AI and you: Careers, jobs and applications

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly part of how students explore careers, search for jobs, prepare applications and practice interviews. Used well, it can be a helpful starting point to generate ideas, structure your thinking and support your preparation at different stages of your career journey. However, it is not a replacement for your own research, reflection and decision-making.

The Careers Service provides advice on how you can use AI effectively in your career-thinking in the guides linked below. No matter what you are using it for we recommend you use our 3 P’s approach; Prepare, Prompt and Proofread. Find an outline of this process below.

Before using AI, we recommend also looking at our Considerations when using AI page for information about university guidance and how to mitigate challenges presented by using AI in your career thinking.

Guidance for using AI during your career thinking and planning

  • Explore options with AI Learn how AI can help you generate career ideas, explore sectors and identify possible pathways, while understanding its limitations and the importance of reflection and further research.
  • Using AI for job searching Discover how AI can support your job search by identifying vacancies, summarising adverts and helping you refine your search criteria, while recognising that it may miss roles, suggest unsuitable opportunities or include outdated information.
  • Using AI in applications Find guidance on using AI as a starting point for CVs and cover letters alongside advice on tailoring content, maintaining authenticity and understanding how employers may view AI use in recruitment.
  • Using AI for interview practice and preparation Explore how AI can be used as a practice tool to generate likely interview questions and provide basic feedback, while still prioritising your own research, preparation and personalised reflection.

Our 3P’s to using AI effectively

Prepare

Before using AI in your career-thinking, gather essential information. Are you:

  • Exploring your career options? Reflect on what is important to you.
  • Preparing for opportunities? Before searching for roles, courses or options, consider the criteria of what you are looking for; what is important to you?
  • Starting to apply? Find out everything you can about the opportunity you are applying to; requirements, responsibilities, logistics of the application etc. Think about your motivation for the role and employer in relation to the opportunity.

Without this information, AI is likely to generate generic content which is not tailored to you, or if being used for an application, is not tailored to the employer or opportunity you are applying to.

It is essential to do this for each prompt you make.

Prompt

While AI tools can assist in providing starting points, they require clear and structured prompts.

Use the RTF model (developed by Durham University):

  • Role – Who should the AI act as?
    • Example: You are an experienced career coach and CV expert.
  • Task – What exactly do you want it to do?
    • Example: I have uploaded my anonymised CV. Based on the provided job description and guidance provided about CVs on the University of Manchester Careers Service webpage, suggest improvements to tailor it for this specific role and highlight how my skills and experience make me a good fit.
  • Format – How should the output be delivered?
    • Example: Provide bullet-pointed recommendations, including suggested phrasing and keywords I should emphasise, and highlight any formatting or structure changes.

This model ensures your prompts are specific, practical, and aligned with your goals.

Proofread

AI pulls information from various sources and may not always filter it correctly. Always check:

  • If using it as a starting point for application documents, does it sound like you? Always refine the AI’s output to reflect your own authentic experience, achievements, and motivation.
  • Is this information correct? The information AI generates may be out of date or from an inaccurate source – it is worth checking with your own research. Has it made any assumptions or got anything wrong about you, or a sector, organisation or application?
  • If using AI as a starting point for application documents, is it in the required format for the application? Check the organisation’s requirements and that it fits with the standard formatting of the country you are applying to (use GoinGlobal for information on other countries’ requirements).
    • For example, AI lacks genuine reflections on your experiences, so ensure your final edit includes the CAR framework (Context, Actions, Results). Find out more about using the CAR model.
    • It’s also often not a shortcut to performing well during the selection process either, as employers may now put more emphasis on assessing your written or communication skills more fully at the next stage. We are here to support you at each stage of your application, check out our resources for applications and interviews.

How are employers using AI?

Employers are adapting to AI in their recruitment. Research from the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) showed that as of November 2023, 28% of employers were using it in their recruitment, increasing from 9% in 2022. Read more examples of how employers are using AI in recruitment in 2025.

Employers’ attitudes vary with regard to the use of AI by job applicants. Some employers endorse its use, such as the Teacher Training programme, whereas others seek to detect or ask you to disclose its use. The Civil Service have put together a guide outlining acceptable and unacceptable use of AI when applying to their opportunities.

Always check an employer’s guidelines for applicants before applying and remember if you are using AI to support your application, it is not the finished product. You must add your own reflection, experience and tone.

Further Resources