Use AI tools to help you reach your career goals
How can you effectively use AI large language models such as ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot for your career goals? We encourage you to be curious about this technology, learn more about it, and experiment with it – AI tools can be powerful ways to streamline your job search.
Remember that ultimately, employers are using the job search process to get a sense of who you are as a person and a potential employee. Always use your own critical thinking and writing skills to evaluate any responses to AI prompts.
OSU's AI Career Assistant
Launched in April 2025, the OSU AI Career Assistant is custom AI tool based on Open AI’s ChatGPT platform and trained on OSU-specific career resources.
The OSU AI Career Assistant is a supplemental tool that career assistants can use to augment their one-on-one career advising sessions.
Let’s Explore AI Thoughtfully
Using AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot can be an effective way to support your career goals when used with curiosity, while also being thoughtful about how and why you are using them. Learn what these tools can do, try small tasks, and reflect on the results.
Here are a few ways AI can be helpful in a job search:
- Brainstorming interview questions & answers.
- Drafting or refining resume bullet points.
- Generating ideas to start a cover letter.
- Analyzing keywords from a position description
Avoid relying on AI to:
- Write your entire resume or cover letter.
- Answer live interview questions.
- Fill out and submit your job application.
General rule: Remember that ultimately, employers are using the job search process to get a sense of who you are as a person and a potential employee. Think of AI as a brainstorming partner, not an author. Employers want to hear your authentic experiences and thoughts; AI is a tool that can help you articulate them.
New to AI? Visit OSU's AI Literacy Center or explore LinkedIn Learning tutorials.
Sample Prompts
- "What keywords in this job description (copy and paste) could I add to my resume bullets?"
- "Summarize the most important skills in this job posting (copy and paste)."
- "Given the included job description (copy and paste), write an opening paragraph for a cover letter that aligns with my personal goals (enter a list of your goals or objectives) and education (add the education section of your resume)."
- "Write an effective closing statement for my cover letter on why my experiences as a (enter your most relevant experience) and interest in enter your most relevant interest) can help this organization (copy and paste the mission, vision, or values of the company you are applying to)."
Remember to always use your own critical thinking and writing skills to put the finishing touches on any components generated by AI. Do not copy and paste work generated by AI into your resume and cover letter without first evaluating and critiquing what it returns in response to your prompts.
Use AI-powered Tools
- Set up job alerts on various search platforms so algorithms can suggest relevant opportunities based on your preferences.
- Use OSU's AI-powered career tools:
- While you should not use AI to write entire resumes or cover letters, it can increase your speed and efficiency in tailoring resumes to specific jobs.
Learn more with LinkedIn Learning
Want more ideas and sample prompts? OSU students have free access to LinkedIn Learning videos. Access LinkedIn Learning in with your university email. You can search for videos on using AI or get started with these ones.
Let’s Be Cognizant of Limits & Risks
AI models have boundaries. Understanding those limits will help you use them safely and effectively.
Knowledge Cutoff
Every AI model has a cutoff date for its built-in knowledge (the data the model has been trained on). For instance, ChatGPT 5.0 knows information up to September 2024. Anything newer may come from web searches and other sources, and it could be incomplete or inaccurate.
Read more about the knowledge cutoff in AI tools.
Hallucinations
Content generated by AI may sound complete and compelling, but it might be inaccurate. Some studies suggest that hallucination rates (times when an AI bot provided inaccurate information) fluctuate between 10 percent and 38 percent + , depending on the model and the prompt quality. Therefore, we recommend you:
- Verify key facts and links.
- Cross-check with trusted OSU or employer sources.
- Treat AI responses as starting points, not final answers. Assume that the answer is not fully accurate or complete until proven otherwise.
Read more about AI hallucinations
Ethics & Biases
AI tools reflect the data used to train them. That means they come with inherent biases, and assumptions about people, communities, cultures, and identities. These assumptions may be implicitly present in the algorithm and logic that AI uses to render answers.
Examples:
- Gendered or racial assumptions in writing suggestions.
- Biased phrasing in job descriptions or recommendations.
Our recommendation is to approach AI with a critical lens. Treat it like any other form of expression and examine its responses with awareness.
Learn more:
- Why Technology Alone Can’t Solve AI Bias (Harvard Business Review)
- OpenAI: How Should AI Systems Behave?
Originality & Context
Effective and safe use of AI will look different depending on context.
- If you use AI to create your job application materials, your prospective employer may view it in a certain way (negatively, positively, or neutrally). Therefore, it's important to consider whether it's appropriate to use AI in each individual situation, as employers have varying perspective on its use.
- If you are already working, your organization may have a set of guidelines for using AI. If you don’t know them, inquire about them.
If in doubt, rely on your original work. AI can assist, but your authenticity matters. Please remember that employers and faculty may have different perspectives on AI use.
Privacy
Be mindful of what data you share with AI tools. Most platforms save your input to improve performance, but we don’t have full visibility into how our data is stored and used by AI tools.
Avoid entering:
- Personal identifiers (names, ID numbers, addresses)
- Confidential company or research data
- Sensitive student or client information
Tip: Review the data and privacy settings in your AI tool and adjust them for context and your preference.
Resources:
Environment
The technologies that power AI chat sessions require far more energy than a standard search engine query. While there are ways that AI technologies can be harnessed for positive impacts, the worldwide growth in AI usage comes with environmental costs.
Learn more:
Despite the limitations of AI, it can be a powerful tool for streamlining your job search. Try our suggested AI prompts and use our AI-powered tools to improve your application materials.
Employers’ Perspective
OSU's 2025 employer survey, which received responses from 197 employers who recruit at OSU, shows that human judgment and skills are still the most important. While the AI skills requirements in entry-level roles might be on the rise, our survey results suggest that it is not yet a widespread expectation from employers.
We asked the employers the following questions:
How has the integration of AI tools into your workplace impacted the number of entry-level positions your organization plans to fill over the next 12 months?
- Only 1 percent of respondents stated that they plan to “lower the number of openings.”
- 58 percent stated that they plan to keep the number of openings at the same level.
Have you updated job descriptions or hiring criteria in the past year to reflect the use of AI tools or expectations of AI literacy?
- 10 percent of respondents stated that they “are planning to do so” and/or have already done so.
- 5 percent of respondents said “No.”
How important is AI literacy (e.g., understanding of AI tools, ethical use, or basic functionality) for entry-level positions at your organization?
- 7 percent stated that AI literacy skills are “very important” or “essential.”
Comparison with other reports:
Our employer survey results diverge from other industry reports on AI and jobs:
- For instance, a recent Pew Research Center study (October 2025) found that approximately one in five U.S. workers (21 percent) say that at least some of their job is done with AI.
- Additionally, a recent update from LinkedIn tracking U.S. labor-market hiring shows that roles in AI engineering have grown more than 25 percent year-over-year in 2025 and now represent a significantly larger share of tech-job postings.
- That same report emphasizes that the growth in AI-relevant roles is not limited to the tech industry but is also emerging across other sectors such as education, professional services, financial services, and utilities, which suggests a broadening footprint of AI in the economy*.
*In interpreting these data, it's important to note that the LinkedIn report calculates the rate of growth in AI-related roles dating from 2017. This may give an inflated view of the growth rate due to the very low number of AI roles in 2017.
Community | Share Your Experience
Tell us how you’ve used AI for your career goals. What worked? What didn’t?
Fill out our short AI Use Feedback Form and help shape future OSU resources.