It’s Time to Embrace AI at Work (…Not Fear It)

Mastering AI is a Key Competitive Advantage

By Ben Gafni

AI in the workplace has already arrived. According to Microsoft’s 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report, 75% of skilled knowledge workers are using AI at work today, with almost half saying they started less than six months ago.

In light of this trend, many people are concerned about the prospect of AI replacing jobs. But, rather than fearing AI, or choosing to ignore it, it is essential to embrace AI’s potential: to enhance our efficiency, improve our work processes, and ultimately, advance our careers. In fact, because of the rapid adoption of AI and its potential to boost productivity, companies are increasingly looking for employees who are not only familiar with AI but are actively leveraging AI capabilities for better outcomes.

Understanding how AI can benefit you at work and demonstrating that knowledge to potential employers can be a significant competitive advantage in the job market — and will likely become a necessity in the near future.

Companies Want AI Skills

Executives understand that, to remain competitive, their companies must embrace AI across the board. Therefore, they are increasingly seeking team members who can drive the adoption of AI, lead efficiency gains, and spark creativity.

In fact, according to Microsoft’s 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report mentioned earlier, there is already significant demand for employees who possess AI skills. Their survey reveals that “66% of leaders say they wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills” and “71% say they’d rather hire a less experienced candidate with AI skills than a more experienced candidate without them.”

The emphasis on AI skills reflects a broader shift in the job market, which is valuing adaptability and innovation more than ever. This means that companies are not just looking for experience in similar roles but also for evidence that candidates can lead the way in applying AI in practical, impactful ways.

In this evolving landscape, being proficient in AI tools and techniques makes you an asset, enhancing career prospects as someone capable of driving innovation and strategic initiatives. Potential employees who can demonstrate their ability to integrate AI into their workflows are seen as forward-thinkers who can help their companies navigate changing technology.

AI and Workplace Efficiency

AI tools enhance performance across several key areas at work. In her Wall Street Journal article “The Smartest Way to Use AI at Work,” Cordilia James suggests a few broad areas to consider applying AI:

• Email management. A study by Stack and OnePoll reveals that the average employee spends over a full working day each week drafting emails, with many overwhelmed by the sheer daily volume. AI can streamline email by summarizing lengthy email threads, drafting responses, and crafting outbound sales pitches, even generating multiple versions for easy A/B testing. Leading email platforms like Google (Gemini) and Microsoft (Copilot) have seamlessly integrated AI into their services, making these efficiencies readily accessible as you interact with your inbox.
• Presentations: AI tools can generate slide presentations automatically, creating images, improving text bullet points, and suggesting layout changes from just a few simple notes and instructions.
• Reports: AI bots can help save time by generating reports and summaries of virtually any materials you may encounter at work — including internal documents webpages, financial statements, PDFs, and even YouTube videos.
• Meetings: If you can’t make a meeting, your AI bot can attend on your behalf — taking notes and capturing action items in the process. Even if you do attend, you can use AI to generate a transcript and summarize what was said for easy reference.
• Project Management: AI can assist in project management by organizing tasks, setting reminders, and even suggesting the next steps based on the project’s progress.
• Software Development: AI can aid in software development by auto-generating code snippets, identifying bugs, and suggesting improvements. Tools like GitHub Copilot provide real-time coding assistance, helping developers write more efficient and error-free code.

Streamlining daily tasks using AI has another, indirect benefit: freeing up time for more strategic, high-impact projects — driving innovation and problem-solving in areas of the business where a person, and not an AI, can make a real impact.

The Importance of Prompt Engineering

A crucial component of effectively using AI on the job is mastering prompt engineering. This means crafting precise, clear inputs that instruct AI tools to generate the outcomes you’re looking for. Understanding how to engineer effective prompts significantly enhances the utility of AI across the board.

First, effective prompt engineering starts with knowing the right details to include in your request. For instance, when drafting an email, a well-structured prompt might include the key points you want to address, the tone you wish to convey, and any specific instructions on formatting or length. This way, your instructions generate an AI output that is tailored to your needs, saving you time on revisions and edits.

Another important aspect is providing the right context. AI tools perform best when you have provided a clear overview of the situation, in order to guide the output in the most useful direction. When summarizing a lengthy document, for example, including background information about the document’s purpose and key themes can help the AI produce a more accurate and relevant summary. This minimizes the risk of important details being overlooked or misunderstood.

Finally, prompt engineering involves iterative refinement. Often, the first output from an AI tool might not be perfect. Reviewing the results and tweaking the prompt accordingly — adding more details, adjusting the instructions, or rephrasing questions — will improve the quality of the AI’s output. This iterative process is key to harnessing the full potential of AI tools.

How to Show (Not Just Tell) You are AI Proficient

With the job market so competitive, demonstrating your AI proficiency sets you apart from other candidates. But it’s not enough to simply list AI skills on your resume; companies want to see concrete evidence of how you’ve applied these skills in real-world scenarios. Creating a Professional Impact Narrative (or PIN) allows you to present your career story in a way that engages potential employers and showcases your AI expertise effectively.

Professional Impact Narratives bring authenticity to the hiring process by integrating various multimedia elements, including personal videos, work samples, photos, and other relevant evidence into one easy access portfolio. PINs help candidates highlight different skills and experiences, painting a more comprehensive and compelling picture than a resume alone.

With McCoy, you can craft a Professional Impact Narrative that includes specific examples of how you’ve used AI to enhance productivity and creativity in your daily tasks. For example, you could add a video in which you discuss how you solved a problem or made a process more efficient by incorporating an AI tool in your last role. This tangible, believable evidence of your AI abilities makes you a more attractive candidate to potential employers. By embracing AI and demonstrating your proficiency through a PIN, you position yourself as a forward-thinking professional ready to meet the evolving demands of the modern workplace.

Conclusion

AI is a powerful tool that can help us be more efficient, creative, and successful in our careers. Rather than fearing AI, it is essential to understand and harness its potential. By incorporating AI into your workflow and showcasing your knowledge of it in your Professional Impact Narrative, you can gain a competitive advantage and advance more quickly in your career. Embrace AI, stay ahead of the curve, and take your career to new heights.

Ben Gafni is Co-founder and COO of McCoy. You can find him at ben@mccoy.io.

References

• Microsoft and LinkedIn. (2024, May 8). 2024 Work Trend Index Annual Report. Retrieved from Microsoft Work Trend Index
• James, C. (2024, April 18). The Smartest Way to Use AI at Work. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from WSJ Tech
• McKinsey & Company. (2024, May 2). What is Prompt Engineering? Retrieved from McKinsey Insights
• Slack. (n.d.). Save Employees Time. Retrieved from Slack Blog