Cool for Cats: Using AI for Job Search

Generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot can act as a shortcut through the tedious aspects of job search and application. As Donald Clark puts it: ‘Recruitment is a cat and mouse game. AI gives the mice real edge!’ From applying to jobs to refining your application materials and preparing for interviews, AI can serve as an assistant that streamlines job search by automating repetitive writing tasks and offering personalized feedback.

The trick is to use AI effectively while maintaining an authentic voice. The challenge is to harness AI for efficiency without losing sight of one’s own goals, abilities and skill sets – as Johannes Cronje points out: “AI lies a lot, and it lies convincingly” – an AI-generated cover letter that misstates the qualifications is not a great start for a new position.

This post contains practical advice on how to leverage AI in the job search process, following the different stage of the job search.

Phase 1: Identification

The first step in the job search process is identifying the right positions. AI can help you brainstorm potential job titles, especially in fields where titles and roles may not always be clear.

Tool and Prompts:

1. ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot: Ask AI to help you brainstorm job titles and search terms.
   • Prompt: “I graduated from UNC School of Social Work, and I’m looking for jobs in macro social work practice in North Carolina. What are some job titles I can apply for?”
   • Prompt: “I want to go into direct practice within the state of North Carolina. What are some job titles that align with my qualifications?”
2. Uploading your CV: You can upload your CV or resume to AI tools like ChatGPT and ask for personalized job recommendations.
   • Prompt: “Based on my CV, what job titles and positions do you think I would be qualified for?”

AI can also suggest other roles you may not have considered. For instance, Panke suggests uploading a CV and asking an AI tool to analyze it to see which job titles and sectors would be a good fit. This can help expand your search beyond traditional or obvious options.

Phase 2: Crafting Application Materials

Once you’ve identified jobs you’re interested in, the next step is crafting a compelling application. AI can help refine your resume, tailor cover letters, and provide feedback on the alignment between your qualifications and the job description.

Tool and Prompts:

1. Transforming a CV into a Resume: AI can condense long CVs into shorter, targeted resumes.

1. • Prompt: “Please take my 15-page academic CV and create a 1-page resume highlighting the most relevant experience for this job as […].”

While the AI-generated version may require some edits, it provides a solid starting point.

2. Tailoring a Cover Letter: AI can assist in rewriting cover letters to match specific job postings or company missions.

1. • Prompt: “Rewrite this cover letter to emphasize my interest in social justice and my fit for this position at a nonprofit organization.”
   • Prompt: “Align my cover letter with the mission statement of [organization].”

By uploading the mission statement of an organization into AI, you can also ask it to check if your cover letter aligns well with the values of that organization or other specific aspects of the job description.

3. Highlighting Educational Background: AI can suggest what aspects of your education or previous work to emphasize for a particular job.

1. • Prompt: “I graduated from […]. Which parts of the curriculum should I highlight for a Director of Development and Communications role?”

4. Using Writefull for Copyediting:
   Writefull is an AI-powered writing tool similar to Grammarly, but it is particularly useful for more formal and academic writing. Writefull is tailored for precise writing, which can be critical when applying for professional jobs. It integrates with Microsoft Word, and has a free and paid version.
5. Generating Cover Letters with Cover Letter AI:
   Cover Letter AI is a specialized tool designed specifically for crafting personalized cover letters. The tool provides structured cover letter creation based on input about the job, company, and applicant’s qualifications. While it can be a powerful resource for generating fully formatted cover letters, more robust features (like creating multiple versions or in-depth customization) require a paid subscription. If you’re looking to avoid paid subscriptions, studying how the structured input form works can help you develop a good prompting strategy to use with free AI tools

Phase 3: Preparing for Interviews

AI tools can also help you prepare for interviews by generating potential questions and answers, allowing you to practice responses and refine your delivery.

Tool and Prompts:

1. LinkedIn’s Common Interview Questions: Use LinkedIn’s list of 26 common interview questions to practice with AI.
   • Prompt: “Pretend you’re a hiring manager for a training coordinator position. Ask me 10 interview questions, and I’ll respond. Provide feedback on my answers.”
   • Prompt: “Give me sample answers for the following questions: What are your greatest strengths? What are your greatest weaknesses? Why should we hire you?”
2. Speech Coaching Tools: Tools like Yoodli can help you refine your speaking skills, reducing filler words and improving your presentation delivery.
3. Practicing Presentation Skills: If you have to give a presentation as part of an interview, AI can help you create visuals and prepare content that stands out with tools such as Microsoft 365 Copilot, Brisk or Beautiful.ai.

Phase 4: Follow-Up and Final Steps

After an interview, many applicants follow up with a thank-you note. AI can help draft these messages while allowing you to personalize them based on specific details from the interview.

Tool and Prompts:

1. Follow-up Emails: AI can assist in drafting thank-you notes or follow-up emails after an interview.
   • Prompt: “Write a thank-you note to [name], the head of the search committee, and reference our conversation about organizational culture and DEI initiatives.”

The key here is to give AI specific information about the interview to ensure the email feels personalized and not generic.

Don’t AI us, we AI you?

It’s up to each applicant to make the final judgment on whether the AI output is accurate, meaningful, and reflective of who you are. It’s also worthwhile to remember that the application process is only one side of the coin. Recruiters may also be leveraging AI-tools to craft job postings, generate interview questions, or develop skills assessments.  Will we soon operate in a bizarre landscape where AI-optimized position descriptions will be swamped with AI-generated applications so that we then need AI-generated selection aids to sort through the vast amounts of data?

Another possibility is that the recruitment process will shift towards de-emphasizing the reproduction of highly choreographed and thus easily replicable genres such as the cover-letter. We may end up with a more human-centered process focusing on the actual tasks and roles involved in the position. We are co-designing this process every time we use AI.