those skills are missing or underemphasized in my resume. Last, suggest edits to add those skills into my bullet points.”

Pro Tip:
When typing a prompt into ChatGPT, use Shift + Enter to create line breaks. This allows you to organize your thoughts and present documents or instructions more clearly before submitting them.

Generative AI Prompts to Enhance Career Planning and Preparation

Ethical Use of AI 

Before you start using AI for your career exploration, job search, or application materials, make sure you understand the risks, limitations, and potential shortcomings of generative AI. AI-based programs are powerful and valuable tools, but they should not replace your creativity and ideas. As with any resource, avoid copying and pasting results directly into your documents. If you choose to use AI tools to support your career development, treat them as you would any other resource or collaborative process. Use them to brainstorm, edit, and refine your ideas. AI tools can serve as excellent thought partners, especially when other resources may be limited.

Risks and Limitations

1. Generative AI is not always accurate. AI can produce biased, incorrect, or fabricated information, including fake citations or unreliable sources. You should always review and edit AI-generated content and consult subject-matter experts or reliable resources.
2. AI platforms do not always have up-to-date information about job postings. AI tools are trained on previous data sets and could miss current or local job opportunities. You should verify any job postings or information with the company website or a reliable job board, like SpartanHIRE.
3. AI cannot be you and should not be a substitute for your voice. AI-generated content lacks personal insight and reflection, which are essential for professional communication. You should be editing generated content to be relevant to you, your experiences, and your relationship to the intended audience.
4. AI does not eliminate all bias. AI tools can reflect and potentially amplify societal biases in the data sets they are trained in. It is important to consider diverse perspectives and be cautious of discriminatory or one-sided outputs. The way we input data could also contain implicit biases, and therefore, the output could be skewed. Always consult secondary, well-researched sources to back up your information.
5. Do not provide sensitive information. Be careful to avoid putting sensitive or personal information in AI generation platforms.

Examples of Generative Platforms

There are many different Generative Platforms you can use. Below, you’ll find examples of platforms that you might want to try. Remember, it’s not one size fits all! Find what works for you:

• ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot®, Google Gemini, Grok AI, Claude