Artificial Intelligence and the Employment World

 This article was written by a human (Sam Wright, Employment Counsellor) and quality checked with Copilot

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to be one of the most significant drivers of research, development, and investment in 2024, we are increasingly seeing its applications spread to consumers and its integration into everyday tools like writing, research, and various internet applications. One area where AI has made a considerable impact is in the employment sector. It is transforming how individuals write resumes, cover letters, and apply for jobs, as well as how employers screen applications and manage their hiring processes. As AI plays a larger role in our daily lives, it’s important to consider how to effectively use it in your job search and preparation.

Writing and Grammar Tools

AI represents a significant advancement in content generation. If you've used major AI platforms like ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini, you know they can generate text based on your input with a level of complexity previously unattainable. For instance, you can input your experiences and qualities, and the AI can produce a reasonably accurate resume or cover letter in under ten seconds. However, these documents should not be copied and pasted directly into applications, as employers are increasingly scrutinizing AI-generated resumes.

Recent polling by the Financial Times revealed that approximately half of current job applications are generated by AI tools. While 97% of large companies use AI systems to assist in screening candidates, many hiring managers view AI-generated resumes as a red flag (Shibu., 2024). The Financial Times noted that AI-generated language often comes across as clunky and generic, failing to capture a candidate's unique story and voice. Therefore, while AI can serve as a useful framework for structuring your documents, it requires further editing to ensure it accurately reflects your experiences, is tailored to the job you’re applying for, and showcases your individuality.

Creativity and Learning

AI can also be a valuable resource when you're feeling stuck or in the midst of a learning process. You can use AI tools to generate examples or writing prompts that help you approach a problem from a new perspective. For example, if you're struggling to summarize your leadership experience, you can input your background into an AI tool and ask it to suggest transferable skills.

Example Prompt:

"I completed a six-week leadership camp last summer. What transferable skills did I gain?"

Possible AI Response:

Completing a six-week leadership program likely equipped you with several valuable transferable skills, including:

• Leadership Skills: Learning to motivate and guide a team, set goals, and delegate tasks effectively.
• Communication: Developing strong verbal and written communication skills essential for leadership.
• Problem-Solving: Gaining skills in identifying challenges and brainstorming solutions.
• Adaptability: Learning to adjust to new situations and challenges.
• Teamwork and Collaboration: Enhancing your ability to work with others to achieve common goals.
• Critical Thinking: Honing your ability to analyze situations and make informed decisions.
• Conflict Resolution: Managing and resolving conflicts within a team.
• Project Management: Planning, executing, and overseeing projects to ensure timely completion.

While AI can help identify these skills, it’s crucial to personalize them for your resume.

For instance, instead of simply stating "Adaptability, learns to adjust to new situations and challenges”.

You may write it like this: “Adaptable individual, was required to supervise and provide guidance to younger campers while also completing general cleaning duties, and prioritizing task planning for daily workshops”.

This approach provides context and demonstrates how you applied your adaptability in a specific situation, showcasing your unique voice and experience.

Identifying Job Posting Key Points

AI tools can assist you in pinpointing the key skills that employers seek in job advertisements. By asking the AI to analyze a job posting and highlight the essential skills or attributes, you can tailor your resume to align with what the employer is looking for. This targeted approach significantly enhances the quality of your application. The writer will want to take the list into consideration when incorporating points into their resume and ensure that each point on the document speaks to one of the key abilities that the AI tool listed. This will allow for applicant tracking systems to identify keywords in your resume and cover letters and their close relation to what the job posting was seeking.

Interview Preparation

AI tools can also aid in interview preparation. At a basic level, you can ask, "What are some interview questions for a line cook?" The AI will generate industry-specific questions to help you prepare. Additionally, you can input the job posting into the AI tool to receive tailored interview questions based on that specific role.

Furthermore, you can use AI for feedback on your interview responses. By prompting the AI with an interview question, you can voice record your answer, have it transcribed, and then request feedback on your response and areas for improvement. This practice is still at its beginning stages, and there are already some AI Tools that specialize in job interview feedback. The quality level on free/unpaid consumer level applications may not be of the quality that is sufficient to rely heavily upon now, but they remain a good tool for preparation and gathering more perspectives on where you might be able to implement improved responses. 

While AI tools are not a guaranteed path to securing a job, they are valuable resources that can enhance your employability skills. 

If you have questions or wish to further develop your job search strategies, feel free to visit the Calgary Youth Employment Centre for personalized support in building your job skills!