AI made us bad job seekers

Everything is easier, except talking to people

Old man take: I worry that modern tech has made life so easy, we’re losing our grip on the stuff that actually matters.

Our phones made it easy to do everything.

Buy stuff. Watch TV. Order food. File taxes. Listen to music.

Learn. Date. Work. Trade. Read.

But are we better at actually talking to people?

Are we more capable at navigating human relationships, finding common ground, and coming to a consensus?

Or more simply, making people like us?

AI is slowly eating away at the job market. Starting with entry level roles. You know, the people who were raised entirely on their phones.

That’s not just a work availability issue, it’s a job-seeking issue. How will people who’ve always relied on their phones to solve problems realize that applying online is slowly becoming a waste of time?

That’s an overstatement. People do get new jobs from applying online all the time. But it’s become more and more like a lottery ticket. As more and more people apply to every job that’s out there (because AI made it so easy), of course someone is going to land it.

Except when they don’t. The biggest reason why we’re signing new clients right now?

👉Job postings are flooded with AI driven applications that are nowhere near the requirements.

Wrong location. Wrong skill set. Wrong level entirely.

(I don’t read that in a James-is-being-judgy way. I mean if people actually read what they’re applying for themselves, there’s no chance they would have.)

The jobs that we’re seeing the most demands for? The human ones.

Sales. Customer success. Client support. Anything that requires real interaction. If you’re coming out of school (and not specialized in a can’t-let-AI-make-mistakes field like law or accounting), that’s your best bet right now.

If you’re just coming out of school (and you’re not in a “we-can’t-let-AI-mess-this-up” field like law or accounting) those roles are your best bet right now.

What has always impressed hiring executives in this field? Grit.

People who think outside the box. Aren’t afraid to do things differently. Put themselves in uncomfortable situations. And persevere.

Exactly the kind of mindset our phones have taken from us.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t apply to jobs online. People win the job ad lottery all the time.

But job seeking is very much like sales. You need a mindset shift where things like proactive cold outreach, introducing yourself to strangers, being comfortable in awkward intro conversations, and ultimately selling yourself will yield results.

Human connection > human convenience.