How to Use AI in Your Job Search
AI is the new search engine. Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Claude are increasingly becoming the go-to source for answers, recommendations, and research. Instead of scrolling through Google results, more people are asking AI directly. And even if you still use Google, you've probably noticed the AI overview sitting right at the top of your search results.
This shift matters for your job search. If you're not using AI strategically, you're leaving time, energy, and opportunities on the table. AI allows you to increase your productivity and avoid burnout. It gives you the ability to be consistent without burning out. Those repetitive tasks that drain your energy, like tailoring resumes, writing cover letters, preparing for interviews, can be streamlined, saving you time and mental bandwidth for what really matters.
Set Your AI Boundaries First
Before diving into tools and prompts, you need to determine what you're comfortable delegating to AI and what you're not. Everyone's boundaries will be different, but you need to decide what you're willing to hand over and what stays in your hands.
AI is great at repurposing content across platforms, cleaning up transcripts and notes, administrative tasks, research and data gathering, and creating first drafts that you refine. But there are things that humans must control: original thoughts and strategic thinking, personalized communication, ethical judgment calls, your authentic voice and stories, and final content approval.
Here's my rule of thumb: anything you use AI to create, you should feel comfortable disclosing that AI helped. AI amplifies your voice and expertise, but it does not replace it.
Create Your AI “Command Center”
You need to choose a platform (ChatGPT or Claude work great) as your command center. This is the place where you primarily do your resume optimization, cover letter drafting, job interview prep, and company research. I recommend Claude because I find it smarter, but if you already have ChatGPT set up and it's working for you, that's fine. Don't switch unless you really want to.
The key is creating a project within your chosen platform where everything lives. In Claude, you can create a project and upload your master artifacts that serve as the foundation for everything AI creates for you. These are the “rules” AI needs to follow.
Your 5 "master artifacts” that lay the foundation for your AI Command Center should include:
Your master bio: Who you are, what you do, who you serve, your unique approach. Your resume or LinkedIn profile can serve as a starting point, but you might need to add context.
Your signature stories: Your top accomplishments, key transformation moments, times you've overcome obstacles, defining experiences in your career. This way, AI knows real stories about who you are and isn't making stuff up.
Your target roles: Include three to five job descriptions of your ideal roles so AI is crystal clear on what job titles you're targeting.
Your brand voice guidelines: This ensures AI writes in your voice. Include how you want to sound, words and phrases you use, words you avoid, tone preferences, and samples of your writing so it really understands how you talk.
Your resume and LinkedIn profile: Your complete professional background so AI understands all of your experience.
Once you upload these documents into a project, AI will reference them for everything- every email, every cover letter, every piece of content. You can tell it to remember these for every single chat.
The AI Prompts That Get Results
The difference between mediocre AI output and exceptional AI output comes down to how you ask. You need to be specific, give as much context as possible, and set really clear expectations. The answer you get is only as good as the prompt you put in.
For resume optimization, don't say: "Write me a resume" or "Make my resume better."
Instead, try this: "Act as a recruiter in the [your industry] who reviews 100+ resumes daily. Here's my resume [paste it]. Here's the job description I'm targeting [paste it]. Will this resume pass ATS screening? What keywords am I missing? What would make you immediately reject this resume versus move it to the interview pile? Be brutally honest about what's working and what's not."
For interview preparation, don't say: "Help me prepare for a job interview."
Instead, try this: "I have an interview for [role] at [company] next week. The person interviewing me is [name] and their role is [title]. Here's the job description [paste it]. Generate 10 likely behavioral interview questions for this role, and help me craft STAR method responses using my resume."
Notice how you're not asking AI to write anything for you in that first example. You're telling it to be brutally honest and give you feedback. You're also providing context about who it should act as, giving it all the relevant documents, and being specific about what you need.
You can also ask AI to compare your resume to the job description and identify gaps or potential questions or red flags that the interviewer might have, so you can address them proactively.
How Job Seekers Should Use AI Daily
Once your command center is set up with your master documents/artifacts, here's how you can use AI throughout your job search:
Tailoring your resume to specific job descriptions: You should have your main resume (the one you created in your own voice) that's in great shape. AI can then tailor that resume based on different job descriptions without you starting from scratch each time.
Generating company-specific cover letters: Same principle. Have your standard cover letter that you've written and love. AI can help you adapt it for different companies while maintaining your authentic voice.
Practicing interview questions with feedback: Use AI to generate questions based on the job description, the company, and your resume. Then use the mic function to answer the questions out loud, feed your response into AI, and ask for feedback. This is like having a practice interview partner available 24/7.
Researching companies before interviews: Perplexity is excellent for this. It's better than Google for research. You can ask it to tell you everything you need to know about a company before walking into an interview.
Writing thank you notes and follow-ups: After an interview, you probably have a template you like to use. AI can help you tailor it for that specific company and conversation.
What To Watch Out For
Don't copy and paste any AI content without editing. It's obvious when something is AI-generated. It sounds generic and won't connect with real humans. AI outputs are a starting point, not a finished product. If it says "here's a beautiful cover letter for you," do not just copy and paste and send it. You need to put your own touch on it.
Don't let AI make strategic decisions for you. It can suggest options or give you things to think about, but you are the human with real values, experiences, and goals. Strategy requires human judgment and intuition.
Watch out for AI “hallucinations.” AI will literally invent statistics, data, or studies that don't exist. If it gives you numbers or facts, always verify them. You can prompt your AI to say "do not invent statistics" and "anything you cite needs to have a source." If you're using Claude, the Opus 4.5 model is more accurate than Sonnet 4.5, which tends to have more hallucinations.
Remember, garbage in equals garbage out. AI learns from what you feed it. Give it quality inputs! Your best thinking, clear examples, and specific context.
Train your AI to be critical. LLMs are way too nice. They tend to agree with you and flatter you. You'll need to explicitly tell it: "Don't agree with everything I say. I want you to be critical. I want you to push me. I want you to give me better ideas. Don't just agree with me and flatter me." Otherwise, it's going to think you're the most brilliant person ever.
Your Next Steps To Use AI In Your Job Search
First, set your AI boundaries. Actually write them down. What will you use AI for? What won't you? Be specific about where AI helps you and where human judgment is non-negotiable. Second, create your command center. Choose Claude or ChatGPT, create your project, and upload your master documents, including your master bio, signature stories, target roles, brand voice guidelines, and resume/LinkedIn profile.
Pick one thing to test this week. Maybe it's interview prep for an upcoming conversation, or tailoring your resume for a specific role. Pick just one thing that addresses your most pressing need and see how well AI can help with your documents and artifacts in place. Master that one thing before moving on to the next. This approach will save you time and make everything you're doing even more effective.
You don't need an AI tool for everything. Pick just a couple of tools that address your most pressing needs and master them before expanding. If the only thing you're using is Claude or ChatGPT, that's fine. But know which tools are most useful for you, and don't go out and buy ten different AI subscriptions. You don't need that.
AI isn't going anywhere. Learning to use it strategically in your job search isn't just about landing your next role faster, it's about building a skill that will serve you throughout your career.
