What will career coaching LOOK like 5 years from now? 👀 And, most importantly, which skills will make YOU most in-demand??? 🤔
Thanks to Jenn Leard, and the amazing team at National Career Development Association for giving me a chance to peer into my (AI-powered) crystal ball... 🔮
Thought Leader Insights: A Conversation with Jeremy Schifeling
By Jenn Leard
Jeremy Schifeling is a globally featured career expert helping clients, students, and career professionals become increasingly effective in leveraging AI. As a speaker, author and trainer, Jeremy brings experience across industry (LinkedIn and Google, to name a few), higher education career services, accessible education, and business development to inform best practices and practical implementation of AI that drive career strategy.
JL: What are the most significant ways that AI is currently being used in career development and career counseling/coaching?
JS: The important thing to start with is how clients and students are actually using AI today. In my conversations with coaches at NCDA, MBACSEA, and other places, I've found that while career professionals are interested in AI, many aren't using it in a highly applied way. On the other hand, many clients and students have been using AI since it became available. However, they're often using it the wrong way—looking for shortcuts like having AI write their resumes and cover letters. This approach misses the point since AI, especially models like ChatGPT, isn't effective as a ghostwriter. These tools hallucinate, use overly formal tones, and don't deliver the personalized results needed to write resumes or cover letters for someone.
Instead, AI excels as a research assistant. Imagine having a personal research assistant or data analyst. The best counselors and coaches are already benefiting from this behind the scenes. When they're stuck, they can ask AI to show them different career options for clients or analyze student outcomes data, for example. It's up to career leaders to transfer this knowledge and encourage the use of AI as a tool for research and inspiration rather than as a ghostwriter.
JL: How do you see AI transforming career development and decision-making practices in the next 5 to 10 years?
JS: The big change isn't unique to career counseling/coaching—it's happening across all professions. The foundational idea is that AI won't replace you, but someone who can do your job AND use AI probably will. Imagine being a career professional in 2024 who couldn't use the internet or understand spreadsheets. You'd be out of a job, regardless of how good you are. In 5 to 10 years, the career professionals who effectively use AI will be able to serve more clients/students and provide deeper services. It's an exciting time, but it's also crucial for career professionals to start exploring AI to not only support their clients/students, but also to protect their own economic interests as the world changes.
JL: What resources and tools are available to help today’s job seekers and employees leverage AI for career success?
JS: The big push is that the price of admission is free. You can use the most advanced AI models, like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot, without paying a cent. The challenge is overcoming the initial friction of getting started. Everyone owes it to their future economic success to try these tools and become conversant with them. The best way to get over the hurdle is to think about the things that make for successful uses. Use the mnemonic GPT:
G for Generic: Any tool will do; ChatGPT is fine.
P for Prompt: Be specific about what you want.
T for Talk back: Refine the output by asking for improvements.
JL: What are the top tools you recommend for people who want to get started with AI?
JS: The big players are ChatGPT, Copilot from Microsoft, Google's Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity. When choosing a model, look for these features:
Free Access: Lower the friction to get started.
Speed: Fast responses are crucial to keep users engaged.
Ability to Upload Attachments: This adds significant power to the tool.
Web Search Capability: Access to live data rather than outdated information.
The good news is that these features are available in most major platforms today.
JL: How can career development professionals support students and clients in their journeys while embracing AI?
JS: I'll give the macro and then the micro perspective. The macro approach is to start with the career first and then work backwards. Rather than using AI randomly, it's about teaching AI to help build a great career for the next decade. I often get questions in webinars where students/clients are worried if recruiters will catch them using ChatGPT or if their boss will find out. My response is that by 2025, your boss wants you to be learning these skills today so you can put them to work tomorrow. Starting with that macro lens is important.
On the micro level, there are three stages. First, AI isn't just for writing resumes and cover letters. It's about figuring out what you want to do with your life. No career professional is knowledgeable about every industry, function, or path, but they know how to elicit what's important to a client/student. Combining their expertise with ChatGPT's encyclopedic knowledge creates a powerful combination.
Second, at the resume stage, it's less about writing the resume or cover letter, and more about replicating what recruiters have always been doing. When I was a recruiter at Teach For America 20 years ago, I used an ATS, a basic form of AI, to figure out who to focus on. Now our clients/students can do that analysis themselves before they apply and avoid getting stuck in the black box. This is a great use case where AI can be effective.
Finally, interviews take a lot of practice and coaching. No human career professional can devote hundreds of hours to this, but tools like LinkedIn's Interview Prep or even ChatGPT can provide more practice and feedback than any human could give.
JL: What ethical considerations and watch-outs should people be aware of when using AI?
JS: The heuristic I use is ABC: Accuracy, Bias, and Confidentiality.
Accuracy: Many overlook the issue of hallucinations. AI can generate false information, especially in contexts like resumes or cover letters where accuracy is crucial.
Bias: AI can perpetuate biases present in its training data. It's essential to be aware of and mitigate this risk.
Confidentiality: Handling personal and sensitive information requires careful consideration to protect privacy.
One way you can push back against confidentiality, it’s actually a big advantage for ChatGPT, is to utilize the layers of incognito to create a temporary chat and not have information saved in your search. It’s good for career professionals to know that this exists as a way of getting the best of the model without avoiding completely due to confidentiality concerns.
It's crucial for career professionals to understand these aspects to use AI responsibly and effectively.
JL: What final insights would you like to share with NCDA members about expanding their AI capabilities?
JS: Career professionals have a unique opportunity to position themselves as leaders in adopting AI. By leveraging AI effectively, career professionals and career centers can not only improve their services but also build their brand as innovative and forward-thinking. It's an exciting time to be in this field, and those who embrace AI will be at the forefront of the next wave of career development.