How to Use AI to Land Your First Job – and Build a Career That Didn’t Exist Yesterday
By Paul Redmond
Just a few years ago, listing "Proficient in Microsoft Office" on your CV could practically guarantee you an interview. Today, being proficient in AI could offer the same edge — but only for a short while.
AI is now embedded in almost every part of working life. In 2024, a Digital Education Council survey revealed that 86% of Gen Z students use AI regularly in their studies, and 92% of students in the UK tap into AI tools weekly. But when it comes to using AI for job hunting and career building, most students are barely scratching the surface.
If you're entering the world of work, here’s how you can use AI — right now — to give yourself a major advantage.
Paul Redmond speaking at a Gartner event.
1. Supercharge Your Job Search
Don't just scroll through job boards. Train AI to scout for you. Use tools like ChatGPT, LinkedIn’s AI-powered job alerts, or even custom GPTs to refine your search based on your skills, values, and goals. You can prompt AI to suggest job titles you’ve never heard of — roles that didn’t exist five years ago, like "AI Ethics Consultant" or "Prompt Engineer."
Pro Tip: Use AI to tailor your CV and cover letter for each application. Paste the job description into an AI tool and ask: “How would you match my experience to this role?” Then tweak the results to reflect your authentic voice.
2. Prepare Smarter, Not Harder, for Interviews
AI can predict interview questions. You can prepare model answers. Tools like Interview Warmup (by Google) simulate real interviews based on the sector you're applying for. Even better: you can use AI to practice answering questions out loud, spot gaps in your answers, and refine your storytelling.
Pro Tip: After each mock interview, ask the AI for feedback: “What sounded most convincing? What could be improved?” Treat it like a coach — not a critic.
3. Build Skills for Jobs That Are Being Invented Right Now
Don't just chase today’s skills. Train for tomorrow's opportunities. AI can help you identify emerging skills before they become mainstream. For
example, prompt an AI to scan recent job postings and industry news, then summarise what skills are mentioned most often. Skills like "prompt engineering," "AI ethics," "human-machine collaboration," and "digital resilience" are climbing fast.
Pro Tip: Commit to learning one new skill a month — even micro-skills like using AI to automate repetitive tasks.
4. Create Your Own Opportunities
Use AI to prototype career ideas that blend your passions with the market’s needs. If you can't find your dream job, invent it. Ask AI: “Based on my interest in [X] and [Y], what hybrid careers could I explore?” You’ll be amazed at the portfolio careers it can help you map out — ones that combine creativity, tech, entrepreneurship, and social impact.
Pro Tip: Use generative AI to create sample projects (like mock social media marketing campaigns, data visualisations, or business plans) that you can showcase to potential employers.
5. Stay Future-Proof by Thinking Like an Actor
From my research, I have discovered that the jobs most at risk from AI are those that make humans behave like robots – jobs that are built around predictable tasks and rigid hierarchies. To futureproof your career, think like an actor: invest constantly in your skills, be versatile, seek out new roles – if necessary, even unpaid ones – and most of all, make sure you don’t become typecast.
Graduates who can combine AI fluency with essential human skills — empathy, critical thinking, storytelling — will thrive in the AI age.
The bottom line: AI isn't coming for your job. It's coming for parts of your job — the repetitive parts, the routine parts, the boring parts. What's left is the creative, strategic, and human work. Get good at that. Let AI be your assistant, not your competitor.
