Career exploration can be tricky to navigate. Sometimes, having tech tools like generative artificial intelligence (AI) may just make the path traveled more manageable and clearer. Let’s explore how AI as a personal assistant can assist people on their career journey. We unravel how AI can emerge as a possible ally when it comes to personal assistance in orchestrating schedules, tailoring learning paths, and providing strategic insights to help you discover your strengths, passions, and suitable career pathways with greater confidence and efficiency. 

Our Disclaimer Before We Dive In

Before we explore how AI can assist with career exploration, we need to set some ground rules regarding the use of computer-assisted technologies. As this resource describes, think of AI as the process of giving non-human objects (i.e. robots, computers, etc.) human capabilities. AI is specifically designed and wired to mimic what we do and how we function. Therein lies the power of AI in that it really can be our virtual assistant (for in many cases, free of charge!).

But as with any assistant you hire or invite into your space, careful screening is needed. This level of screening or scrutiny must be applied to the AI tools and apps you use to support your career exploration process. Studies have shown the inherent bias woven into the very fabric designed to create these AI tools that make our lives easier. We encourage you to read our past blog to understand what bias looks like in the world of generative AI so that you can make informed decisions when deciding which tool to use. Being informed gives you the power and confidence to make the best decisions for you.  

AI as Personal Assistants 

On a personal note, AI has restructured how we approach work, learning, and growth. For example, AI-powered virtual assistants like Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant can help manage our daily schedules, set reminders, collect information, and even provide personalized recommendations. In the realm of education, AI tutors and adaptive learning platforms are transforming the student experience by offering customized lesson plans, real-time feedback, and enriched learning materials. But what does this look like when it comes to career exploration?  

• Personalized Assessments: AI-powered platforms can administer comprehensive assessments, analyzing skills, interests, and personality traits to suggest suitable career paths based on individual strengths. 
• Data-driven Insights: AI algorithms can sift through vast amounts of industry data, trends, and job market information to provide you with valuable insights into emerging career opportunities and in-demand skills. 
• Virtual Career Coaches: AI-driven virtual assistants or chatbots can offer personalized guidance, answer questions, provide resources, and offer advice on career exploration and development. 
• Skill-building Recommendations: By analyzing a user’s career goals and current skillset, AI can recommend tailored learning resources such as online courses, workshops, or tutorials to help individuals acquire the necessary skills for their desired career pathways. 

We are only providing a snapshot of how AI can function as your personal assistant when you start to explore and navigate your career pathway. But if you are a beginner with this concept of harnessing AI’s power for work, here are some key starting tips to know:  

• Get acquainted with the basic functionalities of any AI personal assistant tool or platform you select. Remember these assistants are not just restricted to career assessments. Think outside the box and consider productivity support such as AI tools for scheduling, task management, and data analysis. Many AI tools offer user-friendly interfaces and tutorials to get you started.  
  • ChatGPT is a popular user-friendly AI that chats like a person and lends a hand with different things you need help with. Start by asking it a simple question such as, “I need tips on making a calendar in Excel.” 
• Tap into online AI communities, like Community AI, and resources to learn from others’ experiences and gain valuable insights. Join career readiness Facebook groups or check out your own career counseling office to see what communities exist to support the use of AI with career exploration. Remember – AI mimics human capabilities. As you grow more comfortable with AI, don’t hesitate to experiment, and tailor your workflows to suit your preferences. 
  • Additional AI communities:  Theres an AI for that and Future tools  

By finding the right balance between technological integration and your personal growth, you’ll unlock new levels of achievement and fulfillment in your career and beyond. AI is here to amplify your abilities, not replace them. 

Streamlining Career Ready Tasks with AI Power

AI-powered tools are proving invaluable across industries, streamlining our career-ready tasks to hit the ground running in pursuit of that next (or dream) career venture. To understand how AI can help us achieve this, we need to know what a career-ready task is. Career-ready tasks are practical exercises designed to develop essential skills for success. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, these tasks provide hands-on experience and portfolio-building opportunities crucial to excel in the fast-paced world of artificial intelligence. Below are some general examples of the career-ready task we are talking about: 

• Aspiring Teacher: Create a lesson plan for a specific subject and grade level, integrating innovative teaching methods. 
• Aspiring Nurse: Shadow a registered nurse for a day in a hospital, observing patient care and medical procedures. 
• Exploring a New Career Path: Conduct informational interviews with professionals to gain insights into the industry and potential career paths. 

Like any adventure you go on, planning is important. The same concept applies to career exploration – you must have a game plan or let’s face it you will be wasting time and resources. Here are some career-ready tasks you need to consider:  

• Self-assessment: Reflect on personal interests, values, skills, and strengths to identify potential career paths that align with individual preferences and aspirations. 
• Research: Explore various career options, industries, job roles, and educational requirements through online resources, informational interviews, and networking to gain a comprehensive understanding of potential career pathways. 
• Skills Gap Analysis: Evaluate existing skills and knowledge against the requirements of chosen career paths, identifying areas for development and training to bridge any gaps and enhance employability. 
• Experience Gathering: Seek opportunities for hands-on experience through internships, volunteer work, part-time jobs, or shadowing professionals in the field to gain practical insights and validate career interests. 
• Networking: Connect with professionals, mentors, alumni, and industry experts through networking events, online platforms, and informational interviews to gather advice, insights, and potential career opportunities. 

Once you have your career-ready tasks mapped out, it’s time to figure out how to leverage AI assistants to streamline what you will do to mark these tasks as done! Here are a few ways to use AI to streamline your routine. Keep in mind that these are general suggestions you can customize to help you complete your career-ready task.

• Task Prioritization: AI task management tools help professionals prioritize tasks based on urgency, importance, and deadlines, optimizing time and resources. AI Apps we are currently loving:  
  • Taskade – With Taskade AI’s adaptability, you can completely transform your task management. Create collaborative projects and to-do lists. Effectively manage your projects and teams.  
  • Notion – Notion uses AI to simplify project management.  
• Meeting Notetaking: AI notetaking tools record and transcribe meetings in real-time, allowing active participation without the distraction of notetaking. AI apps we are currently loving:  
  • Meetgeek – With Meetgeek AI, you can automate video recording, transcription, summarization, and sharing of meeting insights seamlessly across multiple tools. 
  • Fireflies.ai – Fireflies.ai offers support for transcribing, summarizing, searching, and analyzing voice interactions effortlessly.  
• Personalized Insights: AI provides personalized insights to enhance productivity, from analyzing work habits to suggesting strategies for improvement. How we personalize our questions for AI 
  • It’s easy to get lost and distracted, especially with the temptation of the latest TV series. Let’s explore how AI can offer personalized assistance to help you save time and prioritize your favorite activities. 
  • Begin by framing your situation with a general question like, ‘What are some effective strategies or tools for improving time management?’ Then tailor it to your specific needs: 
    • For the student: ‘How can I avoid distractions while doing homework?’ 
    • For the teacher: ‘What strategies can I use to keep my 3rd-grade students focused during reading hour?’ 
    • For the parent: ‘What time management techniques can I teach my teenager?’ 
  • Finally, use the insights from your AI assistance to develop personalized strategies that suit your unique circumstances.  
• Resume and cover letter building: AI can revolutionize the resume and cover letter building process by offering personalized guidance, optimizing content, and enhancing presentation. AI apps we are currently loving:  
  • Resume Worded: Resume Worded uses AI to analyze your resume and provides personalized feedback on areas for improvement. It offers suggestions for optimizing content, formatting, and keyword usage to increase your chances of getting noticed by recruiters. 
  • ResyMatch.io: ResyMatch.io on Cultivated Culture is another AI-driven tool that helps tailor your resume to specific job descriptions. It analyzes job postings and compares them to your resume to ensure alignment with the employer’s requirements, optimizing your chances of passing through applicant tracking systems (ATS).  
• Some large companies use ATS tools to handle many job applications. They help manage loads of job applications by scanning and sorting resumes based on specific keywords. If you are interested in upgrading your resume, read our blog for easy resume refresh strategies: ‘Let Science L.E.A.F Upgrade You’.

Real-world Examples of AI Assistance 

Staying updated on the best methods for exploring new career paths is crucial for staying ahead. However, in our fast-paced world, it can be challenging to find time and resources for ongoing learning, right? Luckily, AI personal assistants are available to assist you along the way. These innovative tools are like having a personalized coach by your side. They understand your unique goals and challenges and provide tailored support to help you achieve them. Let us share a few real-world examples of how individuals like you are using AI tools to revolutionize their productivity and skill development when it comes to career exploration: 

• For Parents with students embarking on their career journey: Consider Casey, a busy mother juggling work, household duties, and the needs of her soon-to-be high school graduating child. Feeling overwhelmed, Casey explores AI tools for parents that specifically support navigating the career journey and what that looks like for students. Using an AI-powered career planning app called CareersPro, Casey finally feels relieved in knowing she is doing her part to help her child make that transition from high school into the real world. But AI’s assistance doesn’t stop there. Casey also relies on AI-driven platforms to get her family organization in order. She needs all the time she can get to help with this career planning since it’s a new journey, technically, for both her and her child. Using apps like Home Hug she can balance staying on top of her day-to-day family to-dos and be the best support system for her child.  
• For Educators preparing a generation to be career-ready: Meet David, a dedicated high school teacher passionate about delivering engaging lessons to his students. Despite his dedication, David often feels overwhelmed by the administrative burden of lesson planning, especially regarding career readiness materials he must incorporate into his existing lesson plans. To ease this load, David turns to AI-powered tools like Brisk AI and Diffit that streamline lesson preparation, recommend professional development courses specifically for teachers who must incorporate career readiness into their content subject matter, and offer virtual teaching aids (like career-based projects, icebreakers, and subject-specific game ideas) tailored to his subject area and teaching style. With AI’s assistance, David spends less time on administrative tasks and more time enhancing his teaching skills and creating meaningful learning experiences in the classroom. 
• For Students making that transition from the classroom to the workforce: Meet Jamie, a graduate student balancing coursework, research projects, and part-time work. With a packed schedule, Jamie struggles to keep up with academic responsibilities. To add even more stress, he is just a semester away from graduating and knows entry into the workforce will be here before he knows it. Seeking support, Jamie realizes he needs a robust and customizable AI assistant to meet each need. He turns to AI-powered study aids for virtual tutoring like Scribe (which creates study guides for him!) and platforms like Student.AI, which provide a resource of tools to help get career-ready! With AI’s assistance, Jamie gains valuable insights and achieves academic success in his graduate studies.