Generative AI, like ChatGPT and Gemini, is an important tool that can streamline aspects of the job and internship search. Like any other tool, you must learn how to use it effectively, responsibly, and safely. Using AI is not a substitute for career services, and our offices are ready to help you with all aspects of your career journey!
Important Considerations
- Research the company or organization to see if they have any policies about applicants using AI.
- Exercise caution by removing personal details such as name and contact information from your resume before submitting it to an AI tool. Never share any government-issued ID numbers, financial information, sensitive personal data, intellectual property, or other confidential information with an AI tool.
- AI can generate ideas, get you started in the writing process, and help you optimize your work, but should not be used as a substitute for you doing your own work.
- Revise written content provided by AI to ensure it matches your writing style, and that you can speak to all provided content in an interview.
- Ask AI to provide responses in different styles, such as formal, or more casual. You can also choose to regenerate a response to get different suggestions that can be combined together or ask the AI tool follow-up questions to get more specific content.
- When responding to a prompt, generative AI can hallucinate false information. For example, if asked to generate a cover letter using the text of a resume and a job description, it might narrate experiences in the cover letter that did not actually occur. It is important to check any AI-generated output for factual accuracy.
- Unfortunately AI models can produce biased or offensive content. Always check AI-generated output for this tendency.
- Chat GPT in particular is not kept up to date, and information generated on companies will not be current. Always refer to company websites for accurate information and job/internship postings.
You are ultimately responsible for any application materials you send. Edit the work so it is in your own voice, double check everything for accuracy, and avoid sharing sensitive personal data!
When used effectively, AI can be an excellent tool for helping you identify your career path as well as finding opportunities that would fit your skills, interests, and values.
- AI can analyze your skills, experience, and preferences to suggest jobs that match your profile. This can save time you might spend searching through irrelevant listings.
- AI tools can help you identify skills that are in demand for the roles you’re interested in and suggest resources to acquire or improve those skills.
- AI can quickly gather information on companies, industry trends, salary benchmarks, and more to help you make informed decisions about where to apply. Chat GPT in particular is not kept up to date, and information generated on companies will not be current. Always refer to company websites for accurate information and active job/internship postings.
Sample Prompts
What can I do with a major in [history]?
I am interested in [gender and the environment, and enjoy conducting research]. What are 10 jobs that combine these interests?
What organizations are hiring for [job provided in previous question]? What faculty at DU have expertise in this area?
I’m considering a career transition from [XYZ to ABC]. Offer insights on relevant skills to acquire, online courses or certifications to pursue, and how to effectively communicate my transferable skills on my resume and during interviews for these positions.
Based on the experience from my resume, what are 10 career fields I may want to explore? [insert resume] What skills am I missing for [specific career field]? How can I acquire those skills?
AI can help you write and customize your resume for different job applications. It can suggest improvements, check for grammatical issues, and ensure your resume is tailored to the job description. Don’t forget that you can always ask AI to generate alternate responses if you don’t like the first option.
Reminder: Do NOT input personal or sensitive information into an AI platform!
Sample Prompts
I am a job seeker looking for a [software engineering role at a startup]. How can I make my application stand out? Include your resume.
Acting as the hiring manager for the role of XYZ, create a table with my strengths and limitations compared to the role. Include your resume and job description.
What are the 15 most important skills in this job description? Which of those skills are missing from my resume? Include your resume and the job description.
Provide suggestions to optimize my resume for this position. Highlight key skills, experiences, and achievements.
I did these activities for [company]. Create a resume bullet point in the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to describe this work using strong action words and quantifiable information.
Take the following resume bullet point and make it stronger using action verbs, quantifiable information, and the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Input a weak bullet point here.
Provide a list of industry-specific keywords that can be added to tailor the document for [position]. Where can those keywords be integrated into my resume? Include your resume and job description.
It is tempting to input your resume and a job description and ask AI to generate a cover letter. We strongly recommend that you do NOT take this approach for the following reasons:
- Recruiters tell stories of receiving the exact same AI generated cover letter from multiple applicants. Those applicants don’t get the jobs!
- AI is a computer program that can only repeat the information you provide. As a result, AI generated cover letters are generic, boring, and full of “fluff” words that don’t effectively highlight your skills and unique accomplishments. And remember that ChatGPT can generate incorrect, misleading, or possibly offensive or biased content.
AI can help you improve a draft or help you format, structure, generate ideas, and provide a starting point for your cover letter. Always remember to edit your work in a way that reflects your own voice and specific experience.
Reminder: Do NOT input personal or sensitive information into an AI platform!
Sample Prompts
Write 5 different ways to express enthusiasm and interest in the [company] and the [position], given my professional experience and [value alignment, commitment to DEI, specific area of work…]. Include your resume and job description.
What are the top 5 skills needed for the role? Summarize the required job skills with the appropriate experience on my resume, citing company names and roles in my job history. Include your resume and job description.
I used [skills] and did [tasks] at [company]. Please write a cover letter paragraph to summarize this experience in the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
Optimize grammar and spelling for the following document, retaining all content. Include your draft cover letter.
Suggest ways to make this cover letter [more compelling for a recruiter, better aligned for the position, more concise…] based on my skills and background. Include your cover letter, resume, and job description.
Write a cover letter to (Hiring Manger) at (Company Name) applying for (Position Title). Mention that I am a certified Master Fabric Craftsperson with experience creating hundreds of unique designs, and that I have previously worked at Clothing Company as a textile designer. Also, mention that I have loved fabric and how it’s created and designed since I began working in costume design in high school, and that working at the confluence of fabric design and technology is something I’m passionate about. Use 4 paragraphs and 400-500 words. *From Grammarly
You can use AI to conduct mock interviews, get feedback on your answers, and refine your approach based on the job you’re applying for.
As you work with AI to prepare for an interview it is essential that you utilize your own experiences and let your personality show through when formulating responses. Interviewing is still about building a connection between you and the interviewer!
- LinkedIn’s interview prep tool has a series of common interview questions that you can provide an answer for and receive immediate AI-powered feedback, or you can privately request feedback from your connections.
- You can prompt ChatGPT to help you come up with likely interview questions based on a job description. Then you can ask it to help you come up with answers. You can also ask ChatGPT for tips on how you could answer an interview question like, “What type of management style do you prefer in a supervisor?” The algorithm will produce some samples and strategies to help you answer the question well.
Reminder: Do NOT input personal or sensitive information into an AI platform!
Sample Prompts
For the following job description, please give me 10 possible interview questions. Input job description.
Now please provide some good example answers using the STAR method where possible. Answers should be confident and engaging and no more than 3 minutes in length.
Using the job description, what are the 5 main skills a qualified applicant needs to possess? What are 3 potential questions an interviewer might ask to understand if I possess [skill]? What is a good response to this question?
I want you to act as an interviewer. I will be the candidate and you will ask me the interview questions for [position] at [company]. Input job description. I want you to only reply as the interviewer. Do not write all the conversation at once. I want you to only do the interview with me. Ask me the questions and wait for my answers. Do not write explanations. Ask me the questions one by one like an interviewer does and wait for my answers. My first sentence is “Hi, my name is __.”
Using this resume, create a 1-2 minute response to the interview question, “Tell me about yourself”. Include resume.
What are five questions I can ask in an interview that will give me insight into the [company’s culture and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion]?
Write a thank you letter for a job interview with a [software company]. Tone should be energetic and professional.
AI can help you draft messages to potential employers or professionals in your field for networking purposes. It can suggest ways to reach out, follow up, and keep conversations going. AI can also assist in optimizing your LinkedIn profile or other professional social media to better attract recruiters and demonstrate your expertise.
Reminder: Do NOT input personal or sensitive information into an AI platform!
Sample Prompts
Generate a LinkedIn request for an alum in my desired field. Please personalize it to our shared interests and focus on a next step request to have a conversation. Keep it to 300 characters. The tone should be professional yet friendly. Input your LinkedIn profile and a the profile of an alum you’d like to connect with.
Create a 30-second elevator pitch that I could use when meeting employers at a career event. Input your resume or LinkedIn profile.
What are 5 questions I should ask in an informational interview with an [accountant]?
Create an “About Me” section for my LinkedIn profile. Focus on [key skills] and keep it to 300 characters. Input your LinkedIn profile or resume.
