Remember that AI is a great start, but any documents & career planning should be reviewed by a Career Coach before being used for applications. Also, remember that AI creates a far inferior product to one you could develop through considerable effort and dedication.  

Exploring Careers

Connecting Major/Interests to Careers

Prompt: I am interested in [interests] majoring in [major] what are some potential career options for me?

Learning About a Career or Job

Prompt: What tasks and responsibilities are completed as a [job title]?

Resume Prompts

Developing a Resume Template

Prompt: I am a [Year] (EX: Sophomore) at CUNY Brooklyn College, studying [Major]EX: Computer Science], seeking internships. Can you provide a sample resume that does not falsify any experiences, only includes my name at the top of the resume, and meets these specifications: [copy + paste resume checklist text from Career Document Guide] 

Modifying Existing Resume

• Prompt 1: I will provide my resume text first, then in the second message I will provide a resume checklist that needs to be used to edit my resume. Here is my resume: [paste resume text or upload file]  
• Prompt 2: Here is the checklist: [copy + paste resume checklist text from Career Document Guide] 

Catering Resume to Job Description

• Prompt 1: I will provide my resume text [or upload file] first, then in the second message I will provide a job description that needs to be used to cater my resume by adding keywords. Here is my resume: [paste your full resume text or upload file] 
• Prompt 2: Here is the job description [copy + paste job description text] 

Cover Letter Prompts

Developing a Cover Letter Template

• Prompt 1: I am a [Year] EX: Sophomore] at CUNY Brooklyn College, studying [Major]EX: Computer Science], seeking internships. Create a one-page cover letter template based on my resume and a cover letter checklist, which I will send in separate messages. Here is the resume: [copy + paste resume text or upload file]  
• Prompt 2: Here is the checklist: [paste cover letter checklist text from Career Document Guide] 

Improving Existing Cover Letter

• Prompt 1: I will provide my cover letter text first, then in the second message I will provide a resume checklist that needs to be used to edit my provided cover letter text. Here is my resume: [paste your cover letter text]  
• Prompt 2: Here is the checklist: [paste cover letter checklist text from Career Document Guide] 

Also, check out: Ben Broch’s Cover Letter Copilot: which creates cover letters based on job description & resume.

Informational Interviewing Prompts

Prompt: I am interested in [interests] majoring in [major] what are some topics I can discuss with industry professionals. I’m not sure where to even start.

Job + Internship Search Prompts

Finding Job/Internship Search Platforms

Prompt: I am a [Year] [EX: Sophomore] at CUNY Brooklyn College, studying [Major] [EX: Computer Science]. Can you find me 10 (*or remove number*) internship & job application platforms that I can use?  

Finding Potential Job/Internships Titles

Prompt: I am going to first provide my resume text, then I’d like you to provide me with a list of 20 internship/job titles I should target based on my experiences. Here is the resume text: [paste your resume text or upload file] 

Finding Professional Associations

Prompt: I am a [Year] [EX: Sophomore] at CUNY Brooklyn College, studying [Major] [EX: Computer Science]. I am going to first provide my resume text, then I’d like you to provide me with a list of 20 professional association organizations I should target based on my experiences. Here is the resume text: [paste your resume text or upload file]

Finding Companies to Apply to

Prompt: I’m looking for entry-level positions as a [career title]. Share companies in [location/region/city/country] that hire for this role?

I am interested in working as a [career title] for [company name]. What are five other companies that hire for similar positions?

Interview Preparation Prompts

Interview Questions

Prompt: I am going to first provide my resume text, then a job description. After receiving both, please create sample interview questions I may be asked. Here is the resume text: [paste your resume text or upload file] and here is the job description [paste the job description or upload file]

Prompt: I am interviewing for a position as a [career title]. Give me a list of the most common questions asked in an interview for this position.

Elevator Pitch

Prompt: I am going to first provide my resume text, then create an elevator pitch I can be used for employers in [industry]

Additional Resources:

• Use ChatGPT’s voice chat feature in the phone app to interview in real-time. You can also ask for advice on how to respond to challenging questions
• Check out: Adzuna: a comprehensive interview preparation tool & question generator through AI

LinkedIn Optimization Prompts

Drafting LinkedIn About Section

Prompt: I will provide my resume text (or my entire LinkedIn profile). Create a sample LinkedIn about section, of at most 100 words. Here is the resume text: [paste your resume or upload file or LinkedIn profile text]

Highlighting In-Demand Certifications

• Prompt 1: I will first provide my resume text, then next send a job description. After I send both entries, then create a list of certifications on LinkedIn Learning that I should pursue to make myself a more competitive applicant. Here is my resume: [paste your resume text or upload file]
• Prompt 2: Here is the job description from [insert company name]: [paste job description]

Magner Career Center Workshop About Using AI in the Job Search

[embedyt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB_e1H8YIkk[/embedyt]

• Get an internship. Some internships are meant for students who may not have all the experience that employers are looking for. The Magner Career Center can help!
• Get a temporary position or part-time job, or apply for a position on campus.
• Volunteer at a community organization.
• Do a project for a company.
• Assist a professor with research or a project or become a teaching assistant for a class.
• Secure a leadership position in a student organization or help run one of their events.
• Get actively involved on campus by joining student government, the school radio station, or the student newspaper, The Brooklyn College Vanguard. Interested students should inquire via e-mail at the bcvanguard@gmail.com 

Take advantage and continue developing Professional skills. Professional development is an essential practice that you will continue throughout the rest of your career.

• Review NACE’s Career Readiness Competencies
• Consider courses at Brooklyn College which will help you with your skill development such as Public Speaking, Intercultural Communications and Business Writing etc.
• Computer Training workshops in the Library help students improve their overall knowledge of computer programs such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint).
• Participate in clubs, student government, leadership positions and/or other extracurricular activities to help develop your skills.

Should you have any questions, please contact us at CareerNews@brooklyn.cuny.edu or call us at 718.951.5696

Career Guidebook (Containing Resume, Curricula Vitae, Cover Letter, Thank You Notes & Reference Page Samples)

Review our Resume Quick Reference Guide:

Resume Templates

Use our resume templates: Google Docs or Microsoft Word

Resume Checklist

Please review your resume and check for the following:

• As a traditional undergraduate student, your resume must be a one-page document. This is crucial. If you are planning on entering the Education field, a 2-page resume may be appropriate (discuss with a Career Coach). Also, if you have 10 – 20 years of post-graduation work experience, it may be appropriate to have a two-page resume.  
• Margins: .5” top and bottom’ .7” left and right (there is flexibility with this such as .5” all around, or larger than .5”). 
• Calibri or Arial is the font of choice. Other recommended fonts are Trebuchet MS, Verdana, and Century Gothic. Please note that some fonts are larger than others, and the font size you use will need to be adjusted accordingly, to make your résumé fit onto one page. We DO NOT suggest using Times New Roman. 
• Header – Need name and contact information, including your customized LinkedIn public profile URL.  Remove your street address; retain your city, state and zip code and include email address and cell phone number.   
• Do not “label” your phone number or email address; everyone knows what they are. 
• Your name should be the largest thing on the page: 14 to 16, bold, can be in all capital letters (or not).  
• Text recommended to be either 10.5 or 11, depending upon which font you’re using and how much text you have to fit on one page. Remember: your text needs to be legible, which means large enough to read without a magnifying glass. 
• “Objective” headings are OUT as they are considered dated. You may consider a 5 or 6- line SUMMARY heading.  This is not mandatory!  (see our resume guidebook page 8 https://tinyurl.com/magnerresumeguidebook for further information).  
• If you want to save space on the resume, the “Education” heading can be written on one line, with GPA, honors, dean’s list and scholarships on lines below it, as needed: 
  BA, Psychology (minor: Sociology), Brooklyn College/CUNY Expected: June 2015 
  Major GPA: 3.85; Overall GPA: 3.6  /  Dean’s List: Fall 2012, Spring 2013 
• If you have limited experience and want to fill up the resume as much as possible, consider writing the above information on separate lines (i.e., your degree, your major and minor, GPA, etc.) 
• The “Education” heading is written directly under the “Summary” heading, if you have decided to include a “Summary.” If you do not have a Summary, the Education heading can be written directly below your contact information. As a traditional undergraduate student or graduate student with very little experience, this is recommended. If you are a postgraduate and have experience that is more important to highlight, the Education heading can be written towards the bottom of the resume.  
• Job title typically is written directly under company name;  however if you want to highlight your job titles more than the company names, you can do the opposite. You can also potentially have employer and job title on the same line 
• Remove unnecessary articles (e.g. a/an, the) 
• No personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, we, they; me, you, him, her, us, them) and no possessives (my, mine, your, yours, our, ours, his, her, hers, its, their, theirs) 
• Quantify results whenever possible (refer to page 10 of the resume guidebook) 
• An “Interests” heading can be included if there is room. Sometimes interests pique the interest of a hiring manager, especially if it gives them a sense of a personality characteristic they are interested in seeing in a candidate. 
• Remove “References available upon request.” It is assumed that you will provide references, if asked.  
• In you skills section, ensure all of your listed skills are “hard skills” instead of “soft skills”. For example, remove skills like “Teamwork”, “Public Speaking”, “Detail-oriented” and replace it with the software you know how to use: “Microsoft Office”, “Google Workspace”.

PDF version of the checklist:

Resume Rubric

Consider downloading the resume rubric and bringing it in during your appointment or Walk-In Wednesday for a Career Coach to complete: Download 

Need a cover letter template?

Check out this Google Doc or Microsoft Word

Cover Letter Checklist

Review your cover letter and check for the following: 

• Does your cover letter follow the format of a professional business letter (see guidebook for samples)?   
• Is your cover letter visually appealing and easy to read? (Recruiters look at cover letters for maybe 5-10 seconds at first, they will not read it if it looks sloppy and inconsistent) 
• Did you make sure there are NO typos, grammar or spelling mistakes? 
• Is the formatting you used (font type & font size) consistent? 
• Is the text lined up consistently? 
• Is it legible? Is the font large enough that you are able to read it?  This means that the font is typically at least 11 point 
• Is there a space between each paragraph? 

• Is your cover letter 1 page? 
• Did you address the letter to someone specific (if possible) instead of “Dear Sir” or “To Whom it May Concern?”  

• If you are unable, write “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear Recruiter” 

• Is it clear what position you are applying for?  This should be included within the first paragraph 
• Is the cover letter customized to the position you are applying for and the company. Do not create generic cover letters – this is a red flag to recruiters and HR professionals   

• Did you explain why you are interested in the position/organization?  Did you do research about the company and then incorporate some of your knowledge within the letter?   

• Did you review the job description so you can highlight the skills the employer is specifically seeking and that you possess? Remember to give examples of how you developed those particular skills.  

• When you made statements such as “I am the ideal candidate” or “I am very interested”, did you give some examples as to why you are the ideal candidate or explain why you are interested? 
• Does your letter project energy, enthusiasm and confidence? 
• Would you feel confident and comfortable speaking about your experiences and skills that you highlighted on the cover letter during an interview? 
• Did you thank the individual for their time and consideration (typically included within the last paragraph)? 
• Did you sign the letter (if you are printing/faxing it)? 
• Did you have at least one trusted professional or career coach review your cover letter and give you feedback? 

PDF version of the checklist:

Instead, the Magner Career Center has several ways to assist you in writing your résumé:

• We have an online résumé guide that you can use to help build (or revise) your résumé.
• We provide group résumé guidance (no appointment necessary) during Walk-In Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
• We hold several résumé-writing workshops each semester (check the upcoming events section for our workshop schedule).
• You can receive individual résumé help by scheduling a group appointment to speak with a career coach.

• Our resume and cover letter guides: includes examples of résumés, cover letters, CVs and thank you letters to help you tailor your documents. 
• Our resume checklist and cover letter checklist are quick ways to go through your resume and make edits after using the guide.
• Consider using our resume rubric to help you edit your document and/or our resume formatting video if you need help formatting your document.

Other resources: 

• Use the Learning Center for assistance with your grammar, syntax and overall writing.
• If you have limited work experience, view FirstHand’s article on how to write a resume with minimal work experience.
• FirstHand explains some helpful ways to get your resume past an automated tracking system (used by many companies)

Ways to Receive Resume Feedback

Once you have built your resume or cover letter, and have followed the guidance provided in the materials, you can either:

• Come during Walk in Wednesday (no appointment needed).
• Schedule a group appointment with a Career Coach.