Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how people apply for jobs, prepare for interviews and work across industries. For college students, that can create a lot of questions: Which AI skills do employers expect? How much AI use is too much? And how can students prepare when the technology keeps changing?
Seth Kleinwort, MS, assistant director of operations and outcomes in Creighton University’s John P. Fahey Career Center, offers a practical answer. Students do not need to master every AI tool. They need to use AI thoughtfully, understand the work behind it and explain their choices.
Employers are still deciding how AI fits many roles. In job interviews, they may be less interested in technical expertise than in whether a candidate can use AI to solve a real problem.
Because expectations vary by industry and employer, there is no single set of AI skills every student needs. Curiosity and adaptability can be just as important as experience with a specific platform. Employers want to see that students can apply new technology to the work in front of them.
A student might describe how AI helped organize research, generate ideas, improve a process or reduce time spent on a repetitive task. The tool itself is less important than the student’s role and the result.
“They want to know that you can use the tool,” Kleinwort said. “But it’s a tool. How did that help you accomplish what you were trying to do?”
Getting a useful result takes more than entering a quick prompt. Students need to provide context, give clear direction and refine what they ask. Then they must check the response and decide what belongs in the final product. That process demonstrates both AI literacy and command of the underlying work.
A strong answer goes beyond, “I used ChatGPT.” Students should prepare examples from classes, internships, campus jobs or projects and be ready to explain:
These details show employers more than familiarity with a platform. They show how a student thinks, makes decisions and takes responsibility for the final work.
AI can make work faster, but it cannot replace a person’s understanding of the fundamentals.
Students still need to recognize inaccurate information, identify missing context and step in when a tool does not perform as expected.
That is especially important for résumés, cover letters, portfolios and coding samples. If an application is far beyond what a candidate can explain or demonstrate in an interview, an employer may question whether the work reflects the applicant’s actual skills.
“If the person in front of you does not seem like the person who applied, that’s a red flag,” Kleinwort said. “Which experience is true: the one in the room or the one on the paper?”
A Creighton education prepares students to bring judgment to new technology: knowing when to use it, considering who may be affected and taking responsibility for the outcome. Those skills remain useful even as specific AI tools change.
The John P. Fahey Career Center helps students explore career paths, identify their strengths, improve résumés and cover letters and practice for interviews. Advisors can also help students prepare to discuss AI use honestly and connect it to the skills employers value.
That support remains personal. Career advisors can help students identify examples from their experience, practice answering questions for a specific role and present their skills clearly. AI can support that preparation, but it does not replace the reflection and conversation that help students find career direction. For students worried about predicting exactly how AI will affect their profession, Kleinwort suggests a more manageable place to start: learn how to use the technology, keep developing the skills behind it and be ready to explain your choices.
Connect with the John P. Fahey Career Center for help with exploring career paths, strengthening application materials and preparing for interviews.
