Working in career development without AI? That’s like giving directions with a folded map
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⚠️ CAREER DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONERS: PROCEED WITH CURIOSITY. This content may cause discomfort, spark professional growth and cause sudden urges to Google “How to use ChatGPT.”
Let’s be blunt.
If you’re a career development practitioner (CDP) in 2025 and still wondering if AI matters, it’s time for a reset. You can’t guide people into the future of work while clinging to the tools of the past. That’s like being a career advisor during the Industrial Revolution who doesn’t believe in steam engines.
Yes, AI raises big questions about ethics, the environment and how it’s being used at work. It’s fair to be cautious. But opting out completely means missing the chance to influence how it’s used for good.
You’re already in the matrix
AI isn’t looming on the horizon. It’s here. And you’re already using it, whether you know it or not.
Read more in our new series – AI in Career Development: What’s New, What’s Next:
Don’t believe us? Check your wrist. If you’re sporting an Apple Watch, congratulations — you’re already outsourcing your well-being to a constellation of machine-learning algorithms. When you get a nudge to stand up, breathe deeply or sleep better, that’s AI. Spotify’s “Made for You” playlist? AI. Google auto-complete that finishes your sentence before you do? Yep – Also AI.
Yet at every event we present at, half the room still raises their hands when asked, “Who hasn’t used AI?”
Historian, futurist and author Yuval Noah Harari has warned for years that AI won’t just track what we do – it’ll learn who we are. It can read our faces, monitor our pulse, guess our moods and even predict our decisions. That’s not futuristic fantasy – it’s happening right now, thanks to biometric tracking, emotion recognition and micro-targeted content.
And here’s the kicker: intelligence officials around the globe have confirmed that AI is already being used to influence elections. The technology that helps Spotify pick your next jam is also being used to help decide who runs entire countries.
If AI can influence elections, can we honestly believe it doesn’t affect whether someone gets a job?
The AI reality check
Your clients are already up against algorithms that decide what job postings they see, whether their resume even makes it to a human and what skills they’ll need five years from now. If you’re not helping them understand this landscape, who is?
AI writes resumes. It predicts job market trends. It tailors interview questions. It suggests career paths. It predicts which candidates will ghost an employer. It analyzes facial expressions in job interviews. It even helps neurodivergent clients rehearse social scripts. It’s not just a tool — it’s a co-pilot in today’s job competitive search.
“If you’re not helping them understand this landscape, who is?”
You don’t need to become a machine learning engineer. But if you’re still not on board, you do need to stop pretending this is optional. You are your client’s GPS. And you can’t keep handing them paper maps while they speed down an AI-powered superhighway.
Working in career development without AI is not about missing a few tools; it’s about missing the whole toolbox. And here’s the uncomfortable truth: If we ignore AI, we risk doing harm – not out of malice, but by omission. Clients need practitioners who are ahead of the curve. The future of work is already being written by algorithms. If you’re not helping your clients understand that script, they’re going to get cast in the wrong roles – or left off the stage entirely.
The hidden job market? It’s still there, but it’s not playing hide and seek any more
Most conversations about AI in employment services stop at resumes and applicant tracking systems. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If most jobs are never posted, then AI’s real power – and real potential – is in the hidden job market. And in 2025, that market isn’t hiding. It’s in the data – buried in online signals, hiring trends and economic shifts that AI is already tracking in real time.
For jobseekers without strong networks or social capital, breaking into that “hidden” space isn’t just tough, it’s nearly impossible. That’s why we need to talk about job developers. Not as resume whisperers or cold-callers, but as data-informed connectors. In this new landscape, AI is their secret weapon.
Without AI, job developers are just guessing. With it? They’re scouting like pros – predicting which companies are about to scale, surfacing new leads and automating follow-up. The modern job developer isn’t just a networker; they’re a strategist with digital X-ray vision. AI doesn’t replace the hustle. It multiplies it.
Your AI to-do list (a.k.a. Yes, you have homework)
- Test-drive AI tools: Play with resume writers like Rezi or Kickresume. Use ChatGPT to roleplay interviews or help clients prep for behavioural questions. Ask Google Gemini what industries are heating up in your region.
- Explore talent tech like gloat: Check out AI-driven platforms like Gloat – an internal talent marketplace that matches employees to projects and roles based on their skills and aspirations. Your clients might not be in Fortune 500 companies yet, but this is where the future of internal mobility is headed. Knowing this gives you an edge.
- Engage with AI learning platforms: Enrol in free courses from IBM SkillsBuild. Topics range from AI fundamentals to ethics to building your own chatbot (yes, really). And if you’ve got clients who love to learn, this is a goldmine.
- Use labour market data smarter: Tools like Vicinity Jobs or Lightcast (formerly EMSIAnalyst) use AI to decode complex labour market patterns. Learn how to read them. If you can’t explain what’s happening in the job market, how can your clients possibly prepare?
- Stay informed: Read up. A good starting point? The Big Question: What Will Happen to Office Jobs in the Age of AI? from The Financial Times. It’s thought-provoking and practical. And yes, read Harari’s 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. It’s basically required reading now.
- Ask the big questions: Will AI widen the equity gap? What happens when your client’s job isn’t replaced by a robot, but they should upskill to work alongside one? Are you ready to answer that?
AI isn’t on the horizon anymore – it’s already shaping the world our clients are navigating. Nodding politely when it is mentioned at workshops doesn’t cut it. You need to know it. Use it. Teach it.
Because in 2025, being AI-literate isn’t a nice-to-have.
It’s your baseline.
Here’s the upside: AI isn’t about replacing us, it’s about releasing us. It gives us time to do more of the work that really matters: listening, connecting, supporting and problem-solving. That’s the human part, and it’s still the heart of what we do.
And just like with every other shift we’ve lived through, we’re not tossing everything out. We’re keeping what works, letting go of what doesn’t and making space for what’s next.
AI can be a productivity booster, or a time vampire. It’s easy to get lost in a wormhole of prompts and tweaks that feel productive but go nowhere. Start small. Make time to learn. And always use your brain. AI still makes mistakes – confidently. Trust, but verify.
Our role isn’t obsolete, it’s evolving. We invite practitioners, managers, educators and funders to reflect and respond. What’s your role in shaping an AI-literate employment sector? Let’s not just adapt – let’s lead.
Join Sarah Delicate and Angela Hoyt for Build-a-Bot: A Webinar for Employment Services Managers June 4, 2024 1:00 – 2:30 pm Eastern. Big tools. Big ideas. Bigger outcomes. www.employmentillusions.com
