Our Signature Tutorial: Obtain Professional Career Coaching For Free By Using AI Consultants
Preface
This tutorial is designed to assist students beyond high school in quickly finding career information while pursuing further studies, as well as helping job seekers with their job search, study planning, interviews, and lifelong learning.
Younger students should minimize their use of AI Large Language Models to seek answers. Education is not solely about acquiring knowledge; more importantly, it’s about developing critical thinking and creativity. Sternstunde Innovation's primary goal is to encourage children to enhance their innovative abilities, ask meaningful questions, and explore their dreams without being constrained by conventional answers.
Career Coaching In The AI Era
Many people are feeling anxious about their careers due to the rise of generative artificial intelligence. There’s a growing desire for quick solutions or stable careers that offer a secure retirement. However, Job Tenure Trends report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals a significant decline in the average duration of first jobs across generations:
- 1. Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964): On average, they stay in a job for about 8.4 years.
- 2. Generation X (born 1965-1980): Their average job tenure is approximately 5.5 years.
- 3. Millennials (born 1981-1996): They tend to stay in a job for around 2.8 years.
- 4. Generation Z (born 1997-2012): This group has the shortest average tenure, typically staying in a job for about 1.2 years.[1]
These trends reflect the evolving nature of the workforce, with younger generations often seeking more flexibility and opportunities for growth, leading to shorter job tenures.
As industry life cycles shorten and lifespans extend, previous career experiences may lose their relevance. Consequently, we will inevitably encounter pivotal moments in our careers that require careful decision-making. Effectively planning your career has become a pressing issue that cannot be ignored.
You might wonder if seeking guidance from a career counsellor would be beneficial, yes definitely. But based on data, numerous countries are experiencing a deficit of career counsellors due to inadequate resource allocation and a lack of emphasis on the value of career counselling within the educational framework. For instance, India estimated a requirement for 1.5 million career counsellors in 2019 [2]. Nonetheless, with the advancement of ChatGPT and AI technologies, there is potential for AI to assume the role of a "personalized career counsellor" in guiding individuals through career coaching, addressing common career obstacles, and fostering collaboration between humans and AI tools to continually enhance personal career trajectories.
Career Coaching With AI Tools Like ChatGPT
There are four clear advantages to using ChatGPT for career coaching:
- 1. Cost-Effective
Professional career counsellors typically charge dozens or hundreds (even thousands) dollars per hour. In contrast, many platforms offer ChatGPT-based career consulting services at low or no cost. - 2. Time-Saving
AI career consultant can rapidly generate personalized content and respond to inquiries, significantly reducing consultation time. - 3. Extensive Knowledge
AI career consulting services leverage vast amounts of data and comprehensive databases, whose performance can exceed the experienced career counsellors. - 4. Convenience
AI career consulting services offer accessible and courteous advice anytime and anywhere without any language barriers. Additionally, users can easily ask follow-up questions and request further information based on the responses from ChatGPT.
However, there are four disadvantages to using ChatGPT for career coaching:
- 1. Limited Innovation
ChatGPT models are trained on historical data, making it challenging for them to explore the latest industry trends, innovative thinking, and cutting-edge aspects of career coaching. - 2. Lack of Interaction
Human career counsellors, who can engage the clients in meaningful dialogue that incorporates emotional nuances and expressions. This interaction can foster imagination and help clients gain deeper self-understanding. But ChatGPT only provide direct answers to specific questions. - 3. Inadequate Responses
Despite being one of the most advanced AI models, ChatGPT still has logical inconsistencies and data security vulnerabilities. For instance, it may produce unreasonable answers to certain mathematical logic problems. - 4. Passive Reaction
ChatGPT responds only to direct inquiries from users and cannot proactively assess, care for, or guide clients’ career development. This passivity can lead to missed opportunities to address the user's challenges and errors in their career journey.
Therefore, after utilizing AI tools for career coaching, combining this with discussions with career counsellors can be highly beneficial. This approach not only saves time but also enhances the quality of the outcomes, leading to more effective and well-rounded career guidance.
Evaluating ChatGPT's Recommendations
Remember that ChatGPT is an AI tool and cannot provide perfect guidance. Therefore, it is crucial to critically evaluate these recommendations and conduct further research to validate them. In this part, we can invite career counsellors with rich industry experience and consulting qualifications to help us evaluate ChatGPT's recommendations.
Career counsellors can help evaluate ChatGPT's career guidance recommendations from multiple aspects. Here are a few specific examples:
1. Industry knowledge and experience
Career counsellors usually have rich industry knowledge and experience and can provide in-depth insights into the realities and development prospects of specific careers. For example, they can evaluate whether the career recommendations provided by ChatGPT are corresponding to current market needs and industry trends.
2. Personalized assessment
Career counsellors can conduct personalized assessments based on personal interests, skills, and values to ensure that career recommendations match personal career goals and lifestyles. They can help you understand whether the recommendations provided by ChatGPT are truly suitable for your personality and career inclinations.
3. Career path coaching
Counsellors can help you develop a detailed career path, including necessary education and training, skill development, and steps for career transition. They can evaluate whether the career path suggestions provided by ChatGPT are feasible and provide specific action plans.
4. Resources and networks
Career counsellors usually have extensive resources and networks that can provide internships, job opportunities, and career development resources. They can help you connect to relevant industry resources and evaluate whether the resources provided by ChatGPT are comprehensive and effective.
5. Psychological support and motivation
Career counsellors not only provide career advice, but also provide psychological support and motivation to help you overcome the challenges and confusion of career development. They can evaluate whether the suggestions provided by ChatGPT consider your psychological needs and motivational factors.
Through these aspects of evaluation, career counsellors can help you more comprehensively understand and utilize the career guidance suggestions provided by ChatGPT to ensure that these suggestions are truly helpful for your career development.
Protect Your Data Security
When using AI models, providing detailed background information can lead to more accurate and relevant responses. However, it's important to remember that all information entered may be recorded by the AI and could potentially be accessible to other users. Therefore, we strongly recommend "desensitizing" sensitive data in your questions by using fictitious information and pseudonyms instead of real names and details. Ideally, avoid disclosing any sensitive information altogether.
Additionally, it's wise to regularly review and update your privacy settings to ensure your personal information remains secure while using AI tools. By taking these precautions, you can enjoy the convenience of AI technology while protecting your privacy and data security.
Parsons' Trait-Factor Theory
For users of AI career consulting services, in order to obtain a career plan that better matches our own, we must raise our career coaching questions based on the theoretical basis of career coaching. Here, we explore our career coaching based on the famous Parsons' trait-factor theory:
Frank Parsons' career theory, also known as the trait-factor theory or the person-job matching theory, is one of the early and important theories in the field of career coaching. Parsons proposed this theory in 1909, which mainly includes the following key points:
1. Self-understanding
Parsons believes that the first step in career choice is to clearly understand oneself, including one's abilities, interests, values, personality, resources and limitations. These can be obtained through psychometric tools and other assessment methods.
2. Understanding the professional world
The second step is to understand the requirements and conditions of different professions, including the nature of work, salary, working environment, promotion opportunities, etc.
3. Matching process
The last step is to match personal traits with career requirements. Parsons believed that the ideal career choice is based on the match between personal traits (such as ability, interest, personality) and career factors (such as working conditions, salary, opportunities).
Parsons' theory emphasizes that through scientific measurement and analysis, one can find the career that best suits an individual, thereby increasing the possibility of career success. This theory laid the foundation for modern career guidance and career psychology [3].
After more than a hundred years of time and countless practical tests, Parsons' theory has been proven to be a method that emphasizes scientific rationality and logical reasoning. The guidance method is very specific and easy to learn and operate.
Career Coaching Assessment Tools
There are many assessment tools used in career coaching, each of which has its own specific focus, which can help individuals better understand their personality traits, interest preferences, values, and ability tendencies, so as to assist in career selection and development. The following are some popular career coaching assessment tools:
1. Holland Career Interest Assessment (SDS)
designed based on the career interest theory of American psychologist John Holland, used to assess an individual's career interests and match them with six types of career environments (realistic, research, artistic, social, corporate, and conventional).
2. MBTI Career Personality Test (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator)
Based on Jung's psychological type theory, it assesses an individual's preferences in energy acquisition (extroversion/introversion), information collection (sensation/intuition), decision-making (thinking/emotion), and lifestyle (judgment/perception).
3. DISC Personality Test
Evaluates personal behaviour style, which is divided into four types
Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Compliance.
4. Enneagram
Based on nine different personality models, it helps individuals identify their core motivations, fears and behaviour patterns.
5. Career Values Test
Including Edgar Schein Career Anchor Test, WVI Work Values Questionnaire, Rockkey Values Questionnaire, etc.
6. Cattell Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, EPQ (Eysenck Personality Questionnaire), etc.
7. Gallup Strengths Finder
Helps individuals identify their own strengths so that they can be used in their career development.
8. Five Factor Model
Evaluates the five personality dimensions of openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and neuroticism.
These tools are usually used by professional career counsellors or provided as online assessments for users to complete on their own. It is important to note that while these assessments can provide useful insights, they are only auxiliary tools and should not be used as the sole basis for career decision-making. The individual's actual situation, market trends, and the dynamic changes in career development all need to be considered comprehensively.
ChatGPT Interactive Questioning Steps
Here provides 4 self-questioning steps for interacting with ChatGPT and accurately planning your career. Each stage is from the simplest to the most complex, from thinking to action. You are invited to freely adjust the following questions and try to collaborate with AI tools to improve your career development.
1. Understand yourself through career assessment
First, you can use ChatGPT to find suitable personality test tools and conduct ability assessment for yourself. You can ask ChatGPT:
"Please recommend some commonly used personality tests and ability assessment tools in career coaching in the field of XXX." (Confirm what commonly used test tools are in your field, such as DISC, Big Five, MBTI, for details, please refer to the "Career Coaching Assessment Tools" section above)
"Can you introduce the principles and methods of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)? How should I interpret the test results?" "Can you introduce the principles and methods of the Big Five Personality Traits?" "Can you introduce the principles and methods of the Gallup 34 Talent Assessment?" (Understand these test methods and interpretation results, and whether they are applicable to you)
"Suppose my MBTI type is XXXX, based on this result, which careers are more suitable for me?" "My ability assessment shows that I perform well in __________, what are the recommended career choices?" "My MBTI type is XXXX , is there any job in the field of __________ suitable for me?" (Analyze the career suitability from the test results)
"Please give me some suggestions based on my MBTI type and ability assessment results. How can I formulate a personalized career development strategy?" (Practically arrange a personalized career development strategy)
By asking the above questions, you will be able to make full use of ChatGPT to conduct personality tests and ability assessments in career coaching, so as to obtain more targeted career advice and preliminary development strategies.
2. Expand your knowledge by understanding industry and career trends
Use ChatGPT to study the career market and industry trends. You can ask ChatGPT questions like:
"What is the market demand trend for XXX career? What are the salary and potential development space?" "What is the market demand for XXX career? What are their average salary and promotion opportunities?" (Clarify the market demand, salary level and promotion opportunities for specific occupations)
"What are the main development trends in the XXX industry in recent years? What technologies are changing this industry?" "In the XXX industry, what policy changes and regulatory provisions have a significant impact on its development?" (Understand the latest trends, future technological developments and policy changes)
"In the XXX industry, what cross-domain knowledge has advantages for career development?" "Which skills in the XXX field are also in high demand in other industries? How can these skills be converted into opportunities for different occupations?" (Identify skills and occupations with cross-industry application potential)
"For those who want to work as OOO in the XXX industry, what professional knowledge and skills should be acquired to improve their employment competitiveness?" "In the XXX field, what core skills should I have to improve my competitiveness?" (Ask about the core capabilities required by a specific industry or occupation)
Through the above questions, you can make full use of ChatGPT to conduct career market research and industry dynamics analysis, structurally understand the needs and development opportunities of different occupations, and make preliminary choices for your career coaching.
3. Develop an action plan to achieve your goals
Based on the results and goals you have explored in the above directions, work with AI to develop a specific action plan to achieve your career goals. You can ask ChatGPT questions like this:
"I want to become an XXX expert. Please help me set a feasible short-term and medium-term goal after graduating from the XX department of the university." (Break down large goals into small tasks)
"In order to achieve the above short-term/medium-term goals, what specific actions should I take? Please help me list at least 3 steps that can be taken immediately." (Confirm the steps required to complete each task)
"I want to improve my knowledge of XXX within 3 months. Please give me some advice and learning strategies." "I want to improve XXX's skills within half a year, but I currently have a full-time job. How should I arrange my time management? Please help me plan a specific weekly study plan and time arrangement suggestions." (Develop further study plans for yourself)
4. Continuous evaluation and adjustment in future career development
"How can I effectively monitor my progress and make micro-adjustments at any time in the process of practicing the goal of becoming an expert in XXX?" (Monitoring and adjustment, so as not to deviate from the goal)
"I encountered OOO difficulties in the process of learning XXX. Please give me some suggestions." (Continuous learning and feedback)
Through the above 4 stages of continuous questioning, you can make full use of the suggestions provided by ChatGPT, develop specific action plans, and conduct continuous learning and feedback in the process of achieving career goals to ensure the success rate of future career actions. [4]
Example: Help Students Make Career Choices
For detailed graphic case presentation, please click here.
1. Initialization:
Open the ChatGPT language model and register. Click here to open ChatGPT
2. Set the role:
Enter the following two questions in the ChatGPT dialog box to set the role of a career counsellor for ChatGPT:
- - What are the responsibilities of a career counsellor?
- - You are a career counsellor now, please help me solve my career problems?
3. Person-job matching consultation
Parsons' person-job matching is divided into two types:
1. Factor matching (base on job, search for people). For example, for an existing professional occupation based on specialized technology and professional knowledge, obtain the skills and professional knowledge that should be mastered in this profession, so as to better set learning goals and practice plans for yourself.
"I am a freshman majoring in finance. I want a job with high salary, great promotion opportunities, and working in a big city. I like working in the financial industry. I like jobs that give me the opportunity to interact with outstanding people in the financial industry and build connections. Please list five careers that are suitable for me, and in order to actively develop in these careers, what professional knowledge and skills should I acquire to improve my employment competitiveness?"
Example
Characteristic matching (base on people, looking for jobs). For example, based on your interests, abilities, values and personal traits, as well as your preferences for the work environment, you can find a career that matches your personal characteristics, so as to further understand the development paths of various careers.
"I am a 16-year-old high school student. I am very interested in mathematics, especially logical reasoning and solving complex problems. I also like computers and have participated in some programming interest classes. In addition, I like painting and playing guitar. I hope to be able to do something meaningful to me. My Holland career assessment shows that I am a conventional and realistic type. My MBTI assessment tests that I am an ISTJ personality type. My DISC personality test shows that I am a stable type. Should I study liberal arts or science? Can you recommend five careers that best match my interests and abilities and can provide stability and satisfaction?"
Example
Example: Become a Successful Job Seeker
For detailed graphic case presentation, please click here.
1. Understand the job description
To gain a deeper understanding of the qualities that the hiring company is looking for in a candidate for a position, you need to ask about the core skills required and their importance.
"You are a hiring manager. Share the top 5 skills that job seekers need to apply for the following job and explain their importance. This is the job description [paste job description]."
Example
For the job you want, you can use it to enhance your understanding of the job expectations and job requirements.
2. Polish your resume
Let ChatGPT create a resume for you that stands out from the crowd and attracts the attention of potential employers.
"I want to create a resume based on the [enter position] position. The job requirements are [enter job description]. Please show my technical skills that match the job requirements, choose a concise and clear resume layout, and organize the information in an easy-to-read, visually appealing way. Highlight my experience and keywords related to the job requirements in my resume."
Example
I hope ChatGPT's answer can help you customize your resume for the position you are applying for.
3. Write an attractive Cover Letter
You can greatly increase your chances of getting an interview by tailoring your cover letter to showcase your skills, experience and qualities and how they relate to the position.
"Based on my resume and job description, write an eye-catching cover letter that helps highlight the key skills, experience and qualities that are most relevant to the position."
Example
You are advised to use this question to let ChatGPT tailor your own cover letter for the job you are applying for. In addition, you need to check the grammatical accuracy of your resume and add your personal style to your resume from your own perspective.
4. Prepare for an interview with ChatGPT
You can use ChatGPT to predict the interview questions you may be asked and, based on your own experience, think through and craft examples of interview questions to answer these questions.
"Based on the job description, share 5 questions that may be asked in an interview. Please share sample answers so that I can prepare for my interview."
Example
You can constantly create new interview template questions by rewriting prompts and use them to craft and practice your responses.
5. Write a post-interview thank you email
After an interview, employers may forget about candidates. Writing a thank you email within three days of the interview can remind them of the interview process and leave a positive impression on them.
"I had an interview this morning and it went well. I really want this job. Please write a professional thank you email to the interviewer for [job title]. The interview was on [date] at [time]. To express my gratitude, emphasize that I was impressed by the team and company culture and that I am confident I would thrive in this position. Reiterate relevant experience or qualifications, reiterate my interest and ask about next steps. Also mention our shared love of basketball."
Example
The generated content is for reference only. Please verify its accuracy and rephrase it in your unique style.[5]