Preparing for the interview with the help of AI

When submitting job applications, do you simply read the job advert, attach your résumé and a standard “template” cover letter, and hope for the best? Or have you considered a more customised approach for each application? “Too time-consuming,” you might say. But what if AI could be your secret weapon - customising your résumé and cover letter while referencing employer information and the job advert itself?

Enter NotebookLM, a free AI-powered app from Google. NotebookLM allows you to interact conversationally with your résumé, cover letter, personal documents, notes, job adverts, web links and more. By uploading your résumé, cover letter, job description, and related materials, NotebookLM can quickly summarise content; extract key points; and answer questions to help you tailor your application.

NotebookLM can suggest improvements; generate customised cover letters; compare your experience against job criteria; and help you prepare for interviews - all based on your own documents. The result is a streamlined job application process that saves time while improving the relevance and quality of your application.

We put NotebookLM to the test by creating a sample job description and résumé. Then, using the app to generate a cover letter we tailored it to a specific job post.

To do this, we uploaded the job advert link and the applicant’s résumé (TEFL.com résumés can be downloaded from your account) and entered the prompt: 'Create a 1,500-character cover letter.' The results can be viewed below and here.

Next, we uploaded the generated cover letter back into NotebookLM as an additional 'source.' You can add as many sources as you like, such as links to the recruiter’s website, recent news articles or YouTube videos. NotebookLM extracts relevant information about the organisation, which you can then use to prepare for your interview.

We then entered the prompt: 'You are an interviewer at [company name]. Ask me some interview questions based on the information in my résumé and the role responsibilities.' NotebookLM generated example interview questions tailored to the job criteria and the applicant’s experience. The full output can be viewed here.

As can be seen below, we have input the prompt 'You are an interviewer at [company name], ask me some interview questions based off the information in my résumé and the role responsibilities'. NotebookLM has generated example questions which may be asked at the interview based on your résumé and the job post criteria. The complete output can be viewed here.

Finally, we asked: 'How does my experience align with the requirements of the job?' This provided valuable feedback on how well the applicant’s qualifications and experience matched the role. You can view the sample feedback here.  

Beyond job applications and interview preparation, NotebookLM can also generate the following from your uploaded sources:

• Audio overviews 
• Video overviews
• AI mind maps
• Reports 
• Flashcards 
• Interactive quizzes
• Infographics
• AI slides
• Data tables

Conclusion

NotebookLM can help your customised job application stand out to employers. By demonstrating insight into the organisation and clearly aligning your qualifications and experience with the role, you show recruiters that you are not just a suitable candidate - but the right one.

You can give NotebookLM a try here. 

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