The University supports the responsible use of generative AI (GenAI) when helpful to further its mission, the preservation, advancement, and dissemination of knowledge. These guidelines provide general advice for the UW community and can help you use GenAI responsibly by aligning with UW’s values and privacy principles.
Featured Tool: UW’s enterprise generative AI tool Purple AI
Generative AI tools have been increasingly used in the career space to apply for jobs. Recruiters and hiring committees have varying degrees of use of AI tools in their hiring process, and do not always disclose if they use them.
We recommend students be mindful of their use of Generative AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) for their application materials.
While these tools can be time-savers and great idea generators, here are a few important considerations:
For ideas on what prompts to use for Career questions, check out our Prompt Library:
AI is not always accurate (hallucinations).
Always proofread your work, fact check, and verify the sources provided. Do not assume the initial information is accurate and true.
Resource: How to Fact Check AI
Be cautious what you input. Do not upload personal or sensitive information. You could be violating privacy laws if you upload confidential information (ex: do not upload information about a project if you signed an NDA).
Thoughtful use can decrease energy waste. More specific and detailed AI prompts can limit the energy use. Rather than asking multiple general prompts or restarting a conversation, preparing a quality prompt in the same chat/project can lower the impact. (Podder, et al. 2026)
Can you do it on your own? AI should not replace your whole work.
Employers interviewing you want to hire YOU, not the AI. They will be expecting to read and interview the employee with whom they will be working. If the job requires or focuses on AI use, you will still need to explain your work. Make your materials and your interview a true representation of yourself.
Note: Be cautious of becoming dependent on GenAI tools and affecting critical thinking skills, especially if the job requires you to perform without it.
AI writing tends to sound the same. Employers might ask for supplementary questions or a specific prompt for a cover letter. When every applicant inputs the same prompt into GenAI, the response is often similar and employers can tell.
Depending on the discretion of the employer, they might toss the application if it sounds unoriginal or the applicant does not add their own voice to it.
Employers might not accept AI use in materials. It is important to read job postings completely and fully to see if there are any notes about AI generated content.
Note: Remember that AI tools can give great suggestions for career planning, but cannot take into context all of your circumstances and needs. It should not replace a human mental health professional, and is not an expert that can dictate your choices.
If you need someone to talk to about personal challenges related to mental health, know that you have access to UW resources and the National Suicide and Crisis hotline.
Featured Tools: Jobscan, Chat GPT, Resume GPTs
Note: Do not lie or make up experience! While we recommend tailoring your resume with keywords, AI generated resumes might have too much jargon that is not clear or accurate. Always proofread, and make sure the content makes sense.
Note: With all of the AI written materials, cover letters have begun to all sound the same. This is an important place to stand out with your own voice by displaying critical thinking, understanding and authentic interest in the role and the organization.
Featured Tools: Yoodli
Note: Avoid using live AI assistance tools that give you answers during interviews. These often are noticeable and sound inauthentic. The interview is to get to know you and your skills, and a live AI interview assistant defeats that purpose and can distract you from creating a genuine connection.
If you need to write a professional email or message (i.e. informational interview requests, networking via Linkedin, etc.), but are unsure if your draft is appropriate to the situation – AI can be a great tool for templates or giving feedback on your tone, word choice, formality, and length.
Make sure to still add your own authentic voice to it, as people who see overly formal messages may be less likely to respond if it looks like an automated message or a bot.
Many graduate schools have specific instructions to not use GenAI in your application materials, so we recommend to avoid using GenAI when writing your personal statements.
If there are no instructions about using AI, we recommend using it sparingly or only for brainstorming.
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