From the Career Lantern Inbox…

Use AI for Resumes & Cover Letters?
What is a Career Walking Deck?

Today, let’s take a look at the Career Lantern inbox. Here are a few questions that may be of interest to all readers.

RK asks: Some of my friends are using AI to write their resumes and cover letters. Do you think that is a good idea?

Reply: As with most technology tools, it depends. Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be helpful when preparing resumes and cover letters by suggesting wording improvements or making you aware of content you may have inadvertently omitted or not even considered including. However, you must think of AI only as a “helper” and not as a personal servant who completely does all the work for you. It is critical to thoroughly review any AI-generated content with an eye to accuracy and common sense. While some material created by AI may be much better than what you could ever write on your own, sometimes its wording may be somewhat odd or even downright goofy. Note that AI results are also often flawed, containing words, job titles, jargon, or terms that are unusual or used incorrectly as related to your particular field. Obviously, such embarrassing quirks will detract from your credibility, make you look incompetent, and potentially expose your careless use of and reliance on AI. AI can be helpful as a tool, but look at the results carefully!

JS asks: I have heard about something called a “Career Walking Deck” or “Personal Pitch Deck” being used as part of a job interview. What exactly are those?

Reply: A “Career Walking Deck” and “Personal Pitch Deck” are essentially the same thing. The Career Walking Deck is a relatively new concept and differs from the usual business presentation. This type of presentation is typically short, with about 5 to 8 slides, and focuses on helping the interviewers learn more about you. It provides favorable insights about you that they may not discover through the normal question-and-answer interview process or by simply reading your resume. The slides should be colorful and visually stimulating, using pictures where appropriate, and not just a bunch of bullet points.

The presentation may come into play in one of two ways: first, when the employer instructs you to prepare such a presentation, and second, when you create the presentation without being asked and then intend to use it during the interview.

You may be asked to create and submit such a presentation in advance so the interviewers can review it on their own prior to the actual interview. If so, the slides for your Career Walking Deck presentation must, by necessity, be more detailed than a typical presentation slide, permitting the viewers to clearly understand your information without the benefit of your presence and verbal explanations. Other times, you may be asked to deliver it during the job interview. Even though the slides should still be more detailed than those found in a typical business presentation, the viewers have the benefit of you guiding them through the material.

Some candidates create their own Career Walking Deck without being asked and then plan to use it during the interview. Be sure to ask permission before launching it, and there are two reasons why. First, most interviewers probably won’t expect it and may not be familiar with the concept. Second, some interviewers may be very strict about keeping every interview exactly the same and feel that allowing you to present may be inconsistent with that policy. Keep the presentation brief; interviewers usually have limited time. If the presentation is allowed, this approach can set you apart from other candidates and showcase your communication and presentation skills.

Slides in a Career Walking Deck might include:

• Title. Your name and a professional picture of yourself.
• About Me. Interesting information about you that is not typically found in a resume, such as your interests, hobbies, personal goals, strengths, etc.
• Academic Accomplishments. Highlight the colleges attended and your degrees, GPA (if impressive), internships/co-ops, any specialized training you may have received, academic awards, research, etc.
• Experience. Your work history and other related experience. Include specialized skills and abilities, and applicable certifications and licenses. Be sure to quantify your work-related accomplishments.
• Why Hire Me. Provide a convincing argument and evidence as to why you are the best person for the position and should be selected over other candidates.
• 30-60-90 Day Onboarding Plan. Some slide decks may include a proposed onboarding plan, detailing how you plan to grow in the position over the stated time period.

The above are just general suggestions. Because Career Walking Decks are somewhat new, norms and guidelines for such presentations are not yet universally well established. I suggest researching the topic online and learning whether people find that interviewers ask for or allow these presentations, and what formats and content appear to work for successful candidates.

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