The world and technology have surely changed in the 25+ years, that we have been sharing job search tips on these pages (and the WNYJOBS.com website). It seems like just yesterday that we were sharing tips on how to send electronic versions of your resume or using websites to find job postings. Then it was social media and how to use it and even more importantly at the time was how to keep it from hurting your candidacy.
Now in 2024, we are faced with the challenges of yet another potential game changer, with the use of artificial intelligence or (AI). AI is the intelligence created by computer systems that mimic a human in ways such as recognizing speech, making decisions, and identifying patterns. While there are many potential job search benefits to AI, there are also a similar number of areas of concern associated with using this technology.
Many people view AI as a generational item with the focus on those in their chronological early 20s or younger. While these individuals may have grown up in an AI world, the reality is that this technology is available for everyone to use. Let us look at what we know of AI currently, and how it can potentially help you if used strategically and with measure.
• Writing Your Cover Letter: The demise of the cover letter has been exaggerated and maintains a critical status of your resume submission. There are AI tools that will virtually write your cover letter for you. The challenge is that a good cover letter should not only include your career highlights and skills, but also key references specific to the company and position you are applying for. So, whatever AI produces for you, there will be a need to review and customize.
• Writing Your Resume: Similar to a cover letter, a good resume should contain some customization for the position for which you are applying. An AI writing tool can provide a first draft for you to examine and edit. You can do this by entering your skills and experiences into the tool, as well as the job description and/or position posting. AI can also assist you by recommending keywords to use when you write the document. Of course, the challenge with using AI for either document is that written communication is still a critical skillset for many positions. Your use of AI may provide the prospective employer with a false sense of your ability to write in a clear, concise, and error-free manner.
• Career Advice: A recent study by Workplace Intelligence and INTOO indicated that among 1,600 U.S. based Generation Z employees, 47% claimed that they would get better advice from ChatGPT than their manager. Once again, however, AI will provide you with general guidance, where speaking to someone will allow you to tap into knowledge obtained via first-hand experience. This can be especially important when seeking advice regarding progress within a specific organization. A manager or someone else from inside can help you with culture and specific position insight, as well as being an advocate for your career.
• Writing “Other” Documents: AI can assist in writing thank you notes and follow-up e-mails. These documents tend to be simple and general, so using AI, providing a brief review, and editing should allow you to be ready to send the message in no time.
• Social Media Presence: You can use AI to assist you in drafting your professional social media profile, so that it contains the keywords that a recruiter expects to see. You want your documents to be an honest reflection of yourself, so please remove any statements created by AI that are not true. Unfortunately, fabricating information is still a challenge for most AI tools.
• Interview Prep: AI can be used to provide you with frequently asked interview questions and include suggested responses. Of course, you could just log on to www.wnyjobs.com and review several articles on the subject that will provide you with all the information you need. Also, unless you have an AI robot at home, there is nothing that can replace having someone doing interview role play with you and evaluating not only your answers, but body language, etc.
AI technology has arrived, and it is a tool that job seekers should consider using during their job search. It will be interesting to follow how employers respond to AI usage by job seekers. I can see where we may have companies require that applicants attest that they have not used AI to create their cover letter or resume. But, until this potentially happens, the use of AI should be considered. However, a human touch should still be invested in order to make sure documents and decisions truly represent you.
As always, best of luck in your job search.
The following has been prepared for the general information of WNYJobs readers. It is not meant to provide advice with respect to any specific legal or policy matter and should not be acted upon without verification by the reader.
Joe Stein
WNY Human Resources Professional
Feel free to contact Joe Stein regarding questions or comments at:
Joe Stein
