Supporting clients via narrative storytelling and artificial intelligence: a practitioner guide for career development professionals

Abstract

Purpose: in this practitioner-focused essay, we combine traditional narrative storytelling approaches with Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) innovative abilities to enable career development professionals to support individuals across their lifespan.

Design/methodology/approach: we propose a three-phase career exploration approach, developed and tested in a real-world setting for career development professionals to support their clients to consider various career-related options as well as identify strengths and opportunities for personal development.

Findings: in phase one, the client recounts 7–10 positive narrative stories about engaging in activities they enjoyed. In phase two, the career development professional uses AI with tailored prompts to generate a personalised client report based on these narrative stories. In phase three, the report serves as the basis for further discussion and exploration with the client.

Practical implications: the approach provides a practical guide for career development professionals to increase their capability to support their clients in response to technological advancement and the contemporary world of work. A training document incorporating a worked example of the approach is provided in “Supplementary Material Appendix 1”.
Originality/value– Our approach acknowledges AI as a newactor and career development professionals as undervalued actors in supporting individuals to foster a sustainable career ecosystem.

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Identifiers

ORCID for William E. Donald: orcid.org/0000-0002-3670-5374

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