ChatGPT can be a great tool in helping you find your next job, and can be used with every step in the process: from becoming job ready, to accepting offers. This is particularly useful if you are looking at a blank page and wondering where to start, or if you are applying in your second or third language. There are, however, some significant issues with using AI and it should only therefore be used as a starting point.
Large employers have been using Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) for a while to scan CVs for keywords and weed out the ones that don’t match their person specifications. This saves them lots of time if they have hundreds of CVs to sort through - and now, candidates have a similar time-saving option.
If you wanted to give AI a go, you could ask for help with advice on job applications, interview preparation, industry trends, and networking strategies. Try entering one of the following prompts into ChatGPT:
- This is my CV and job description, write an ‘About’ section for my LinkedIn profile.
- What other jobs could an HR Manager do?
- Name 5 employers in Nottingham, UK which employ data scientists
- Write a LinkedIn message to send to an alumnus of my university to ask them how they got into their role
- What are the keywords from this advert that I should use in a cover letter to provide evidence that I am suitable for this role?
- Use this job description to make bullet points for writing about the job on my CV, suggesting possible achievements
- Use this advert and job description to suggest some questions that this company might ask at an interview for this job. Which questions could I ask them?
The more information you provide, and the more you specify what you need, the more personalised the result will be. You can specify a tone, such as formal or chatty, and unlike Google, you can ask follow-up questions.
However, it is still vital that you then interact with the result. The information could be inaccurate, out of date, impersonal, not include human qualities such as motivation, and the company may have software which will identify that you used AI, and that could prevent your application from being selected. You therefore must think about the content, put it into your own voice, add personal details, check it for errors, and ask someone else to read it. It is also important to note that we don’t know what happens to the data that you input, such as your CV information. It may be used to help answer other people’s questions or for other purposes.
Despite its usefulness, AI does lack emotional intelligence and understanding and is ultimately no replacement for booking an appointment with a trained Careers Consultant. At Nottingham University Business School, our trained Careers Consultants will be happy to read what you have written and support you more broadly in:
- evaluating your skills, interests, and motivations
- maximising opportunities to gain experience, develop skills and build connections
- navigating your next steps, by either gaining work, changing careers, starting a business or further study.