The State of AI + Career Services: 21 Months Post-ChatGPT

To highlight their upcoming AI Bootcamp, NACE interviewed me recently about the state of AI and career services.

And given that it's almost been two years since ChatGPT launched, I thought I'd share some of my reflections with you, too!

In terms of the general level of use of AI to help with career services and career advising, where do we stand? Is there growing use or does it seem flat? If you see reluctance among career centers to adopt AI, what are the reasons for this (Lack of expertise? Fear of legal issues? Etc.)

We've already come a long way in just the first 18 months since ChatGPT came out.

Just like the 7 Stages of Grief, it feels like career services professionals needed time to process this change.

The first stage was all about fear of the unknown - e.g., "Will these tools take my job?"

But since it's become clear that this is not the case, that fear has turned into curiosity and I'm starting to see more and more career leaders getting excited about leveraging these tools for both their students' and their own success!

What are some of the most beneficial AI tools for career centers to explore and how can they use them? How do they benefit the career center and staff??

While there are lots of AI vendors on the market already, I think it behooves career professionals to start with the foundational tools - e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, etc.

That way, you get really comfortable with how Large Language Models work before you start recommending any more career-specific platforms to your students.

Plus, all of these foundational tools are free and easy to start playing around with. So there's nothing standing in the way of your learning!

When advising students about their use of AI in their job search, what are some key points for the career center to include??

There are 3 specific messages you should share with students:

#1: We Want You to Use These Tools

#2: We Want You to Use These Tools Right

#3: We Want You to Use These Tools With Us

You can get the full talking points for each of these messages in my AI Guide for Career Leaders:?https://www.thejobinsiders.com/lead

What are some missteps career centers should avoid when implementing and using AI in their work?

The #1 misstep is not recognizing that AI is being used by your students whether you are or not. So better to dive into the AI world and master it than allow your students to use it willy-nilly and get poor outcomes.

The #2 misstep is feeling like you need to become a Prompt Engineer or get a second master's degree in AI. Because AI tools are all operated with plain English, there's no need to put them on a pedestal like learning a new software language. Instead, just start trying them out today and you'll learn incredibly quickly.

The #3 misstep is only using AI with students. While it can definitely help with lots of job searching challenges (from career exploration to interview prep), it can also be incredibly helpful for the day-to-day operation of your center. Whether you're generating copy for your weekly newsletter or analyzing student outcome data at the end of the year, AI can take the drudgery out of many of the other things you need to do beyond coaching!

What are some tips, advice, and/or best practices you can recommend to career services practitioners for implementing AI into their operations to enhance their work and support their students?

The first tip is just to get started. If you've never used AI before, make today the day that changes.

Once you've gotten started, the second tip is to find something specific where AI can help. For instance, if you've got a liberal arts student who is struggling to find the right path, ask ChatGPT to generate 10 career paths for an Art History major interested in Sustainability. Or if you've got a big resume workshop to deliver tomorrow, ask AI to generate 3 interactive activities that could make the session more engaging.

Finally, once you're really cooking with AI, start to teach it to your students. The truest test of mastery is whether you can share your expertise with others. So start incorporating it into your 1:1 sessions or even your presentations since that will force you to get crystal clear about the best techniques and strategies.

Want to learn more about AI for career services?

Check out:

• The free 5-Step Guide to Leading Your Career Center through the AI Revolution
• My ChatGPT programming
• NACE's AI Bootcamp