The Power of Generative AI In Job Hunting

The Tech-Driven Revolution in Job Applications and Interview Processes

AI is changing the landscape of most industries. The sheer pace of impact is becoming difficult to measure as more and more adoption and utilisation is being made. The job market is no different and the traditional job search process is being revolutionised. In this week’s blog, we'll be looking at how Generative AI has the potential to greatly simplify your job search.

What is Generative AI?

This question is worthy of its own blog. We previously examined Generative AI and its potential impact in the workplace, if you missed it, you can read it here, but in short Generative AI is a branch of artificial intelligence that works to create new, original content by learning from existing data. This might include anything from text to images to music. It takes in data, processes it, and then generates output that is different from what it was originally fed, hence the term "generative".

Why does this matter in job hunting? Well, given job hunting, is an intricate process filled with vast amounts of data and procedural steps, it’s actually an ideal ground for Generative AI to demonstrate its power. This advanced technology can potentially simplify the most time-consuming and challenging stages of job hunting. Let's unpack these applications to understand the transformative power of Generative AI better.

How can Generative AI help you find a job?

I asked Chat GPT and this is what it outlined…

1. Time Efficiency
One of the most immediate benefits of using Generative AI in job hunting is the considerable time savings. Tasks that once took hours, such as writing and tailoring resumes or creating unique cover letters for each application, can now be completed in mere minutes.

2. Enhanced Personalisation
Generative AI tools allow for an unprecedented level of personalisation in your job application materials. The AI's ability to understand the job description and restructure your application materials accordingly means each application you send out is as targeted as possible.

3. Increased Preparedness
Generative AI’s ability to simulate interview questions and responses based on the job description and your profile gives you a unique opportunity to practice and prepare, enhancing your confidence and readiness.

4. Salary Optimisation
By providing a data-driven approach to salary negotiations, Generative AI helps ensure you are adequately compensated for your skills and experiences. It equips you with the knowledge and confidence to negotiate effectively for what you deserve.

Let's delve into some practical examples.

Creating Tailored Resumes
Generative AI tools, like Chat GPT4, can help you create improved professional summaries and help tailor your resume for specific roles. Begin with feeding the AI the job description, your current resume, and skills. The AI will scan the job requirements, understand your skills and experiences, and will restructure your CV/resume to spotlight the most relevant aspects of the role generating a unique, optimised CV/resume aligned with your given prompt and request. Generative AI will allow you to reiterate the desired response and output for your needs. This means every job application you send out is highly targeted, improving your chances of getting noticed by recruiters and hiring personnel.

2. Interview preparation
The best way to prepare for an interview is to practise. With AI, you can create different ways that suit your preparation needs.
Begin by feeding the job description into the AI and ask the AI to help you prepare for an interview against the data of that role. With the right prompt, the AI will summarise the key requirements from the job description and provide a breakdown of the various subject areas that require preparation. In the example below, I copied a People Experience Partner role at Gumtree into Chat GPT. It quickly scanned over the information and extracted the key requirements of that role, namely strategic, operational and people management skills. It then suggested 10 areas for my attention to better prepare for an interview against the needs of the role. This helps job seekers focus on the key facets of the role and allow specific preparation across the requirements with relevant examples.

I then expanded my chat on the same role, with a prompt, asking Chat GPT to act as an interviewer, creating 10 questions to help prepare for the interview. The output is questions designed from the data provided against the role thereby providing a structured way for a job seeker to prepare answers against probable questions. You can do it with any job, for any number of questions and types, like most commonly asked questions against a type of role and also generate questions for soft skills, like traits and behaviours that you may want to prepare for.

That’s not all, AI can help job seekers simulate interview situations, by not only offering potential questions but scoring your answers and suggesting improved responses. Answering question 8 from the above list, I asked for a score out of 10, feedback and suggestions for improvement.

I personally like this step and consider this really valuable for job seekers to continually practise interview situations with a virtual coach. You can ask the AI to not provide a revised response, and only use the areas of improvement and suggestions to revise your answer and ask it to re-score your new answer. This will help you to improve and become better prepared.

The above is of course one example in which AI can help you with interview preparation, but think of it specific to your own job search. If you are in Customer Services, AI can simulate difficult customer scenarios, allow you to respond and score your effectiveness and customer satisfaction. The key is to be clear on how you want it to help you and keep practising.

Wider Implications and Ethical Considerations

While the advantages are clear, it's important to consider the ethical elements and potential drawbacks of using AI in the job search process. For instance, reliance on AI-generated resumes and cover letters could in fact result in less personalisation in the job application process. It's crucial to strike a balance between automation and authenticity. Don’t forget your CV/resume represents you, so be sure to check over any suggested outputs to be true and genuinely represent you.

In the grand scheme of job hunting, Generative AI is a game-changer. But it's vital to remember that it’s a tool to assist, not replace human effort. It's a virtual coach that helps improve efficiency and offers valuable insights, but it should be used in tandem with your creativity, and judgment. When used with good judgement, AI can transform your job search into a highly personalised and efficient process. But remember, it is your unique human qualities that truly make you stand out in the job market. So, embrace Generative AI, not as a substitute for Your unique capabilities, but as a tool that empowers you to showcase these capabilities more effectively and efficiently.

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Written by Man Wong
Cofounder of CandidateX