Published: July 24, 2024 by Aryn Prestia

AI Chatbots like ChatGPT are one of the most accessible avenues to Artificial Intelligence for students. Not only is it fun to play around with new technology, but it can actually be beneficial to the job search as well. In this post, we’ll be taking a look at how AI chatbots can be useful while crafting resumes.

While we do not want AI to actually write our resume, platforms like ChatGPT can be especially useful in helping to check for grammatical or contextual errors, distilling important keywords from job posts, and providing feedback to the prompt that was entered.

Checking for grammatical or contextual errors - 

Services like ChatGPT aren’t perfect, but their mechanisms are useful for detecting spelling or grammatical errors similar to Spell Check. Additionally, you can ask it to read parts of your resume for clarity.

Try This …

Copy and paste a portion of your resume into an AI platform like ChatGPT. Ask it to read the passage for clarity. For example, “I am customizing my resume to apply for a new job as an academic librarian. I have included a job experience that, while wasn’t in a library, does demonstrate my analytical skills. Does the following passage make sense in that context?”

Distilling keywords from job posts - 

It is a common refrain to ensure that your resume and cover letter echo what is included in the job description of the position you are applying for. While job posts can be quite lengthy, AI services can help break it down for you.

Try This … 

Copy and paste a job post you’re interested in into a chatbot. Provide additional context about you – e.g. you are a master’s student seeking a job as a librarian and you’d like to understand the three most important skills the employer is looking for based on this job post.

All About Prompting

AI is only as useful as the prompt provided. As mentioned in all the examples above, it’s important to provide additional context to your query.  Entering “write my resume” is not going to yield the same results as “I am a second year master’s of Library and Information Science Student at San Jose State University. Over the past two years, I’ve completed coursework in International Children’s Literature, Programming and Services for Young Adults, and Accessibility in the Library. Please help me translate these experiences into bullet points for my resume as I apply to jobs in Youth Librarianship.”

The more detail, the better! You can even build off what the platform has provided for you by acknowledging which elements make sense and asking additional questions. As an example: “I like the emphasis placed on my youth-focused coursework, but what are some other words I could use to describe my interest in working with children?”

Most importantly, have fun! AI-generated text can seem scary at first- but it’s the human element (that’s you!) that can make it so useful. As more universities and workplaces try to determine how best to fit AI into their activities, it’s helpful to take the time to practice within systems to get a better feel for how they may benefit you.

Two More Things!

Don’t forget to keep up to date with job openings on Handshake, here are a few that might be of interest!

• Systems Librarian – University of North Dakota - Remote 
• Librarian – Fort Worth Independent School District – Fort Worth, TX 
• Research Librarian – Congressional Research Service - Washington, D.C. 

Also, remember that internships can be an especially valuable part of your learning experience at the iSchool while also helping you when it comes time to look for jobs. Learn more about the iSchool’s internship program here, where you can check out the INFO 294 Student Handbook as well as the Internship Sites database.