How to use artificial intelligence (AI) to support your job or apprenticeship applications

AI tools, such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot are helping people to create their CVs, write cover letters and prepare for interviews. However, if you rely on these tools too much, your applications can start to sound robotic and become too general. Using AI to support you with ideas of things to include in your job or apprenticeship application can be helpful, rather than using them to write your application for you. Here we look at the ways you can use AI and still make what you write sound original and authentic.

Using AI to summarise job descriptions

Job descriptions or person specifications can be very long and detailed. AI can be used to summarise key duties and responsibilities in a job or apprenticeship, and outline the skills, knowledge and qualifications the employer is looking for. This will help you to identify if the job is one you would like to do, and if you have the skills and experience needed.

Log into an AI tool, such as ChatGPT. Add or upload the job description for the role that you are applying for, and ask AI to ‘Give me the top five skills required for this job and explain why these skills are important for this role’.

The AI tool will summarise the top five skills and how the job requires those skills.

Using AI to help with your CV or supporting information

Every job or apprenticeship application you write should be specific to the vacancy you are applying for. This is because similar jobs can involve doing different things and have slightly different responsibilities, depending on which company or organisation you are applying to. AI can help make your CV or application form relevant for every application you make.

For example:

• Start with a CV that you have already written. It should include all your qualifications, skills and employment or work experience. Don’t include any personal information such as your name, address and your referee’s contact details as you will be uploading this version to AI.
• Using the job description related to the vacancy you are applying for, add or upload your CV and the job description to an AI tool, and ask, ‘How can I improve my CV to match this job description?’ AI will then come up with some suggestions and may even offer to rewrite your CV for you. However, you will need to check and edit what AI has written. There’s advice on what to check for later in this article.
• When you are happy with your CV, add or upload it again, and ask AI to check your spelling and grammar.
• When you have finished using AI to amend your CV, add your personal information to the CV outside of the AI tool, and you are ready to submit your application.

Using AI to help you with the supporting information part of an application form

• Write your supporting information in Word, then add or upload the job description and the Word document to an AI tool.
  Then ask AI, ‘How can my supporting information be improved to meet the criteria in the job description?’
• Check and edit the AI-generated text before adding it to the application form.

Using AI to help write cover letters

Cover letters are an important part of every application. A cover letter is a summary of your key skills and experience. It helps potential employers quickly identify who would be a good candidate for the position they are advertising, especially when they receive a lot of applications.

A cover letter should be relevant to the job or apprenticeship that you are applying for. To help make it relevant, write your cover letter first and then ask AI how it could be improved when compared with the job description. Or, if you are struggling to write a particular part of your cover letter, you could ask AI to rewrite it for you. Remember to always check what AI has written and make amendments where necessary.

What to check for when using AI to help with applications

Employers use CVs and application forms to get an idea of your personality, skills and qualities, and to find out what motivates you. If you use AI to write your application, these personal details will be missing. Changing the AI content to sound more like you makes your application more authentic.

Also, the purpose of a job application is to get an interview. If you do get an interview, you will be asked about the things you said in your application. This means that what you have written will have to be true - if it’s made up, you will struggle to talk about it.

Make sure you:

• Check and edit any AI generated text that you have used. Watch out for long words that you don’t understand and would not normally use or are not appropriate for the level of job or apprenticeship you are applying for. Change the AI content to sound more like you.
• Proofread the text – look out for American spellings.
• Check that AI hasn’t added to, or exaggerated, any of your qualifications, skills and experience.
• Remove anything too general, such as ‘I am confident that I am the right person for the job’. Make the text more specific. Focus on what it is about your skills and experience that makes you right for the job.

It’s also important to check if the employer you are applying to has policies around the use of AI in applications. Most employers know applicants use AI tools, and some employers will use software to look for AI generated content.

In summary, it is best to use AI to enhance or edit your CV, application form or cover letter, not to create them from scratch. Making your applications more personal with your own experience will not only help you stand out, it means you can talk about your strengths honestly in an interview.

Using AI to prepare for interviews

Most people feel nervous before an interview for a job or apprenticeship. AI can help you with your preparation beforehand, so hopefully you will feel more ready on the day.

You can:

• Add or upload the job description to an AI tool and ask it to come up with possible interview questions. Or ask AI to come up with typical questions for the type of job you are applying for. Ask AI to ‘tell me more about (name of company) for a job interview I have’. Not only will AI provide you with summarised information about the company that you can use in your interview, it will also provide you with interview tips and examples of possible questions you might be asked.
• Once AI has provided you with some questions, you need to prepare your own answers, based on your skills and experience. Once you have written your answers, you could add or upload them to an AI tool and ask AI to refine them. For example, asking: ‘What else should I include in my answer to the question “Can you tell me about yourself”?’ or ‘How could I improve what I have written about why I want to work for this company?’

Don’t forget, when using AI to help you prepare for interviews, it is essential that what you say is based on your experiences and personality. Be honest and don’t rely on AI too much for your answers – you want to stand out from other people that are being interviewed and not sound the same!