With the massive hype this past year around AI tools such as Chat-GPT, several people have jumped on the bandwagon to promote the tool as a game changer for job applicants, touting the tools ability to do everything from proof read resumes to providing interview questions to practice with. I will admit that I was concerned initially, I feared that this AI could replace my services and a part of me was even somewhat concerned that in the coming years my engineering career could be threatened. After taking a step back, doing some more research to understand what tools like Chat-GPT actually do and re-evaluating things with a clearer perspective I came to the following conclusion: it isn't the one stop solution it is being made out to be, and it isn't going to make human provided services obsolete.
I have seen LinkedIn flooded with AI based posts the past few months. People are offering lists of their best AI prompts that you are somehow missing out on by not using and that you NEED in order to get your next job. This is click bait cheap marketing and is an attempt to jump on the latest trend. But, that is not to say that Chat-GPT doesn't have great features that are genuinely useful to job seekers. I like to think about Chat-GPT as being excellent at producing large volumes of coherent, reasonably well written information extremely quickly, but without creating real value for a person. It is also very good at rephrasing information and helping to build things out when you provide a framework. How does this apply to being used in job applications? It makes it very easy for people to produce passable resumes and cover letters with minimal effort. That's it. If you are serious about landing a role you want more than a passable application. You want to produce something that is high quality and will impress the reader.
I did think it was fair to give AI written applications a fair chance. So below is a cover letter written by Chat-GPT for an entry level Biomedical Engineering job with Boston Scientific. The below is what I inputted into Chat-GPT.
Pretty simple and generic job description for an Engineer 1 position. Chat-GPT then proceeded to write me this essay of a cover letter.
The above is written fine, but it lacks an understanding of things obvious to someone experienced reading it. To start, it is too long. 3 paragraphs is long enough for a cover letter to convey what you need. Chat-GPT tried to fit as much of the job description as possible into the cover letter when it really isn't required.
What is important is explaining why you are applying and highlighting what your interest is in relation to the role. You should be able to pick out the most important aspects of the role (for clarity, familiarity with Microsoft Office should not make it into your cover letter. Looking at you Chat-GPT) and relate them back to your interests. What about you makes you a good applicant? Explain why you love problem solving and get satisfaction from developing innovative solutions and give the reader examples. These sections can be wrote effectively when assisted by someone with knowledge of the industry who can guide you towards saying the correct things and understanding the key requirements.
Essentially what Chat-GPT generated was a skeleton of a cover letter that is generic, and lacking in the personality of a high quality letter. With that being said, the general content is a great starting point, but it needs to be assessed properly and not taken for granted that because it is AI generated the quality is high or the content perfect. Although marketed as a great time saver, the time it takes to write 3 generic paragraphs really isn't much. The actual part which requires thought and effort still needs a human perspective, better yet an experienced one.
A similar issue lies with using Chat-GPT to write your resume. You can get generic content which is written well but doesn't really sell you to an employer. An over looked part of resume and CV writing is the thought that goes in to actually extracting your experience. An AI resume builder will not be able to ask you questions related to your own experience, it won't be able to explain how certain elements of your experience can be aligned with a new job, it won't assist you in writing an aesthetically pleasing resume (at least not Chat-GPT) and it won't be able to guide you towards what part of your resume is too vague or where has too much detail.
In conclusion, don't buy into the hype that AI powered resume, CV or cover letter writing tools are a necessity for finding a job. If you want to use Chat-GPT to improve your application, use it to check for key words or help with re-phrasing sentences you are struggling with. The best way to improve your resume or cover letter is still to get in contact with someone experienced in the industry and with knowledge of the applicant process.
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