|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
AI is here to stay and it is our responsibility as career educators (and career development professionals) to ensure we keep up with best practices to support students in using these tools ethically and strategically. In higher education, AI is reshaping students’ approach to learning and navigating career challenges and opportunities. Based on our experience as Career Educators at Toronto Metropolitan University, we share our strategies for supporting university students in leveraging AI for job search and career exploration. If you are hesitant to get started, this article will help you initiate the conversation.
Recent data demonstrates a gap in Career Development Professionals’ preparedness to incorporate AI into their work (CERIC, 2024).
Creating safe spaces for students to explore AI in a professional context encourages critical thinking, confidence and clarity. While we are still in the process of developing our own practices with AI and incorporating it into our work, we wanted to share the strategies that helped us get started in hopes that it can encourage you to do the same.
As you’ll notice, the suggestions shared below will require some baseline knowledge of AI. If you want some ideas of where to start, we recommend beginning with a practical checklist of AI to-do’s before moving into implementation.
4 Strategies to begin AI-related career conversations
We recommend that you start by identifying which stage of the career exploration process a student is in. This will help you decide which strategy would be most helpful to discuss for their success. We’ve also included sample questions to prompt their thinking on how to smartly leverage AI tools for their career development.
1. Career Exploration Brainstorming Tools
Share brainstorming tools with students who may feel stuck looking at options or work in a particular area that doesn’t align with their values.
Good for: Students beginning their AI journey. If they are given sample prompts to support their exploration they can use the output as a starting point for further discovery. Students who are more comfortable using AI can also use follow-up prompts to explore initial outputs further.
Remember: Students may not have the language to recognize what is most important to them in a career. Helping them to identify and articulate their values can be the initial starting point before encouraging experimentation with AI.
Sample Question: Have you used ChatGPT to explore your career options? Consider the following prompt: “Act as a career consultant. Given a background in [insert current or previous field/role], identify three alternative career paths. Limit output to roles in Canada, while referencing Job Bank Canada.”
2. Introducing Prompts
Share different prompt examples with students to get them introduced to AI.
Good for: Students with limited knowledge and experience using AI
Remember: Consider safety and ethical implications such as privacy, security and bias.
Sample Question: Are you familiar with Google Gemini? Have you considered the following prompt when looking for keywords in a job posting? “Identify the most important keywords and skills listed in this job description [paste anonymized job posting].”
3. Preparing Job Applications
This can be helpful for students who are crafting resumes or preparing for interviews and use AI to help them get started. Share a workflow with students that includes integrating AI into their interview prep.
Good for: Students with some familiarity with AI already and looking to utilize it in their job applications and interview prep.
Remember: Students still need to reflect on their skills and accomplishments to prepare examples that are unique to their experiences for the job they are applying for. They should not rely on AI to do that work for them.
Sample Question: Have you considered putting an anonymized version of the job description in Microsoft Copilot and prompting it to provide 2 situational interview questions to practice with?
4. Cautionary Tales
Share with students how AI as a tool needs to be used intentionally. Instead of sharing a specific prompt with a job seeker, begin the conversation focusing on goals of the job search process and prioritizing authenticity as the ultimate key to their success.
Good for: Students at all levels. Being particularly mindful to escalate conversation with those using AI to think, write and create for them, rather than as a tool for idea generation (e.g. using interview answers provided by AI word for word).
Remember: Some students may not want to share that they used AI to craft their resume. Creating a safe and welcoming environment to openly discuss how they use it can lead to a more collaborative conversation.
Sample Question: Of these experiences listed on your resume, can you tell me more about the specific impact you played in this role? If this element was a direct output from ChatGPT, let’s review some of the considerations about using the feedback verbatim and not adjusting for your own experiences.
To ensure students are receiving personalized support, AI should be used in conjunction with the expertise of career educators. Career educators can provide holistic support and human skills such as care, compassion, evidence-based information and diverse perspectives. Blending AI tools with human guidance creates a strong foundation for students navigating their career paths. We hope these strategies will empower career educators to explore the applications of AI to help students feel guided and supported in their career journeys.
