3 top tips to get ahead using AI

Posted on 12 December 2025 • Career planning, CVs and applications, GenAI, Jobs, internships and work experience, Labour Market Information

Many of you will likely have heard of generative AI (Artificial Intelligence) and the effect it is having on the world, including career planning and job-seeking. Our practical online workshops GenAI: level up your career will take you through how you can harness its power in planning your future.

Here are three top tips in using GenAI to the max in order to improve your careers and employability skills:

1. Think outside the box

When people think of AI and careers, they may think about using ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot or similar tools to create a CV or write an application. However, their use goes far beyond this.

Try using it to:

• Help you decide what career to pursue.

• Find out more about a career you are interested in.

• Pinpoint local organisations to contact with a speculative approach

• Review your applications whilst adopting the persona of a career coach

• Prepare for an upcoming interview

2. Prompt precisely

Many people are dissatisfied with the results AI provides but often this is due to the prompts used; to use a popular phrase amongst computer programmers, “Garbage in, garbage out”. Consider the example of an OU student who is studying Computer Science and wants to target SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) in Edinburgh or Glasgow. A basic prompt might be “find me graduate training schemes” whereas a more effective one would be “I am in the final year of an OU Degree in Computer Science and would like to find SMEs in Edinburgh or Glasgow who recruit graduates”.

Prompting precisely will give you a far more accurate answer although it’s also useful to check AI job market research results against your own research by using labour market information (LMI).

3. Be your authentic self

If you do use AI in the process of finding or applying for jobs, it’s really important to check is that the application you submit is authentically you – reflecting your own unique interests, values and strengths. One way to do this is to ask AI for suggestions then make the changes yourself. Another is to get the AI to perform an initial sweep but review and change manually before submitting an application.

Data from Institute of Student Employers tells us that 46% of graduate employers are reviewing their recruitment practices in response to GenAI. Always check what the employer’s policy is on AI as some are more open to this than others – it’s not a one size fits all.

For a general overview of ethical use of AI, this OU Being Digital resource gives some solid guidelines.

 

Andrew Hadden is an OU Careers and Employability Consultant based in Edinburgh. He helps students achieve their ambitions and fulfil their potential through one-to-one appointments and by designing events and resources for the OU. Explore the rest of our blog for more articles from the Careers and Employability Services team.