AI meets the job search: Career Prep Was Built for a Human-First World, so Now What?
Illustration of artificial intelligence transforming the job search, by Basta
The First-Gen Dilemma in the Age of AI
The rules of hiring are being rewritten in real time, because AI is disrupting this, and every other corporate function. For first-generation (first-gen) college students, the disruption introduces both risk and opportunity.
AI is reshaping everything, from job descriptions to who gets seen by a recruiter. That means institutions that prepare young people for jobs—colleges, universities, certificate programs, and nonprofits—must shift too. First-gen students often lack inherited networks or insider advice, and they now stand at a crossroads, where AI might either deepen inequities or level the playing field. The difference lies in how we respond.
A Wake-Up Call for University Leaders
Universities sit at a critical crossroads. They can either treat AI as a novel trend, or integrate advancements into their career services, pedagogy, and student support. A growing body of research, alongside stories from NYU and centered career navigation tools like Basta’s Seekr, suggests that AI can help close gaps in access, confidence, and career clarity.
”We’re not trying to replace human support, NYU’s Director of Workplace Learning Innovation, Allison Margolis, noted during a recent Basta panel, “We’re using AI to personalize and amplify it, especially for students who aren’t walking into school with ready-made networks.”
The First-Gen Lens: Why AI Matters More for Some
First-generation college students navigate an education system that wasn’t built for them. When they graduate, the career landscape mirrors these structural gaps. They are more likely to:
Lack professional mentors or family members in white-collar roles.
Struggle with translating non-traditional experiences into marketable skills.
Feel overwhelmed by generic, noisy career content online.
Basta’s AI-enabled career navigation tool, Seekr, is designed to bridge these gaps, offering personalized guidance that acknowledges the unique path these students have traveled.
Launched in 2020 and drawing from over 1.5 million data points across 12,000 students (and counting!) Seekr is the only nonprofit AI tool designed to help first-gen students navigate career decisions. While most job platforms offer generic help and job descriptions without meaningful context, Seekr takes a different approach. We built Seekr to do what traditional tools can’t,” explains Kendra Gaunt, Senior Product Manager at Basta. “It surfaces the right jobs, decodes the ‘why’ behind career paths, and gives students the kind of personalized, real-talk insights they’d usually get from an older sibling or experienced mentor.” With Seekr LITE, a free preview version, universities across the country can extend access to more students.
What AI Is (and Isn't) in the Job Search
Despite AI’s strengths, it still can’t think for us, as Chris Romano, a Technical Recruiter at Google, reminds us. “AI helps us do our jobs, not be someone else,” Romano says. “That’s where students run into trouble—when AI becomes a mask, not a mirror.”
Here’s how AI shows up in real-world recruiting:
When used thoughtfully, AI boosts productivity, helping students refine tailored cover letters, outreach emails, and even resumes.
But when used without critical thinking, it can backfire. Submitting a flawless, AI-generated response during a technical interview might seem like a win—until you're asked to explain it. In that moment, not understanding your own code is far more damaging than having written imperfect code you can walk through, justify, and learn from.
It’s a delicate balance. As universities explore how to integrate AI, the goal should be to augment student voice and skills, not replace them.
Higher Ed’s Role: Build Confidence, Not Just Competence
Training students to use AI tools is only part of the job. The rest is instilling the curiosity and critical thinking skills needed to use them wisely. At NYU, career services staff encourage students to become “prompt engineers,” asking better questions, evaluating outputs, and applying feedback thoughtfully.
At Basta, we’ve seen that the students who thrive in today’s labor market aren’t the most technical, they’re the most adaptable. As Sheila Sarem shared at the ‘Future of Talent’ panel:
“We're looking for people who are curious, who experiment, who learn out loud. That's how we make AI not just accessible but transformational.”
How University Leaders Can Take Action Now
1. Embed AI Into Career Services - Don’t wait for the perfect policy. Start by meeting students where they are:
Run AI-powered job search workshops and share cheat sheets with quick AI tips.
Introduce tools like Seekr that prioritize personalized, ethical, and culturally aware guidance.
Teach AI as a career skill, not a side note.
2. Build Internal Capacity. Fast. Career services can’t guide students into the future with tools from the past.
Host lunch-and-learns, spin up Slack channels for AI play, and celebrate experimentation.
Shift the culture: curiosity is a skill worth modeling.
3. Promote Responsible, Authentic Use - Help students use AI to amplify their voice, not lose it.
Teach them to tailor outputs, question suggestions, and stay rooted in their own story.
Reinforce the irreplaceable value of mentorship, human feedback, and informed decision-making, especially when algorithms are in the room.
4. Collaborate With Employers and Tool Builders - Universities must shape the tools shaping our students.
Give direct feedback on how AI performs for your students.
Push partners to design with—and not just for—those navigating structural barriers in today’s job market.
5. Center Student Reality in Tool Selection
Choose AI platforms grounded in the lived realities of your students.
Use AI as a bridge to insight, opportunity, and a highly personalized career journey.
Closing Thought: AI Won’t Replace Us But It Will Redefine Us
The future of work demands new frameworks, tools, and ways of thinking. AI is not a silver bullet, but for the students most often left behind by traditional systems, it can be a part of leveling the playing field. Let’s ensure the tools we build reflect the values we want our students to carry into the world: curiosity, resilience, leadership.
Want to Learn More?
If you’re a university leader interested in exploring AI in your organization’s career navigation strategy, contact us at Basta. We’d love to collaborate.
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