From left, Khansa Tariq, a senior in the Sonoma State psychology department, and Lissete Trinidad Mejia, a grad student in cultural heritage resource management, meet in the SSU career center. [Image courtesy SSU]
with an AI-powered video interview tool. The tool records their answers. The job seekers then watch their videos. They view their score and get feedback on how to respond to certain questions,” says Ellison. Ellison is interested in hearing from employers as to how students and alumni are faring with applications and in interviews. Ellison is also a member of the Sonoma County Workforce Investment Board, a group of local stakeholders appointed by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors to address workforce challenges in the county. “I learn a great deal from this group,” says Ellison. “I consistently look for ways to apply those insights to improve how we prepare our students and graduates for meaningful employment opportunities within Sonoma County and beyond.” A hands-on how-to One of the first steps in working with AI tools is to improve formatting. There have been many changes to resumes and application packages in the last few years. “For example, people don’t put physical addresses on resumes anymore. A lot of jobs don’t require cover letters. This means the resume has to showcase the skills and experiences well. When students first come in, they often add a lot of unnecessary information to their resume,” says Torres.
An AI-generated resume gives a job seeker a “rough draft” of what is standard for their industry. “Then a student makes an appointment with a career advisor to comb over their resume in a deeper way. We look at the job description. Sometimes the employers use AI to generate it,” says Torres. Students may be unfamiliar with terms like “leverage” and “agile.” They also may not understand what such terms mean in context. “That’s when we use AI tools to dissect job descriptions. We enter the job description into ChatGPT to find the top qualities and skills needed for the position. We show that to the student and tell them, ‘Here’s what we want to see in your resume,’” says Torres. The career advisors often tell students to explain what knowledge they have gained from academic coursework and work experience. “Rather than state only that you have lab experience, show you know the difference between a wet lab, which involves liquids and biological materials, and a dry lab, which involves data and computer analysis. This better equips the resume to be read by a person and an AI- powered tool,” says Torres. Torres says job seekers often leave out the projects or internships they completed and the clubs they joined. For example, a recent graduate looking for a job in accounting
34 NorthBaybiz
November 2025
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