With the use of AI chatbots increasing, career centers are trying to figure out how to adapt their advice to job applicants.
The University of Missouri recommended on its career center webpage early last week that students could use AI chatbots to generate the first draft of their cover letter. Late last week, the site changed. Now it suggests job seekers use ChatGPT or Perplexity to generate an outline or polish a first draft.
Senior Coordinator of Student Services Amanda Nell said the school is still working to adapt to AI.
"This is evolving," Nell said. "We are going to be evaluating and deciding what are our best recommendations."
JobFinder is an employment agency based in Missouri. Operations Manager Jamie Ballard said she can tell when an applicant submits an AI-generated cover letter.
Both Nell and Ballard said job applicants should use AI as a tool, not the sole writer of their cover letter.
“We’re trying to tell students [to] take advantage of this as a starting place," Nell said. "But it can’t be the end point.”
Both Nell and Ballard added job seekers should use AI carefully and make sure their cover letter remains unique.
"You really wanna stand out in a cover letter to kind of get your personality out there as well as your professional experience,” Ballard said.
