GenAI can help students do better in class. It can also help prepare them for careers. Most roles will be expected to know how to use GenAI skillfully, regardless of vocation, major, or career path.

Beyond knowing which tools are relevant to your field, knowing how to do things that GenAI cannot do—or how to use these tools to add value—will be crucial. Gaining basic familiarity with GenAI through this micro-credential provides a strong foundation.

Keeping up with GenAI

As José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson note, “Those who can collaborate and think with AI will gradually replace those who can’t” (2024, 39). In response to the GenAI revolution, the job market is evolving quickly to “prioritize the ability to ask new questions, connect and interrogate new ideas, evaluate, iterate, and adapt to new responses” (p.44-45; see also Module 5, which covers prompt engineering).

Workers will need to know how to evaluate the GenAI output to determine what parts are not good enough and to be able to fix or improve upon those weak parts. In addition to expecting job applicants to be good at teamwork, communication, and critical thinking, employers will increasingly expect job applicants to be able “to articulate how well they use AI and what human quality enhancements they can bring” (p.41).

AI for Job Seekers

First, one has to have a foot in the door. Here, too, GenAI can provide a boost.

GenAI can help you identify firms or organizations hiring people with the exact skills you developed in college and beyond. It can also help you (or your students) land the job.

For example, GenAI can help format a resume or CV, write a cover letter, prepare a portfolio, or prepare a presentation. The best tactic here is to give the chatbot some parameters for what you’d like to say or show and ask for suggestions on how to say or show those things well—as well as for ideas to make your message more compelling.

EXPLORE

4 mins. | Optional

Watch this video on landing a job using ChatGPT:

The following SDSU resources showcase ChatGPT, but it's sometimes worth trying a few AI tools to see what works best. For example, one could try Google Gemini and compare its resume advice.

Chatbots are also great helpmates when it comes to practicing interview questions. For instance, when applying for a post at a financial auditing firm, one might prompt a chatbot as follows:

I am applying for an entry-level auditing post at [company name]. I am going to upload the job description. Please pretend you are the person who will be doing the hiring (i.e., my potential boss). Please ask me 10 interview questions that build on each other. Ask the questions one at a time and consider my answers as you move on to subsequent questions.

EXPLORE

5-10 mins. | Optional

Explore Google Interview Warmup—a tool that helps job seekers practice for interviews.

Remember, as you ask GenAI questions, responsible use is essential (see Module 2). Whatever you ask or upload into a GenAI tool is no longer private. Plus, what you enter may be used to train that GenAI tool.

It’s best to read the terms of privacy and data use for a GenAI tool before using it. Using GenAI supported by your institution—rather than tools you attain on your own—is one way to help ensure you are reasonably protected.

But, again, responsible use is up to you. And the more you use GenAI, the easier responsible use becomes.

READ

5 mins. | Required

Read this article to learn how educators are embracing AI in their classes:

To Educate Students about AI, Make Them Use It - A college professor and his students explain what they learned from bringing ChatGPT into the classroom. Scientific American (November 14, 2023).