How to use AI for your job search

Hey there, {{first_name | friend}},

The job market is genuinely hard right now. Layoffs are still happening, applications are going into what feels like a black hole, and the rules have changed in ways that most job seekers haven't caught up to yet. 

Plus, AI is now part of almost every step of the hiring process, and if you don't know how companies are using it, you're already at a disadvantage.

While you might not be searching for a new job yourself, I'm willing to bet that you know someone who is, such as your partner, a friend or the college kid who works at the welcome desk at your gym.

So this edition is for anyone navigating a search right now, please pass it along.

If you've sent job applications that never get a response, this episode is the explanation you've been waiting for. Career coach Kate Crane spent a decade inside tech companies like DoorDash and OpenTable managing hiring at scale. Now, as the founder of Direction Over Perfection, she coaches professionals through career pivots, re-entries, and job searches at every stage.

In this conversation, Kate pulls back the curtain on how AI has transformed recruiting from the inside out. She explains how applicant tracking systems now use AI to filter hundreds of resumes before a human ever reads one, and why that means the way you write your resume has to change. She also shares exactly how she coaches her clients to fight back using AI on their end. From brain-dumping into talk-to-text and using the STAR format to build powerful resume bullets, to tailoring each application with the right keywords while keeping your voice and specificity intact. 

Kate is also refreshingly honest about the emotional side of job searching, including the shame that often comes with it. Her reminder for anyone in the thick of it: you are enough, and you have a lot of value to add. 💪

Listen on my website, Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Act as a LinkedIn profile strategist and career coach. Review my current LinkedIn headline, summary, and experience section, which I'll paste below using screenshots. Identify what's working and what's missing. Then rewrite my headline and summary to clearly communicate my professional value, signal what I'm open to, and use language that resonates with hiring managers in [your industry or target role]. Keep my authentic voice and be specific. Ask me any clarifying questions before you begin.

Sarah's tip: Your LinkedIn profile is often the first thing a recruiter sees before they even look at your resume. Treat it like a landing page, not a biography.

Act as a senior hiring manager and resume coach. I'm going to share my resume and a job description I'm targeting. Review my resume critically and tell me: what will get me filtered out by an ATS, what a hiring manager would flag as a red flag or a missed opportunity, and what keywords from the job description are missing from my resume. Be direct. Do not soften your feedback. Then give me a prioritized list of the top 5 changes I should make, with specific rewrites where relevant. Here is my resume: [paste resume]. Here is the job description: [paste JD].

Sarah’s tip: The most useful thing you can do for your resume is ask AI to be hard on it before a recruiter is. This prompt gets you the honest feedback most people never get.

Act as an experienced hiring manager interviewing me for [job title] at a company in [industry]. Generate the 10 most common behavioral and role-specific interview questions for this position. Then interview me one question at a time. After each of my answers, give me direct feedback on: how clear and specific my response was, whether I used a strong action-result structure, and one concrete suggestion for how I could improve it. Do not move to the next question until I've had a chance to revise my answer if I want to.

Sarah's tip: You don't have to watch yourself on video to get coaching. Practicing with AI in voice mode or by typing your answers gets you reps in, fast. The feedback is instant and you can go again immediately.

AI educator, CMO, and celebrated AI designer Deanna Leonard created a digital resource called The Human Edge for the community of women she leads that breaks down the current realities of AI in the job search. 

Once I saw it, I knew I wanted to share it with the AI-Empowered Mom community too. It’s inspiring to think about reframing what we’ve already done for a new era.

For more information on Deanna and her Impact Circle, where she publishes one new guide a week like this one, follow her on LinkedIn.

Until next time,

P.S. Thank you so much to everyone who participated in our recent brand survey and spoke to my amazing team of consultants from The Ohio State University! And congrats to my friend and amazing AI-Empowered Mom Barbara D. who won the Amazon gift card drawing!

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