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Generative AI Tools

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) software such as ChatGPT, can be one of many beneficial tools to use in your job and internship search or for career exploration. With this new software, it is best to use it as a complementary tool that enhances materials that were personally written rather than creating them. With that in mind, here are some general recommendations when using generative AI:

  • Use this software to augment your own creativity and voice. This helps you speak to your abilities in interviews, especially when asked about application documents you may have asked AI to create.
  • Since this software copies from the internet at-large, it comes with the internet’s inherent bias. To try and avoid this, it’s important to be specific in your asks, avoid generalizations, and critique the generative AI’s output before disseminating it in anyway.
  • Don’t assume information generated by these programs are correct; make sure to secondarily verify information.
    •  Example: You prompt the generative AI to help draft an introductory paragraph for a cover
      letter for a prominent software company. Then, it incorrectly identifies the company as an ice
      cream manufacturer.
    • AI pulls information from the internet at-large which means you may run the risk of having copyrighted material in your finished product. This is why it’s important to make sure your product is as original as possible.
  • Don’t input personally identifiable information or legally protected material into these programs as most of these programs are known to keep the data.
    • Example: You ask the generative AI to help tailor your resume to a job description and you copy
      your resume into the query box. Avoid copying your header with your personal information and
      paste the body of the document instead

 

Sample Prompts

Treat working with AI programs as a dialogue and not as a search engine. Be specific with your prompts, ask follow-up questions, and regenerate responses when necessary. Below are prompts to get you started. 

  • Resumes
    • Can I give you my resume and a job description and you can let me know how I can better tailor my resume for the job description?
      • Here is my resume [Insert resume with personal info removed]
      • Here is the job description [Insert job description]
    • Can I give you my resume and you can let me know if there are any unnecessary details that don’t speak to transferrable skills that I bring to a job? [insert resume with personal info removed]
    • If I give you a job description, can you look at it and tell me if there are any commonly used words that I could use on my resume?
    • Can I give you my resume and you can tell me if the bullets adequately express my transferrable skills? Here is my resume [Insert resume with personal info removed]
  • Cover Letters 
    • Can I give you a job description and then you can write an introductory paragraph for my cover letter? [insert job description]
    • Can I give you a job description and my resume and you can write a cover letter that connects my experience to the job duties and job requirements
      • Here is the job description [Insert job description]
      • Here is my resume [Insert resume with personal info removed]
  • Interviews
    • Can you give me 13 behavioral interview questions based on this job description? [insert job description]
    • Can you give me common interview questions for [insert job title] internships at [company name]
    • Based on the company description in the job description I gave you above, can you give me 1 question to ask about professional development opportunities and one question to ask on challenges this company may face?
    • Based on my resume and the job description, can you give an answer for a question that asks about my relevant experience?
      • Here is my resume [Insert resume with personal info removed]
      • Here is the job description [Insert job description]
    • Can you write me a 1-paragraph thank you note that connects my resume experience to the job description?
      • [Insert resume with personal info removed]
      • Here is the job description [Insert job description]
  • Networking
    • Based on my LinkedIn profile and another LinkedIn profile, can you give me a max 300-character connection request that is personalized to both profiles?
      • Here is my LinkedIn profile [insert your LinkedIn profile]
      • Here is the LinkedIn profile of the person receiving the request [Insert other LinkedIn profile]
    • Can I give you a LinkedIn profile and you generate 10 questions to ask in an informational interview for management consultant?
      • Here is their LinkedIn profile [Insert profile]
    • I’d like to invite a pediatrician for an informal meeting over coffee and ask them about their job. Can you give me 1 paragraph that I can email them to request this meeting? 
  • Career Exploration
    • Can you tell me what careers best fit a Sociology major?
    • What careers best fit a double major of English and Economics?
    • Can you give me a list of jobs that do not work in a traditional office?
    • If I give you my resume, can you tell me jobs that I best qualify for?
      • Here is my resume [Insert resume with personal info removed]
    • What are some careers that combine my interests for congressional elections and business?
    • Can you give me a list of careers that work with children that are suited for a History major?