AI isn’t just changing the future of work. It’s changing how students prepare for it. From exploring career options and finding job leads to polishing your resume and practicing interviews, AI tools can help you save time, gain insights, and make informed career decisions.
The resources below will help you build effective AI prompting skills and learn to use AI responsibly and ethically. By understanding both the opportunities and limitations of AI, you’ll be better prepared to use it thoughtfully in your career exploration, job search, and future profession.
Pros & Cons of AI
Our goal is to provide guidance for students who want to explore AI in their career development. While AI can be a valuable tool for brainstorming, research, and feedback, it has limitations and works best when combined with other resources. Before you begin, it’s important to understand how to evaluate and use the information it provides.
Maintain privacy – use Show-Me AI when possible to protect your sensitive data. If using other GenAI platforms, review terms of use and data policies to ensure your personal information is handled securely.
Maintain authenticity – Ensure your application materials reflect your true skills and experiences, even when optimized by AI.
Be aware of bias – Understand that AI algorithms may reflect biases in the data they are trained on, so use your discretion when interpreting recommendations.
Career Exploration
AI can help you explore majors, careers, skills, and career pathways. The more insight you give AI about yourself and your career goals, the better the results will be. Remember, AI responses should be used as a starting point for your exploration, not as definitive career advice. Pair AI-generated insights with career coaching for the most informed and personalized guidance.
While not a dedicated assessment tool, AI can be a valuable resource for career exploration:
- Ask it questions about different career paths and job roles
- Get information on required skills and qualifications for various careers
- Explore industry trends and job market insights
- Discuss the pros and cons of different career options
- Get suggestions for further research on careers that interest you
Sample Prompts
- I am a college student in my [class year]. Act like a career coach and interview me about my interests, values, strengths, skills, and goals to help me decide on a major and/or career.
- Help me identify what energizes and drains me. Review these lists [hobbies, courses, activities, and environments] I enjoy and dislike. Identify patterns, summarize my key motivators, and suggest career paths and work environments that may be a good fit.
- Based on the information I’ve shared about my interests, strengths, values, skills, provide me with 5 occupations that would be a good fit for me with an explanation of why it matches my preferences.
- Share 5 Mizzou majors that would be relevant for me based on my interests.
- I am a Mizzou student and considering [a few majors or career paths]. Help me explore and decide between relevant major options. Provide details about the course requirements for each major.
- I am a Mizzou student. Reverse engineer how I should prepare for my dream job of [dream job possibly including a dream company to work for], including what I should major in.
- Help me understand the curricular similarities and differences between [major] and [major] at Mizzou.
- What are minors and certificates available at Mizzou that I should consider?
- What faculty at Mizzou have expertise in this area?
- I’m a [major] student interested in [subjects/activities you enjoy], but I’m not sure what careers might fit. Help me identify 10 career paths that align with these interests and explain what each involves.
- I value [work-life balance/creativity/helping others/financial security/etc.] in a career. What types of jobs and industries tend to align with these priorities for someone in [major] with interests in [things you enjoy learning about/doing]?
- Include 3 non-traditional roles that people might not immediately associate with this degree.
- What jobs will experience growth in the next 5 years?
- What emerging careers or industries should college students today be aware of that might not have existed 10 years ago?
- What would a typical day of work be like as a [occupation]?
- What’s the difference between [two related careers paths]? Help me understand the daily work, skills needed, and typical career progression for each.
- Provide a detailed two-year timeline for exploring careers and gaining relevant experience for a Ph.D. student in [degree].
- For someone with my background ([degree], [methods/skills], [experience]), which career paths are most feasible to pivot into and which would require additional training, credentialing, or a longer transition?
- What does the term “XYZ” mean when used in descriptions for biotech research jobs (e.g., cross-functional, matrixed environments)?
- Help me translate my graduate training in [field] into career-relevant skills for non-academic roles.
- Help me prepare for a productive conversation with my advisor or mentor about exploring careers beyond my original academic plan.
- What are some of the keys steps I should take when exploring different career paths as a graduate student/postdoc?
Career Preparation
AI can be a powerful partner in your job search. From resumes and cover letters to LinkedIn profiles and portfolios, AI tools can help you present your experiences more effectively and communicate your strengths with greater confidence. However, you must be the primary author of your application materials. AI can help refine and enhance your ideas, but it should not generate your experiences, accomplishments, or unique story for you. Remember that everything you share on your application materials must be entirely accurate and sound authentic to you.
- Target your resume and cover letter to jobs and companies
- Build a cohesive and compelling online professional image
- Master interviews with tailored answer preparation
- Thoroughly research companies and understand industry trends
Sample Prompts
- Act as a career coach and analyze my resume for clarity, impact, and overall effectiveness.
- Refine the wording of my resume for space considerations (make a single page).
- Help me translate my [class projects, research, or academic experiences] into professional language and skills relevant to employers.
- Analyze my resume and cover letter in comparison with the job description to align with the requirements and needs of the position.
- Identify the transferable skills in my resume that I bring to the position.
- Highlight any weak, vague, or passive bullet points and suggest stronger, accomplishment-focused alternatives.
- Enhance my LinkedIn and/or Github profile so they are ready for the job search and match my resume.
- Strengthen my headline to highlight my strengths and reflect my [career goals].
- Develop a compelling summary that highlights my skills, interests, and career goals.
- Improve my experience descriptions that are accomplishment-focused statements.
- Identify industry-specific skills and keywords so that recruiters can find my profile.
- Align my LinkedIn profile with my resume for a consistent professional brand.
- I need to learn more about the [organization name]. Briefly summarize its history, its culture and values, and what they do in plain language. Please include recent news/activity over the past 6-12 months.
- I am interviewing at [organization name] for [job title]. Generate 3-4 strategic talking points,and 3-5 insightful questions for the interviewer.
- Help me practice responses to the most common questions and behavioral interview questions.
- Generate interview questions based on this job description.
- Reviewing my resume, create a structure to interview answers using formats like STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) based on my experience.
- Help me put into words my additional college experiences, like leadership, Greek life, volunteer work and academic projects.
The Job Search
AI can streamline and enhance your job search, helping you identify job vacancies and networking opportunities as well as evaluating and negotiating job offers. However, do not become overly reliant on AI. These tools should support—not replace—your personal judgment and professional development efforts.
- Develop networking leads and sample communications
- Identify potential job leads and companies of interest
- Create a system to track your job search activity
- Decipher and compare job offers
Sample Prompts
- Generate a personalized introduction with a LinkedIn invite that meets character limits.
- Help me identify professional associations in my field and upcoming local events and professionals.
- Polish this outreach email message to an alum working in [career field].
- Review and strengthen my follow up/thank you message to employers or networking contacts.
- Idenitfy potentially relevant employers at a career fair and plan a route and approach.
- List the professional associations in [field/industry] and local upcoming events.
- Suggest more niche job search sites in [field/geography}.
- Based on my major and interests, suggest 20 job titles to search for.
- What entry-level jobs match my education and skills: [list degree, major and skills]?
- Create an application tracking spreadsheet that includes company name, position title, job location, application date, application status, recruiter contact and email, and other relevant information.
- What companies in [city/state] hire people with my background?
- Suggest employers known for hiring recent graduates in [field/industry].
- What keywords should I use in LinkedIn and job board searches?
- Compare these two job offers and identify the key differences, strengths, and concerns.
- Help me evaluate the total compensation package beyond salary.
- What questions should I ask about benefits, retirement plans, bonuses, and professional development?
- Evaluate how this salary compares to the cost of living in this location. Estimate what my monthly budget might look like, including housing, transportation, food, healthcare and other common expenses.
- Help me compare these offers based on my values: [list values].
- Create a decision matrix to compare these job offers.
- Act as a career advisor and explain this benefits package in simple terms. Define each benefit, estimate its value where possible, and explain why it matters.
- Suggest talking points for discussing compensation with the employer.
Final Thoughts
Be Yourself. AI can help optimize your job search materials and interview responses, but the strongest candidates remain authentic, and reflective about their skills, experiences, and career aspirations.
Use Discrection. AI can be a starting point for research, but always verify important information using the employer’s website, job posting, and other trusted sources. The most effective candidates combine AI-assisted research with their own critical thinking and preparation.
Tap into human support. AI can be a helpful tool, but career decisions are stronger when informed by conversations with advisors, mentors, family members, and Career Services professionals. Connect with a career coach for personalized guidance.