AI-powered career tools
- Microsoft Copilot Career Coach: Get personalized, interactive guidance to navigate career questions and plan your next move with real-time support.
- LinkedIn Career Paths and AI Conversations: LinkedIn career hub helps you map out potential career trajectories and identify the skills required for each step.
Foundational tools
- O*NET: A comprehensive, public database of occupations to explore other careers, as well as what skills, knowledge, and abilities are most important.
- CliftonStrengths: An assessment tool designed to enhance understanding of how developing talents into strengths can improve communication and team building.
- LinkedIn Learning: Access thousands of expert-led video courses to develop new skills and advance your career.
Use career planning tools strategically
Career development is not one-size-fits-all. Each tool in your toolkit serves a unique purpose and resonates differently depending on your role, career stage, and learning style. By aligning the right tools with the right audience, you can create more meaningful, personalized, and effective career planning experiences.
| Tool | Who should use it | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Copilot Career Coach | All levels | Personalized, on-demand support for resume help, interview prep, career exploration, and upskilling. Great for self-paced learners. |
| LinkedIn My Career Paths | P&S | Helps visualize career paths, identify skill gaps, and explore internal mobility. Strong for strategic planning. |
| AI coaching (e.g., chatbots, simulations) | Entry- to mid-level P&S, SEIU, Merit | Offers scalable, interactive coaching for soft skills, interview practice, and scenario-based learning. |
| O*NET | Entry-level P&S, Merit, SEIU, career changers | Useful for exploring job families, understanding required skills, and identifying transferable competencies. |
| CliftonStrengths Assessment | All levels, especially mid- to executive-level P&S | Helps individuals identify and understand their unique talents, develop self-awareness, build effective partnerships and teams, and apply their strengths to achieve career goals. |
| LinkedIn Learning | All levels | Ideal for upskilling, certifications, and just-in-time learning. Can be curated by role or career stage. |
Bonus tip: Combine tools for greater impact
- Use CliftonStrengths + Copilot to create personalized development plans.
- Pair O*NET + LinkedIn Learning to help employees build skills for target roles.
- Use LinkedIn My Career Paths + Copilot to map out internal career paths and prepare for transitions.
- Use CliftonStrengths + Copilot + LinkedIn Learning for leadership development.
Copilot Career Coach
The Copilot Career Coach is a personal AI guide for navigating your career at the University of Iowa.
This AI-powered tool is provided for informational purposes only under the terms of your enterprise contract. Please consult with your manager or HR representative for official career guidance and policies.
What is the Copilot Career Coach?
The Copilot Career Coach is a virtual assistant designed to provide personalized, real-time career guidance. It helps you analyze your career trajectory, identify opportunities for growth, and create actionable plans. By leveraging large-scale data and smart algorithms, it can offer insights tailored specifically to your goals and background.
How do I use it?
To get the most out of Career Coach, it's all about how you frame your questions. The more specific and detailed your prompt, the more valuable and accurate the response will be. Think of it as a conversation with a highly knowledgeable expert — provide context, state your goals, and ask for specific outputs.
When should I use it?
The Copilot Career Coach is most effective when you need a powerful brainstorming partner or a quick way to analyze information. Use it for generating ideas, overcoming writer's block, or getting a high-level overview of a complex topic before you dive into a detailed plan with a human counterpart. It's a great starting point for skill gap analysis, exploring new career paths, or drafting your development plan.
Who should use it?
This tool is designed to be a companion for staff at all stages of their career. It can be tailored to various job categories, providing valuable insights whether you're in a P&S, Merit or SEIU role.
- Early career: Explore different career paths, identify foundational skills to develop, and prepare for your first role transition.
- Mid-career: Strategize for career development/transfer, analyze skills needed for a new role, and plan for leadership or specialization.
- Senior professionals: Refine leadership styles, explore new industry trends, and prepare for mentorship or executive roles.
How do I get started?
Download the Copilot Career Coach User Guide to get more tips, example prompts, and strategies for making the most of your Copilot Career Coach.
LinkedIn Learning resources
LinkedIn Learning Career Hub is a personalized platform that helps you explore career paths, build in-demand skills, and connect your learning to real job opportunities.
This AI-powered tool is provided for informational purposes only under the terms of your enterprise contract. Please consult with your manager or HR representative for official career guidance and policies.
What resources are available?
- My Career Paths helps learners set professional goals and then maps out a learning path or plan to reach those goals — e.g., growing in the current job, moving into a new role, or developing leadership skills. Role recommendations are based on LinkedIn’s economic graph data for members with the title of your career goal.
- My Career Plan is a guided tool that helps you set career goals, identify skill gaps, and create a personalized learning path to achieve your professional ambitions.
- AI Coaching is a chatbot built into LinkedIn Learning to help users in real time. You can ask it about specific challenges you’re facing at work and it will gather advice from LinkedIn Learning to guide you.
- AI Role Play is a more interactive version of coaching; you can practice real-world conversations (giving feedback, handling difficult conversations, managing burnout, etc.) by role-playing with an AI persona.
How does it work?
LinkedIn's data helps you see how people with similar backgrounds have advanced their careers. By analyzing career transitions, common roles, and skill development, the tool can suggest potential career paths you might not have considered. It's a great way to see what's possible and plan your next move.
Key features
- Visualize your career path: See common job titles and roles that people move to from your current position.
- Identify skill gaps: Discover the skills you need to acquire to succeed in your target roles, based on data from professionals in those positions.
Guide to LinkedIn Learning resources
- Targeted learning paths: LinkedIn Learning offers curated learning paths that bundle a series of courses to help you master a specific skill or role.
- Skill-based course recommendations: The platform will recommend specific courses based on the skills you need for your desired career.
- Certification and badges: Complete courses to earn certifications and badges that you can display on your LinkedIn profile to showcase your new skills.
How do I get started?
LinkedIn Learning training sessions are delivered by the ITS Campus Technical Trainer. Visit LinkedIn Learning page to register for the course.
O*NET career exploration
O*NET is your guide to navigating career opportunities with data-driven insights.
What is O*NET?
O*NET (Occupational Information Network) is a free online database sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. It provides detailed information on hundreds of occupations, helping you understand the skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities required for various roles, as well as their outlook in the job market.
How do I use it?
- Occupation search
- Enter a job title or code to get a detailed report covering tasks, technology skills, work context, and wage trends.
- Skills search
- Identify occupations that require specific skills you possess or want to develop.
- Interest profiler
- A self-assessment tool that helps you discover your work interests and connects them to satisfying career paths.
When should I use it?
O*NET is an excellent resource for anyone at a pivotal moment in their career.
- Early career: If you're just starting out and want to explore various career options that align with your interests and skills
- Career changers: When you're considering a transition to a new field and need to understand the required skills, knowledge, and work environments
- Skill explorers: If you know your core skills and want to discover the full range of career paths where those skills are valued
How do I get started?
Download the complete O*Net Career Exploration Playbook for a step-by-step guide, detailed instructions, and more tips for charting your career journey.