AI is rapidly transforming how we apply for jobs. Now that applicants can use the technology to tailor their résumés, mass-apply to hundreds of roles, and bluff their way through an interview, it can feel harder than ever to stand out.
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Kristina Simmons, who was a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, then a chief of staff at Vinod Khosla’s VC firm Khosla Ventures, and who now runs her own firm, Overwater Ventures, cautioned against relying too much on AI when job hunting.
When she’s hiring and interviewing candidates, she looks for people who communicate from the heart. “You can’t fake heart. You can’t fake grit,” she told Business Insider.
Here’s how Simmons says candidates can stand out in today’s AI-flooded job market.
Become visible to potential employers
If you want a job at a company and the CEO is speaking at an event, going in person and introducing yourself is one way to stand out in a crowded job market, Simmons said. Tell the CEO what role you applied for and why you’re interested in it.
Alternatively, if the CEO is on X, one tactic could be replying to one of their posts with an interesting point of view. “Get them to want you, versus the other way around,” she said.
Use the tools you have
Simmons is a big believer in using the tools at our disposal — including AI — for a job search.
Simmons said that had AI been around back when she interviewed for A16z, she would’ve used it to look into the company and the person interviewing her.
She also said AI could help you “chart your course” into the field you want to work in. For example, you could ask it what the most interesting companies are in women’s health, allowing it to guide your research into entering that industry.
Use AI to be creative
Candidates could also use AI to make something creative much faster, like a beautifully designed deck about why they’re a great candidate.
Or they could come up with interesting ideas about how they’d use AI in the role. “I had a candidate who wanted to join Overwater, and they said, ‘Hey, this is how I would use AI across your firm. This is me doing the job before I have it,’ and that was an interesting way to use new tools to pitch that they should get a job,” Simmons said.
That said, you shouldn’t use AI for everything, especially as far as the interview is concerned, Simmons said
“The best part of interviewing is to see that a person is human, and you can’t use technology to do that. That shows up in the passion in your interview, the energy that you bring, the tone in which you have the interview. You can’t fake that,” she said.
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