3 ways to use ChatGPT in your for-purpose job hunt (and one way you really shouldn’t)

Every time I’ve opened my social media feeds recently, there’s been a post either telling me that ChatGPT is the saviour I’ve been looking for and will make my working life a breeze OR that it is the worst thing to ever come out of the internet and I should avoid it at all costs.

The real answer, like a lot of things, is somewhere in the middle. Yes, AI like ChatGPT, Google’s Bard or Microsoft’s Bing AI can help you with plenty of tasks and speed things up. But other things are best left to humans, especially if you are searching for a for-purpose job where personal values and passion are key.

New to ChatGPT? Using ChatGPT is simple. Head here: >>https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt<< and then click Try ChatGPT and set up an account. Once you are logged in you just need to type questions or prompts like the one below, then hit the little plane icon to send your message and start a conversation with the bot.

I put ChatGPT to the test to see whether it could help speed up my job hunting process. Here are some of the things I tried to do with it.

Research the organisation or the role

You can use ChatGPT to do some quick basic research about the organisation you are applying to. It’s a great way to get a concise summary especially of complex organisations.

Here’s what it had to say about Do Good Jobs

Do Good Jobs is a platform that connects individuals and organizations committed to creating positive social and environmental impact. The organization focuses on promoting meaningful employment opportunities within the nonprofit, charity, and social enterprise sectors. By providing a dedicated online platform, Do Good Jobs facilitates the recruitment and hiring process for mission-driven organizations and job seekers alike. It allows employers to showcase their job vacancies and reach a targeted audience passionate about making a difference. Job seekers can browse through a range of opportunities, including full-time, part-time, volunteer, and internship positions, tailored specifically to their interests in social good. Do Good Jobs serves as a valuable resource for both job seekers seeking purposeful work and organizations seeking talented individuals dedicated to advancing their social and environmental missions.

Pretty decent summary in our opinion (except for the use of American English in organization and use of the term nonprofit, but you can also train ChatGPT to know your preferences!)

You can also use it to do research about the role you want to apply for. For example, asking for a list of relevant skills or the average pay rates.

It was certainly quicker than searching the internet and reading lots of information myself, but ChatGPT has been known to get things wrong so you may still need to do a quick fact-check. Particularly with salary information as ChatGPT doesn’t have access to current data sources, only an archive from 2021 and before.

Using Google’s Bard AI might be a better option here as it accesses the internet and gives you relevant links at the same time.

Pull out relevant parts of your CV

Wading through your CV to look for relevant information each time or knowing which bits to highlight can be time-consuming, especially if you have a long job history. You can use AI to analyse the job description and highlight parts of your CV for further reference.

I asked ChatGPT to take a job description I had put together for a content writer at Do Good Jobs and tell me what I should focus on based on a made-up CV I gave it. In return, it gave me 11 points to highlight. I could further ask it to reduce these to the top 3 or 5 that most align with this role.

One of the points is around showing my passion for social impact - a great reminder if you are new to the for-purpose world and don’t have a lot of information about your values or passion in your current CV.

Based on this information, I might be able to rewrite parts of my CV or better organise it to fit more closely with the for-purpose sector and the specific job description.

If you don’t have a properly written CV, then you can use ChatGPT to turn bullet points about your experience, qualifications and skills into a full resume. Then all you need to do is make minor tweaks to tailor it to the position you are applying for.

And if you know the employer you are applying to uses an automated applicant tracking system (ATS) you can ask ChatGPT to pull out relevant keywords to include to make it more likely that your application will be positively screened by the system. Ultimately, a human will read your application even after an ATS, so you still need it to make sense and stand out!

One caveat, if you want to stand out and not have a resume based on generic CV templates, you do need to customise your CV.

Write a cover letter

This is an area where ChatGPT, or at least the version used in this test, isn’t quite so magic. The first attempt went like this.

Dear [Recipient's Name],

I am writing to apply for the Content Writer position at Do Good Jobs. With over a decade of experience as a freelance writer, including newspaper writing and various content creation roles, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to contribute to your mission of partnering with purpose-driven individuals and organizations to make a positive impact on the world.

Throughout my career, I have crafted compelling content for diverse clients across New Zealand and internationally. From blog posts and web pages to email newsletters, social media updates, press releases, and in-depth features, my expertise spans various mediums and formats. I pride myself on being a self-starter who can consistently deliver high-quality content with minimal supervision.

In my role as a Content Manager and Writer at ABC Charity, I generated ideas and developed engaging content for newsletters and social media platforms. Notably, my contributions resulted in a significant increase in dog adoptions during a campaign, surpassing any previous month's adoption rates. Additionally, I effectively communicated complex information through emails and other communication channels, ensuring clarity and engagement.

As a Feature Writer for ABC Magazine, I honed my interviewing skills and crafted captivating articles for their in-house publication. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of conducting interviews and translating them into compelling written pieces that resonated with readers.

Furthermore, my experience as a Head Copywriter at ABC Web Design equipped me with strong leadership and project management skills. In this role, I led a team of copywriters, ensuring the quality of their work and providing editorial guidance. I also collaborated with designers and developers to create website content that effectively conveyed brand messages and captured audience attention.

During my tenure as a Reporter at ABC Newspaper, I excelled in both general reporting and specialized coverage areas. I took pride in writing features and spearheading campaigns, such as the annual Christmas food can collection, which garnered an impressive donation of over 10,000 cans to support local homeless individuals.

With regard to the responsibilities outlined in the job description, I am confident in my ability to create engaging and informative blog posts and newsletter content. I am experienced in conducting thorough research to ensure accuracy and relevance, collaborating with team members to develop content strategies, and managing multiple projects while meeting deadlines. Moreover, I possess strong writing and editing skills and can adapt to different tones and styles as needed.

I am well-versed in SEO best practices and understand how to optimize content for search engines. I am also familiar with tools like Canva and Mailchimp, which can be utilized to create visually appealing and engaging visuals and newsletters.

While I have a solid foundation in the not-for-profit sector through my experience at ABC Charity, I am eager to further deepen my knowledge and contribute to the positive impact Do Good Jobs aims to achieve.

I am excited about the opportunity to join your team and apply my passion for writing and social impact to make a meaningful difference. Attached is my portfolio showcasing published articles and blog posts, illustrating my proven experience as a Content Writer.

Thank you for considering my application. I would welcome the chance to discuss my qualifications and how I can contribute to Do Good Jobs in more detail. I am available for an interview at your convenience, and you can reach me via the contact information provided above.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

So far, a boring template-sounding letter.

I tried again, this time asking it to write a hook for my cover letter using the content writer job description and my CV. Here’s what I got.

“I am thrilled to apply for the Content Writer position at Do Good Jobs, as it represents the perfect convergence of my passion for writing, my extensive experience in creating engaging content, and my unwavering commitment to making a positive impact on the world. With over a decade of experience as a freelance writer, including roles in newspaper writing, content management, and copywriting, I am confident that my skills and dedication align perfectly with your mission to partner with purpose-driven individuals and organizations.”

Would it get my application put on the interview pile? I’m not convinced. We’ve just put together a cover letter resource with more details on how important your cover letter is, and how to make it stand out - access this at Cover Letter Resource.

Prepare for an interview

If you are someone who finds interviews nerve-wracking, then ChatGPT can help you prepare. Ask for a list of interview questions you might get based on the job description for your role. The questions it suggested for my content writer role are all useful and will give you a good base to prepare from.

You can also type in some answers that you might give and ask ChatGPT to help you refine them or elaborate on details. 

So should you use ChatGPT as part of your job-hunting process?

So now you know how you could use ChatGPT in your job hunt, the question is should you?

Well, the answer is yes…..and no. 

ChatGPT, or your AI tool of choice certainly has its uses. It can speed up research and give you plenty of ideas. But for key parts of the job application process, it’s no substitute for personality and the human touch. 

For your CV and cover letter you are much better off taking the time to write them yourself, ensuring that you highlight your strengths and giving them that personal touch that makes you stand out from the crowd.

If you do decide to give ChatGPT a go, here are some prompts for you to try:

Remember that ChatGPT can learn and build on your conversation as you go, so you may be able to refine your answers as you go along. 

You can also prompt it with a specific tone  - formal, informal, fun, witty etc And, you can ask AI to play a specific role. Eg You are the employer, what are the key skills you really want in this job? How can I prove this to you?

• Give me a summary of what [Organisation] does

• From the following job description highlight the three/five key skills I need to cover in my application [paste job description]

• Highlight keywords based on this job description that I should include in my application to be screened by an ATS. [paste job description]

• Based on my CV provided, highlight the key skills needed for the following job description. CV [paste CV] Job description [paste job description]

• Write a cover letter for this job using my CV with suggestions on how to make this more customised with my own success stories. Suggest some possible variations on the first paragraph to create a strong hook that is not based on generic cover letter templates. Write in the same tone as the job ad/my resume/with a fun tone (pick a tone you want this written in) and in first person. Job advert: [paste] CV: [paste]

• Act as the employer and give me a list of potential interview questions they might ask based on the following job description [paste job description]

• Review my answer to the interview question and suggest some improvements. Question: [paste interview question] Answer: [paste your answer]

• Edit and check my cover letter and spelling and suggest improvements - use British English.