Bolster Your Job Search Endeavors Via Generative AI ChatGPT, Abiding By AI Ethics And AI Law Provisions

Job searching is hard.

It is hard on the nerves.

It is hard because you might linger in limbo for weeks or months at a time. It is hard due to wanting to ensure that every move you make will be the right one. There is that constantly looming fear that you might overstep and lose that prized job of a lifetime. Or you might inadvertently fail to take a step that would have landed the dream job you’ve been seeking nearly forever.

What can you do to boost your job search prowess?

A nowadays emerging answer is that you can use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to come to your job searching aid.

For those of you that want AI to take care of the entire hassle and agonizing ordeal of a job search, I’m sorry to say that this is not yet in the cards. That being said, do keep your hopes up about what AI can remarkably accomplish in this context. Judicious use of AI can potentially make the job search a bit easier and serve as a sidekick to guide and encourage you during the dark days tolling away in the muddy job-hunting trenches.

AI won’t be a cure-all in this quest. Nor will the AI opt to do the job that you ultimately land, though you should expect that most modern-day jobs will inevitably require some AI usage once you are seated in the role and performing the work at hand. One way or another, AI is entering into all manner of job activities. Might as well use AI to find a job too.

Hopefully, I’ve now got your attention.

There is a particular type of AI known as Generative AI that is especially suitable for aiding a job search. Perhaps you’ve heard about or seen blaring headlines about an AI app known as ChatGPT. This social media darling of generative AI has garnered incredible press. I assure you that ChatGPT does not walk on water. One thing it can do is help throughout the perils and pitfalls of doing job searches.

In today’s column, I will be addressing the specific ways in which you can use generative AI for conducting a prudent and successful job search. I’ll be providing examples based on the use of ChatGPT, but please realize there are other generative AI apps that you can use instead. ChatGPT is admittedly the 600-pound gorilla right now of generative AI. Nonetheless, there are other similar generative AI apps that you can use in the same way and accomplish the same outcomes.

Meanwhile, you might be wondering what in fact generative AI is.

Let’s first cover the fundamentals of generative AI and then we can take a close look at leveraging the various features for job-hunting journeys.

Into all of this comes a slew of AI Ethics and AI Law considerations.

Please be aware that there are ongoing efforts to imbue Ethical AI principles into the development and fielding of AI apps. A growing contingent of concerned and erstwhile AI ethicists are trying to ensure that efforts to devise and adopt AI takes into account a view of doing AI For Good and averting AI For Bad. Likewise, there are proposed new AI laws that are being bandied around as potential solutions to keep AI endeavors from going amok on human rights and the like. For my ongoing and extensive coverage of AI Ethics and AI Law, see the link here and the link here, just to name a few.

The development and promulgation of Ethical AI precepts are being pursued to hopefully prevent society from falling into a myriad of AI-inducing traps. For my coverage of the UN AI Ethics principles as devised and supported by nearly 200 countries via the efforts of UNESCO, see the link here. In a similar vein, new AI laws are being explored to try and keep AI on an even keel. One of the latest takes consists of a set of proposed AI Bill of Rights that the U.S. White House recently released to identify human rights in an age of AI, see the link here. It takes a village to keep AI and AI developers on a rightful path and deter the purposeful or accidental underhanded efforts that might undercut society.

I’ll be interweaving AI Ethics and AI Law related considerations into this discussion.

Fundamentals Of Generative AI

The most widely known instance of generative AI is represented by an AI app named ChatGPT. ChatGPT sprung into the public consciousness back in November when it was released by the AI research firm OpenAI. Ever since ChatGPT has garnered outsized headlines and astonishingly exceeded its allotted fifteen minutes of fame.

I’m guessing you’ve probably heard of ChatGPT or maybe even know someone that has used it.

ChatGPT is considered a generative AI application because it takes as input some text from a user and then generates or produces an output that consists of an essay. The AI is a text-to-text generator, though I describe the AI as being a text-to-essay generator since that more readily clarifies what it is commonly used for. You can use generative AI to compose lengthy compositions or you can get it to proffer rather short pithy comments. It’s all at your bidding.

All you need to do is enter a prompt and the AI app will generate for you an essay that attempts to respond to your prompt. The composed text will seem as though the essay was written by the human hand and mind. If you were to enter a prompt that said “Tell me about Abraham Lincoln” the generative AI will provide you with an essay about Lincoln. There are other modes of generative AI, such as text-to-art and text-to-video. I’ll be focusing herein on the text-to-text variation.

Your first thought might be that this generative capability does not seem like such a big deal in terms of producing essays. You can easily do an online search of the Internet and readily find tons and tons of essays about President Lincoln. The kicker in the case of generative AI is that the generated essay is relatively unique and provides an original composition rather than a copycat. If you were to try and find the AI-produced essay online someplace, you would be unlikely to discover it.

Generative AI is pre-trained and makes use of a complex mathematical and computational formulation that has been set up by examining patterns in written words and stories across the web. As a result of examining thousands and millions of written passages, the AI can spew out new essays and stories that are a mishmash of what was found. By adding in various probabilistic functionality, the resulting text is pretty much unique in comparison to what has been used in the training set.

There are numerous concerns about generative AI.

One crucial downside is that the essays produced by a generative-based AI app can have various falsehoods embedded, including manifestly untrue facts, facts that are misleadingly portrayed, and apparent facts that are entirely fabricated. Those fabricated aspects are often referred to as a form of AI hallucinations, a catchphrase that I disfavor but lamentedly seems to be gaining popular traction anyway (for my detailed explanation about why this is lousy and unsuitable terminology, see my coverage at the link here).

Another concern is that humans can readily take credit for a generative AI-produced essay, despite not having composed the essay themselves. You might have heard that teachers and schools are quite concerned about the emergence of generative AI apps. Students can potentially use generative AI to write their assigned essays. If a student claims that an essay was written by their own hand, there is little chance of the teacher being able to discern whether it was instead forged by generative AI. For my analysis of this student and teacher confounding facet, see my coverage at the link here and the link here.

There have been some zany outsized claims on social media about Generative AI asserting that this latest version of AI is in fact sentient AI (nope, they are wrong!). Those in AI Ethics and AI Law are notably worried about this burgeoning trend of outstretched claims. You might politely say that some people are overstating what today’s AI can actually do. They assume that AI has capabilities that we haven’t yet been able to achieve. That’s unfortunate. Worse still, they can allow themselves and others to get into dire situations because of an assumption that the AI will be sentient or human-like in being able to take action.

Do not anthropomorphize AI.

Doing so will get you caught in a sticky and dour reliance trap of expecting the AI to do things it is unable to perform. With that being said, the latest in generative AI is relatively impressive for what it can do. Be aware though that there are significant limitations that you ought to continually keep in mind when using any generative AI app.

One final forewarning for now.

Whatever you see or read in a generative AI response that seems to be conveyed as purely factual (dates, places, people, etc.), make sure to remain skeptical and be willing to double-check what you see.

Yes, dates can be concocted, places can be made up, and elements that we usually expect to be above reproach are all subject to suspicions. Do not believe what you read and keep a skeptical eye when examining any generative AI essays or outputs. If a generative AI app tells you that Abraham Lincoln flew around the country in his private jet, you would undoubtedly know that this is malarky. Unfortunately, some people might not realize that jets weren’t around in his day, or they might know but fail to notice that the essay makes this brazen and outrageously false claim.

A strong dose of healthy skepticism and a persistent mindset of disbelief will be your best asset when using generative AI.

We are ready to move into the next stage of this elucidation.

Crucial Ways To Use Generative AI For Job Searching

Now that you have a semblance of what generative AI is, we can explore the particulars of trying to use the core features of such AI for doing job searches.

Here’s my handy-dandy list of the twelve ways that you can use generative AI such as ChatGPT to undertake a sensible and productive job search:

• 1) Aid in identifying and assessing your job search strategies
• 2) Serve as your sidekick job search coach
• 3) Bolster your social media job-searching positioning
• 4) Boost your daily spirit to keep in the job search game
• 5) Prepare your resume
• 6) Review and revise your resume
• 7) Find and analyze prospective employers
• 8) Get you ready for those daunting interviews
• 9) Provide feedback as to how your interviews went
• 10) Do an assessment of job offers
• 11) Guide your job offer negotiations
• 12) Get you ready for future job searches

There are additional ways that you can use generative AI in this somber endeavor, so do keep your eyes wide open for further means of using AI in this capacity. I’ve opted to focus your attention on these dozen keystone methods. Once you’ve tried using generative AI for these notable approaches, I’m sure you’ll readily come up with even more ways to do so.

I’ll cover each one of the generative AI uses, step by step.

Along the way, I will also be pointing out important caveats and limitations. Anybody that blindly tries to use an AI app to aid in their job search is asking for trouble. You cannot let AI take over your efforts. You are in charge. As mentioned earlier, the chances are that generative AI will produce errors, falsehoods, and other maladies when composing the outputted essays. You need to be diligent and catch any such unsavoriness.

Some wonder whether they can use AI as a convenient excuse or fall guy when making a faux pas as a job seeker.

Here’s what I mean.

You put together your resume. It looks perfect. You send the resume to a prospective employer. Upon seeing the resume, they let you know that there were flagrant errors in your resume, such as names or dates that don’t jibe. Because of the found errors, you are summarily out of luck about pursuing this particular job. The expectation by the prospective employer was that you would carefully and thoroughly scrutinize your resume before sending it in. Anyone that lacks that kind of care is not someone they want to hire.

One immediate hunch would be that maybe you can blame AI for the mistakes made. This might get you off the hook. It might also get you back into the game with this potential employer.

You let them know that you had used a generative AI app to aid in crafting your resume. Regrettably, and as we all know, these AI apps are prone to making mistakes (that’s your outstretched plea). You thank them for finding the errors. You submit a new version that you assure them was redone, by hand, and now has completely corrected the prior faults.

Will this get a second look and a fresh start?

Let’s address the AI Ethics considerations.

First, suppose that you didn’t actually use any AI app at all and instead the resume was done entirely by you. You are now lying that the AI made the missteps. One supposes that if the prospective employer found out you have lied, they would almost certainly ditch your application right away. The odds though that they would ascertain that you lied is rather low, such that even those proclaimed detection tools that will determine whether something is written by human hand versus AI are generally unreliable and not to be depended upon, see my extensive analysis of the link here.

Second, imagine that you did use a generative AI app. Your attempt to shift blame to the AI is obviously rather weak. You should have reviewed and corrected any mistakes. The resume that you submitted is entirely on your shoulders. Trying to shift blame to AI is seemingly unseemly. One supposes that you might get a prospective employer to buy into the contention, but it still makes you out to be lacking in thoroughness and diligence.

The upshot is that you will need to check and double-check anything that you get as output from generative AI. Be very mindful of what you opt to use. Don’t fall into the easy trap of assuming that the materials produced by generative AI will be of the highest and perfect quality. They won’t be. Sometimes you’ll get content that is right on, while in other cases you might get askew content that subtly undermines your pursuits. The instances of wild and wacky outputs are usually easily noted and corrected.

Here’s another sobering consideration for you.

Do you need to inform a prospective employer that you are using generative AI as part of your job search activities?

Once again, we have entered into the AI Ethics realm.

Some would say that yes, you should inform a prospective hiring firm that you have used AI to aid in your job search, assuming that you indeed are doing so. This might be done in a cover letter or indicated directly on your resume. This tells the company that you are honest and aboveboard. There might also be a side tangent benefit that it makes you look state-of-the-art and that you understand how to make use of AI.

Hogwash, the retort goes. There is absolutely no need to tell anyone that you are using AI in your job search. It is none of their business. You might have used a friend or hired a human job search adviser, but you likely wouldn’t tout that, would you? Of course not. The AI is merely a behind-the-scenes aid. Don’t bring it up. If a prospective employer directly asks you whether you are using AI, well, in that case, be forthright. Only then does the issue arise. The odds are infinitesimal that you’ll be asked such a question.

You be the judge.

The gist is that you ought to anticipate and contemplate your posture associated with the use of generative AI in your job-hunting efforts.

Now then, I will be proffering some of the pros and cons associated with using generative AI for each of the twelve approaches that I’ve listed. It is generally up to you to decide what you are comfortable doing and to what degree you will reveal your AI usage.

The interesting twist is that your use of AI is not especially a considered legal issue per se as yet. Meanwhile, the use of AI by employers for hiring purposes is becoming a big deal. I’ve discussed how the government is mulling over potential regulations and legislation associated with using AI in the job hiring process. Indeed, especially at the forefront of this emerging high-priority matter is EEOC Commissioner, Keith Sonderling, see my coverage at the link here.

Let’s next proceed to explore each of the twelve ways that you can augment or amplify your job search via generative AI, including tips and insights associated with using ChatGPT in particular. Afterward, I’ll do a wrap-up and provide some final thoughts on the topic.

1) Aid in identifying and assessing your job search strategies

You can use generative AI such as ChatGPT to identify and assess your job-hunting strategies.

If you don’t have any particular strategy in mind, you can simply ask or tell ChatGPT to identify some useful approaches for you. This will usually be laid out in a series of bulleted points. You can then dive deeper into the mentioned considerations. Realize that this is all supposed to be done interactively. Do not treat this as though it is a one-and-done matter.

I mention the interactive aspects because your first reaction to seeing a set of job search strategies as generated by ChatGPT would likely be that this is no different than if you had done a generic Internet search on your own anyway. Though that is somewhat true, you have to realize that the beauty of using generative AI is that you can immediately interact with the app and take the conversation in a variety of directions. Doing so in a conventional Internet search engine is much harder and at times exceedingly frustrating (for my coverage of the emerging inclusion of generative AI such as ChatGPT and Bard into search engines, see the link here).

For those of you that already have a devised job search method, you can get ChatGPT to assess whatever approach you are using. You will need to do a cut-and-paste into the ChatGPT prompt to indicate what your job search strategy is. If you don’t have one written down and it exists solely in your noggin, now might be a good time to write it down. Seeing your thoughts on paper often spurs new ideas and gets you to see gotchas or loopholes that otherwise were not apparent.

Plus, once you’ve got it written, you can then give it to ChatGPT for review and assessment. And, of course, you can then get ChatGPT to further elaborate on the assessment and explain why things might be improved.

One thing I do want to warn you about. When you enter your prompts into generative AI, most of these packages are not considered private and there is no guarantee of confidentiality. The AI maker usually says that they can look at your prompts and use your prompts in various ways, presumably to enhance the AI, but this is widely interpretable and you can’t know for sure what will happen to your prompts. For my in-depth look at the qualms about data privacy and confidentiality associated with ChatGPT, see the link here.

I think we are now ready for an example of how ChatGPT can generate a job search strategy.

Let’s start with a generic prompt and see what we will get produced.

My Entered Prompt: “What are some really good job search strategies?”

ChatGPT Generated Response:

“Here are some effective job search strategies that can help you find a job:”

• “Identify your strengths and skills: Knowing what you’re good at can help you target the right job opportunities that match your skills and interests.”
• “Update your resume and cover letter: Ensure your resume and cover letter are up to date and tailored for each job application.”
• “Network: Reach out to your professional network, including colleagues, friends, family, and former bosses, to ask for job leads or advice.”
• “Use online job boards: Check job boards such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, Monster, and other job listing websites to find relevant job postings.”
• “Attend job fairs and events: Attend job fairs, conferences, and industry events to meet potential employers, learn about job opportunities, and network with other professionals.”
• “Consider temporary or freelance work: Consider taking on freelance work or temp jobs to build your skills and connections in your industry.”
• “Utilize social media: Use social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to connect with potential employers and industry professionals.”
• “Prepare for job interviews: Research the company, review common interview questions, and practice your responses to increase your chances of acing the job interview.”

“Remember to be patient and persistent in your job search. It may take some time, but with the right strategy and effort, you’ll find the job that’s right for you.”

Analysis of Results

All in all, the generic response seems pretty good.

There might be some points made that you hadn’t yet been considering. Score a point or two for ChatGPT.

Next, let’s give ChatGPT some specifics. I will pretend that I am a mid-career professional that is currently employed as a senior software engineer. With all the tech company lays offs lately, let’s also tell ChatGPT that I was let go as an overall RIF (reduction in force). Perhaps the job search strategy generated will be more specific to this particular situation.

My Entered Prompt: “I am a mid-career professional that is a senior software engineer. I recently got laid off as did many of my fellow software developers. What are some useful job search strategies for me in particular based on my current career status.”

ChatGPT Generated Response:

“ChatGPT I’m sorry to hear about your recent layoff. Here are some job search strategies that may be particularly useful for mid-career professionals like yourself who have experience as a senior software engineer:”

• “Leverage your professional network: Reach out to former colleagues, managers, clients, and acquaintances who work in your industry or related industries to let them know that you’re looking for work. They may be able to refer you to job opportunities or offer advice.”
• “Update your resume and online profiles: Update your resume and online profiles such as LinkedIn to highlight your skills and experience as a senior software engineer. Be sure to customize your resume for each job application.”
• “Focus on companies with a strong technology focus: Research and target companies with a strong technology focus, such as tech startups, software development firms, and companies in the software development or IT industries.”
• “Attend industry events and conferences: Attend industry events, conferences, and seminars to network with professionals in your industry, learn about the latest trends and technologies, and hear about job opportunities.”
• “Consider contract work or freelancing: Consider taking on contract work or freelancing as a way to gain experience, build your skills, and expand your network in your industry.”
• “Brush up on your skills: Consider taking online courses, attending workshops, or getting certifications to brush up on your skills and demonstrate your commitment to learning and staying up-to-date with the latest technology.”
• “Prepare for interviews: Prepare for job interviews by researching the company, reviewing common interview questions, and practicing your responses. Be sure to highlight your experience as a senior software engineer and demonstrate how you can add value to the company.”

“Remember, finding a new job can be a challenging process, but with persistence and the right strategies, you’ll be able to find the right job opportunity for your career.”

Analysis of Results

I would say that the job search strategy is now definitely more finely tuned to my briefly painted scenario.

That being said, some of it has a kind of templated feel to it. This is almost as though the phrase “senior software engineer” were merely inserted here and there into the text. This highlights that you will usually need to keep digging deeper and deeper to get particulars out of generative AI. In this case, I would tend to bore down on the points and ask for details.

We will somewhat do that in a moment.

To do so, let’s discuss the next of my listed ways to use generative AI for job searching, namely using generative AI as your job search coach.

2) Serve as your sidekick job search coach

Doing a job search can be a quite solitary activity. You might not have anyone on that you can readily bounce ideas off. Furthermore, you might tell someone about your woes and they could harshly exhort you to buckle up and stop whining. This might not be the kind of pick-me-up that you need.

You can use generative AI as your sidekick job search coach.

Throughout the job search ordeal, you can have available 24×7 the generative AI to aid in your hunting progress. Tell the AI whatever went wrong that day and see what the app has to say. Of course, do keep in mind my earlier emphasis that the prompts are not private and not necessarily confidential.

When I mention that you can use generative AI for coaching purposes, there is often an adverse reaction by those humans that do similar kinds of job search coaching activities as a service. They will sternly inform you that AI cannot do what they do. I’ll say this, they are right in many respects. I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again today’s AI is not sentient. Keep your expectations low accordingly.

Some people are turning to generative AI for mental health advice. This has its tradeoffs and I’ve discussed what to watch out for, see my coverage at the link here and the link here. Bottom-line is that do not become fixated on using generative AI. Use it for what it can usefully perform. It might be handy when used in combination with a human advisor, though that’s something to discuss with whomever you are engaging for human assistance on these matters.

Okay, with all those caveats, let’s see if we can get ChatGPT to help with a situation whereby I’ve done a job interview and it didn’t go well (this is my ongoing scenario that I crafted to illustrate what you can do with ChatGPT).

My Entered Prompt: “I just did an interview for a job as a software manager. I don’t think the interview went well. I got a lot of tough questions about how I handled projects that were over budget or had other troubles. My answers were not well received. What specific advice can you give me about doing any follow-up with the interviewers? Also, what do you advise I do for other similar interviews in the future?”

ChatGPT Generated Response:

“I’m sorry to hear that your interview didn’t go as well as you had hoped. Here are some specific tips for following up with the interviewers and preparing for future interviews:”

• “Follow up with a thank you email: Regardless of how the interview went, it’s always a good idea to follow up with a thank you email to the interviewer(s). This shows that you appreciate their time and are still interested in the position. In the email, you can also briefly address any concerns or questions that may have come up during the interview.”
• “Request feedback: If you’re open to it, you could also consider requesting feedback on your interview performance. This can help you understand areas where you can improve and be better prepared for future interviews.”
• “Reflect on your interview performance: Take some time to reflect on your interview performance and consider what you could have done differently or better. Were there specific questions you struggled with, or areas where you felt less prepared? Use this experience as a learning opportunity and take steps to improve for future interviews.”
• “Prepare for similar questions: It’s common for interviews for management positions to include questions about how you have handled difficult situations or projects. Take some time to reflect on past experiences where you faced similar challenges and consider how you could have handled them differently or better. This will help you be better prepared for similar questions in future interviews.”
• “Practice your responses: Once you have identified areas where you can improve, practice your responses to common interview questions with a friend or family member. This will help you feel more confident and prepared for your next interview.”

“Remember, job interviews can be challenging, and it’s common to face difficult questions or scenarios. With practice and preparation, you can improve your interview skills and increase your chances of landing your dream job. Good luck!”

Analysis of Results

The reply seems helpful.

I might have been self-absorbed about my job search and not have thought of the points brought up by ChatGPT. In addition, it is handy to have the points as a collective set of bulleted items to be considered. You can turn those lists into a daily or weekly checklist and proceed accordingly.

One aspect that I don’t like about many of the existing generative AI packages is that they tend to use the word “I” in their outputted essays. This is a choice made by the AI developers. I don’t like it. The word “I” is usually reserved to refer to humans. Using the word “I” in the outputted essays makes the AI app seem to be human. Stop doing this.

I refer to this as anthropomorphizing by design, which is a foul practice.

Another aspect is the wording that says “I’m sorry to hear” which further falsely suggests that the AI app is a human. We expect apologies and words of sympathy to come from fellow humans. Using this type of wording in the AI app is ill-advised. I realize that it might seem nifty and the AI developers undoubtedly believe that this is a means of boosting the spirits of those using the package, but overall it is inappropriate, see my detailed discussion at the link here.

Enough on the ranting and raving, time to get into further ways to use generative AI for doing job searches.

3) Bolster your social media job-searching positioning

You would almost need to be living in a cave to not realize you can use social media for a job search.

Some people think about it, but do not do so because they are worried that there might be a stigma hovering over them by admitting they are looking for a job. This might have been the case long ago, but I don’t think it particularly applies in modern times.

Everyone nowadays realizes that anyone can end up between jobs.

The IBJ (in-between jobs) status can occur regardless of job performance or any other job-related element. Firms dump people all the time, and oftentimes for the ditziest of reasons.

In my experience, people usually rush to aid the person that says they are looking for a job. This is especially likely if you have been trying to do the same for others. I would urge you to do so. In essence, even when you aren’t looking for a job, go out of your way to help others that are looking. You can create goodwill and dividends that will be useful when you are in the same boat.

Assuming that you see the value in using social media for your job search, you should next be mindful of how you use social media for this vaunted purpose. The wrong types of messaging can potentially harm your job prospects. Plus, much of social media is permanent such that whatever you mistakenly or unwisely state will last forever.

You might be the type of person that has no clue what to say in social media posts when it comes to your job search ambitions. We can ask ChatGPT for some help.

Here we go.

My Entered Prompt: “I think it might be useful for me to make some postings on LinkedIn so that people will know who I am and know that I am looking for a job. I’m an experienced software developer. What kinds of LinkedIn postings should I do? Please provide an example of one that I might be able to post.”

ChatGPT Generated Response:

“Posting on LinkedIn is a great way to increase your visibility to potential employers and show them your expertise in your field. Here are some types of LinkedIn posts that can be effective for job seekers, along with an example post:”

• “Sharing industry news and insights: Sharing industry news or insights related to your area of expertise can demonstrate your knowledge and show potential employers that you are up-to-date with the latest trends in your field. For example: “Just read an interesting article on the latest trends in machine learning. As a software developer with a strong interest in AI, I found this piece to be particularly insightful. Looking forward to seeing how these trends develop in the coming years!”
• “Showcasing your work: Sharing a project or piece of work that you’ve completed can be a great way to demonstrate your skills and provide examples of your abilities to potential employers. For example: “Just finished up a new web development project for a client. Excited to share the final product – check it out here: [link to project]”
• “Highlighting your skills and experience: Posting about your skills and experience can help potential employers get a better sense of what you bring to the table. For example: “As an experienced software developer, I bring a strong background in Java, Python, and C++. I’ve worked on a variety of projects ranging from web development to machine learning, and I’m always looking to learn more and take on new challenges.”

“Remember to keep your posts professional, relevant to your field, and engaging to your audience. By consistently posting quality content, you’ll increase your visibility and attract the attention of potential employers who are looking for candidates with your skills and experience.”

Analysis of Results

I like the suggestions.

Notice carefully that I prompted ChatGPT in a particular way. I could have simply asked for overall ideas about how to use social media. That would have probably gotten me some quite vanilla-flavored answers.

Instead, I referred to LinkedIn specifically. I mention this because the style of messaging would differ if I was using some other social media platform. If you try asking ChatGPT and do so by naming various platforms, the style of the examples will adjust per the platform atmosphere you are targeting.

I also asked for examples. Without asking or mentioning the desire to have examples, it is unlikely that the examples would have been generated. I can now take those examples, adjust them to fit my personal preference, and use them right away on LinkedIn.

4) Boost your daily spirit to keep in the job search game

Job searching will involve long low valleys and occasional high points. Sadly, the high points are typically rare. Amid the sparse and unforgiving dry landscape of job search despair, sometimes you need a shoulder to cry on.

Imagine that you were a finalist candidate for a job that you eagerly sought. You are waiting on pins and needles. It has to be you. They would be nutty to pick anyone else. The clock slowly ticks. What will happen? You have your lucky rabbit’s foot at the ready.

Yikes, you get the word that you were not picked. They went with someone else. It is most certainly a crime of the century.

Let’s see what ChatGPT can advise.

My Entered Prompt: “I am totally bummed out because I just found out that a job I really wanted has decided to instead hire someone else. It makes me want to give up my job search. Can you give me a pep talk and get my job search energies back up to where they belong?”

ChatGPT Generated Response:

“I’m sorry to hear that you didn’t get the job you really wanted. It’s completely normal to feel disappointed and discouraged when things don’t go as planned. However, it’s important to remember that rejection is a normal part of the job search process, and it doesn’t define your worth or abilities as a job candidate. Here are a few reasons why you should keep your job search energies up:”

• “Every interview is a learning experience: Every interview you have is an opportunity to learn and grow as a job candidate. Take note of the questions that were asked and the areas where you could improve. Use this information to refine your interview skills and be better prepared for future opportunities.”
• “The right job is still out there: Just because you didn’t get the job you wanted doesn’t mean that there aren’t other opportunities out there for you. Keep looking and applying for jobs that align with your interests, skills, and experience.”
• “Don’t give up on your dreams: If you’re feeling discouraged, remember the reasons why you started your job search in the first place. Don’t let one setback deter you from pursuing your dreams and career goals.”
• “You’re not alone: Many people experience setbacks in their job search, especially in the current job market. Remember that you’re not alone, and don’t be afraid to reach out to friends, family, or career counselors for support.”
• “Celebrate small wins: Celebrate the small victories along the way, such as a successful interview or a new contact made. These moments can help keep you motivated and energized for your job search.”

“Remember to be kind to yourself, stay focused on your goals, and keep pushing forward. Your dream job is out there, and with persistence and determination, you will find it.”

Analysis of Results

I realize that almost no semblance of words can overcome your initial shock and anguish about not winning a job that you thought you had a solid chance of getting. Go for a walk in some pleasant outdoors wooded area to clear your mind. Enjoy the fresh air and blue skies. Avoid bears.

Once you’ve come back to your everyday senses, I think that you would see that the ChatGPT-generated essay makes some excellent points. As always, you can dig deeper into the points by simply asking the AI app to provide additional details.

5) Prepare your resume

Nearly everyone that considers using generative AI for a job search is almost immediately going to think about doing so for the crafting of their resume. It has to be the topmost use when applied to job hunting (well, I haven’t seen any statistics on this, just my guess).

There isn’t any magic involved, so keep that in mind.

I say this because some people seem to be under the false and zany impression that a generative AI app can produce a resume for them out of thin air. Nonsense. There is no mind-reading involved in today’s AI. You will have to provide your specific details in a prompt or series of prompts. The AI app can then compose a resume for you.

Make sure to indicate that you are seeking to produce a resume. Most generative AI apps can produce a resume in a variety of resume-specific formats. You might not like the format chosen. Ask it to try something else, and give clues about what you want. In the end, you still might not like the format.

No problem, just grab the produced text and plop it into a resume format of your choosing. The good news is that you now hopefully have the hardest part done, namely the wording that is going to be in the resume.

One big gotcha looms over this.

The wording produced by a generative AI app might contain errors, falsehoods, and those annoying and disconcerting AI hallucinations. You would be foolish to accept outright whatever the AI app generated. Make sure to refine and make the resume sensible, else you might be handing out a resume that will create dismay and disgust, rather than delight and interest.

6) Review and revise your resume

Continuing on the discussion about using generative AI for building resumes, you can take a slightly different approach on the resume front.

Feed your resume into a generative AI app. Ask the AI to review the resume. Based on the suggested changes, make changes as you see fit. You can also ask the AI app to make changes directly, either in lieu of doing a review or in addition to providing a review.

I’ll once again remind you that anything you enter into the AI app is not specially considered private or confidential. If you are okay with your resume being potentially absorbed into the Borg, please proceed. One trick would be to first remove any considered personal info such as your phone number, address, or other such content, and then feed that version into the AI app for review and refinement.

You can add back the personal stuff and then send out that as your finalized resume.

7) Find and analyze prospective employers

By now, I assume you are getting my drift about how to use generative AI for job searching.

I’ll pick up the pace.

You can potentially use generative AI to find prospective employers. In terms of finding jobs, realize that some of the generative AI apps are not tied to the Internet on any real-time basis. For example, ChatGPT was frozen at the end of 2021. Thus, asking the AI app to find open jobs is futile.

I am suggesting instead that you can get some background info about companies via using generative AI, albeit it might be outdated. You’ll probably want to use a conventional search engine or one that happens to have generative AI connected to it.

One thing you can consider doing is taking the otherwise found text about a company and feeding that into a generative AI prompt. If you do this in conjunction with a generative AI conversation that has included particulars about you and your situation, it is feasible to get the AI to comment on how you and that firm might seem to get along with each other.

I mention this because one of the most often asked questions of candidates is why they picked a specific employer as a potential place to work. Generative AI can help you come up with some dazzling reasons, assuming you don’t already have dazzling reasons of your own.

8) Get you ready for those daunting interviews

Here is where the interactive conversational aspects can shine.

You can potentially do a practice round of what an interview will be like. Tell the generative AI to pretend it is a hiring manager. Be as descriptive about the role as you can. You can then tell the AI app to engage in a conversation with you as though you were being interviewed.

On top of that, ask the AI to provide remarks or commentary about your answers. Be forewarned that this might be somewhat painful since the AI is bound to proffer some unabashed knockdown indications. My viewpoint is that I would rather have the AI throw me for a loop in comparison to making a potential job-losing answer during an interview with a human.

There is an added twist that few think about.

Firms today are increasingly using AI to conduct initial rounds of interviews. They use specialized chatbots to interview you. If you haven’t done this yet, I assure you that it will be quite irritating and exasperating. Getting turned down by a human interviewer is bad enough while having a chatbot do so is beyond the bounds of humanity.

Anyway, it is what it is.

You might as well try to get used to this trend. Use your generative AI that you have ready access to use and for which there is no worry about saying the wrong thing.

How do you get a job at Carnegie Hall?

Practice, practice, practice.

9) Provide feedback as to how your interviews went

You went on an interview. It was with a fellow human.

Time to do a review and see what lessons can be learned. The old line in the job search realm is that each job interview is a practice round that is getting you one step closer to the interview that lands you that dream job.

It is advisable to make notes after an interview, doing so while the interview is fresh in your mind. You can also use those notes to feed into a generative AI app and ask the AI to provide a critique or commentary about the interview.

Suppose that during an interview, you get asked a question or are told something that you think seems unfair or inappropriate. Let’s see what ChatGPT has to say about this.

My Entered Prompt: “I got done with an interview for a software engineering job and the interviewer told me that I am too old for the job. They are looking for someone younger than me. Can they do this? Is there anything I can do about this?”

ChatGPT Generated Response:

“It is illegal for an employer to discriminate against a job candidate based on their age. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prohibits employment discrimination against individuals who are 40 years of age or older. If you believe that you have been discriminated against based on your age, you may have grounds to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).”

“Before taking any legal action, however, you may want to consider reaching out to the company’s human resources department or to the interviewer to express your concerns and seek clarification on their hiring practices. It’s possible that the interviewer’s comment was a mistake or a miscommunication, and they may be willing to reconsider your candidacy.”

“If you do decide to file a complaint with the EEOC, you will need to provide evidence that the employer discriminated against you based on your age. This may include the interviewer’s comment, as well as any other evidence that suggests that age was a factor in the employer’s hiring decision.”

“It’s important to remember that job discrimination can be difficult to prove, and it’s possible that you may not be able to obtain the job even if you file a complaint. However, it’s important to stand up for your rights and to advocate for fair and equal treatment in the workplace.”

Analysis of Results

Obviously, do not take any form of legal advice from an AI app (maybe in the future, see my coverage on this topic at the link here).

The gist though is that if you were harboring suspicions about what went down during the interview, at least this can give you further food for thought. Take action as you think warranted.

10) Do an assessment of job offers

You have gotten a job offer. Congratulations! Turns out that your luck has gone way off the charts and you get a second job offer at the same time.

Probably wise to go buy a lottery ticket. You are hot.

Let’s see what ChatGPT can help us with in the lucky situation of having to select from two competing job offers.

My Entered Prompt: “I am very happy that I have two job offers in hand. They are both great. One of the jobs is focused on software development, while the other job is aimed at managing software projects. The pay is about the same for both companies. The software development job allows me to work from home. The software projects management job will require me to go into the office. Which of the two jobs should I pick?”

ChatGPT Generated Response:

“Congratulations on having two job offers in hand! This is a great position to be in, but it can also be a tough decision to make. Here are some factors to consider when deciding between the two job offers:”

• “Your career goals: Think about your long-term career goals and which job offer aligns better with those goals. If you’re looking to advance your career in software development, the software development job may be the better choice. If you’re interested in project management or leadership roles, the software projects management job may be the better fit.”
• “Your work preferences: Consider your work style and preferences. Do you prefer working from home or going into the office? If you value the flexibility and convenience of working from home, the software development job may be the better fit. If you enjoy working in an office environment and collaborating with others in person, the software projects management job may be a better fit.”
• “Job responsibilities: Take a close look at the job responsibilities for each position. Which job offers responsibilities that align with your interests and strengths? Consider which job will challenge you and help you grow in your career.”
• “Company culture: Consider the company culture and values of each company. Do they align with your own values and work style? Think about which company you can see yourself being happy and successful at long-term.”
• “Career growth opportunities: Consider the growth opportunities offered by each company. Which company offers better opportunities for professional development, promotions, and growth within the company?”

“Take some time to weigh these factors carefully and think about which job offer is the best fit for you and your career goals. Ultimately, the decision is yours, and it’s important to choose the job that feels like the best fit for your needs and interests. Good luck with your decision!”

Analysis of Results

The comments seem useful.

You can dig into them further, as desired.

I suppose you should be relieved that the AI didn’t ask for a piece of the action and try to get a fee from you for providing the job dilemma choosing advice.

11) Guide your job offer negotiations

At the point of negotiating for a job, keep generative AI in your front pocket to help with this too.

Some people use generative AI for the preceding uses, and neglect to consider the available use when dealing with job offers. Maybe you don’t want the AI to advise on such matters. That’s fine. At least give it some thought.

I will keep reminding you that you don’t want any private or confidential info to be given to most of the generative AI apps. The same applies in the case of a job offer. Also, for AI that is frozen in time, trying to ask for comparisons of your compensation to what the market will bear is not going to be helpful. You will be comparing yesterday’s apples with today’s oranges.

12) Get you ready for future job searches

There is a legendary piece of wisdom about job searching that is worth knowing. Let me share it with you. It is usually phrased as a question.

Prepare yourself.

A lofty question is posed: When should you be doing a job search?

The correct answer is always.

Yes, you should always be doing a job search. Some people wait until they are standing outside of a firm and wondering what happened to them. Nope, that’s not when you should be starting your job search.

Your entire career should be one ongoing job search.

That being the case, this does not mean that you toss into the face of your current employer that you are looking for a job. That’s impolite and you are asking for trouble. Your job search will flow with the times. When fully employed, put your job search on low. Upon flopping onto the open market, shift into high.

Meanwhile, the job search has been never-ending.

You can use generative AI on an ongoing basis for keeping your job search underway. Periodically bring up job search topics with the generative AI. Get it to be your reminder of what you should be doing. You can do the same by making marks in your diary, plus using the AI to aid you in your job quest too.

Conclusion

Allow me to clarify a vital point about all of this.

Some will misinterpret this discussion and try to make it seem that generative AI is the cat’s meow when doing a job search. Drop all other avenues of your job search efforts and solely hole up with your laptop or smartphone and use generative AI, that’s what some will disingenuously contend is being said here.

Not so.

In the vast arsenal of how to conduct your job search, generative AI is only one tool. For those of you that didn’t even know it was such a tool, I am glad that you now know of it. For those of you who maybe sort of knew, I hope that this elaboration has shown you additional ways to leverage generative AI.

If you think that generative AI will be a waste of time for your job searching, that’s perfectly fine, as long as you at least realized what can be done and judged mindfully that it would not be of value to you. Go forth and I wish you the best in your job search pursuits.

When I advise people about job searching, I tell them that they should consider all reasonable avenues and choose what works best for them. Generative AI might not be your cup of tea. For some, it might be. In any case, a balanced portfolio of job search resources and approaches is the blend that you want to attain.

A final word for now.

Thomas Jefferson said this inspiring witticism: “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”

Some people claim that landing a desired job is entirely dependent on luck. I’d prefer to believe as Thomas Jefferson so eloquently stated, namely that you can indeed believe in luck, though at the same time be pursuing with all the gusto and mindfulness you can muster.

Maybe generative AI fits into that empowering equation, one way or another.