SouthernWorldwide.com – Employers are increasingly prioritizing artificial intelligence (AI) skills in their hiring processes, making AI literacy a crucial requirement across various industries.
Research from Resume Genius indicates that a significant majority, 8 out of 10 hiring managers, view AI skills as a top priority. In a striking shift, data suggests that many employers would favor a candidate with AI proficiency over one with more years of work experience.
Despite this growing demand, a gap exists in employer-provided training. Lisa Gevelber, head of Google’s “Grow with Google” initiative, highlighted that while employers recognize the essential nature of AI skills, they are not adequately training their current workforce.
Sam Caucci, founder of 1Huddle, a corporate training development company, agrees that companies are often not the ideal source for acquiring these rapidly evolving AI skills. He explained that the pace of AI advancement far outstrips the slow curriculum development cycles in both corporate and academic settings.
How can workers enhance their AI skills?
For individuals looking to boost their job prospects or advance their careers through AI, experts suggest a practical approach: daily engagement with publicly available AI tools.
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“Workers are learning AI natively by going directly to platforms to get better at using it,” Caucci stated. “They are learning AI by prompting ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, you name your platform.”
These platforms are generally free to use, though paid subscriptions offer enhanced features. Many AI companies also provide complimentary training. For instance, OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, offers training in “prompt engineering,” which focuses on effectively communicating with AI models to achieve desired outcomes.
Caucci also pointed out the abundance of free online resources for AI learning, including courses on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, which can provide a solid foundation of knowledge.
Leveraging AI to learn AI
Christine Cruzvergara, vice president of higher education and student success at the hiring platform Handshake, advocates for using AI itself to learn about AI. She suggests that users can prompt AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude with specific learning goals.
“You can literally use AI to teach you AI,” she said. “Go to ChatGPT or Claude and say you’re interested in learning more about how to use AI in your role, and it will help you get started. Say, ‘Over the course of two weeks or one month, can you build out a schedule of courses?’ And it will give you a play-by-play of what you should do.”
While some trends indicate that increased AI adoption by corporations might reduce the demand for entry-level workers, Cruzvergara anticipates a future where companies actively recruit younger individuals. This demographic, she believes, is the first generation to be fully AI-native and is already self-teaching these skills.
Demonstrating AI proficiency
Career experts emphasize the importance of clearly showcasing AI skills to potential employers. Simply stating experience with tools like ChatGPT is insufficient.
“Just saying, ‘I use ChatGPT,’ is not how workers should be reflecting their skills,” Caucci advised. “Make sure your resume has an AI throughline.”
This means detailing specific examples of how AI has improved efficiency and productivity, along with any relevant AI certifications or training undertaken. The “Google AI Professional Certificate,” offered by Grow with Google for $49 per month, is one such credential. This online course comprises seven modules, each requiring about an hour to complete, allowing learners to progress at their own pace.
“We are teaching the things that employers want employees to be able to do,” Gevelber of Google explained. This includes developing core competencies in AI for enhanced communication, presentation creation, and data analysis.
“Companies buy talent — they don’t build it,” Caucci concluded. “My advice is to stack as many of those credentials as you’re able to onto your resume to signal that this is an important area of focus for you.”
