Smarter, Not Harder: Using AI to Navigate Your Career
Job hunting is stressful. In the age of AI, it’s more competitive than ever, and it's hard to know how secure any job really is. That’s why having a CV ready to go is essential. But let's be honest, crafting a CV and planning your career can drain your energy.
This is where using AI becomes a game-changer. It can help with everything from building your CV from scratch to mapping out your next career move, taking some of the pressure off your shoulders.
Find Your Direction
The first step in any job hunt is deciding what you actually want to apply for. If you already have a clear answer, feel free to skip this part. But if you’re unsure, AI can offer a surprisingly useful, unbiased perspective.
Your friends might know you well, but their advice is often coloured by their own interests and experiences. If you ask a friend in finance for a career suggestion, you’ll probably get a finance-related answer, even if you have no interest in the industry.
AI, with its access to vast amounts of data, can give you a much broader view and even introduce you to roles you never knew existed. Of course, it has its limits. AI can't know your personal constraints or preferences—for example, that while you have great sales skills, you hate the idea of driving to see customers. Ultimately, it’s another source of information to help you make a better, more informed decision.
Prompt Idea: "Based on my skills in [list your skills] and my interest in [mention industries or fields], what are some career options for me in [your location]? I've also included my [DISC, Myers-Briggs, or StrengthFinders] results for a more tailored recommendation."
Optimise Your CV for Robots and Humans
AI can obviously help improve your writing, which is a huge plus for non-native English speakers. But its real power lies in optimising your CV for the screening tools that companies use.
These days, a human isn't the first one to read your CV—an AI is. Many firms receive thousands of applications for a single post and use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to screen them. This software is trained to look for specific keywords and formats. If your CV is missing them, it might get filtered out before a person ever sees it, even if you're the perfect candidate. Using AI to tailor your CV helps you get past the bots.
Prompt Idea: "Tailor my attached CV for the [Position Name] role at [Company]. Review the CV and the job description, then suggest improvements and highlight any missing keywords."
Plan Your Next Move
It’s unlikely your current job will be your last. Most of us don't stick to one career forever; we want to climb the ladder or move into a different field entirely. Your CV is a record of what you’ve done, not what you’re capable of in the future. But you can use it as a baseline to figure out what’s missing for your next role.
Once you identify the gaps, you have a clear action plan.
For example, say you want to move into business development. You can ask AI to compare your current CV with typical business development job descriptions. It can identify the gaps in your experience and suggest how to position yourself for that career. Remember that context matters—business development in the pharmaceutical industry is very different from construction. By leveraging your existing strengths for a specific field, you give yourself a much better chance of success.
Prompt Idea: "My next career goal is a role like the one in this job description [insert job description link or text]. Based on my attached CV, what are the key skills or experience gaps I need to fill? Please prioritise the action items for me. How can I best leverage my current strengths to get this kind of position?"
You shouldn’t wait until you need a new job to update your CV. You should always have it ready. One day, an amazing opportunity might pop up, and you won't want to waste time building a CV from scratch. Being prepared means you’ll never miss out.