Is your resume getting lost in the ATS?

If you’ve been applying for jobs like you did five years ago, you might be sabotaging your success. The job search process has changed dramatically: AI, automation, and new hiring practices are reshaping how professionals land their next role.

This week, I sit down with Garrett Rice, a former Apple product manager and co-founder of Callings.ai, an AI-powered job search platform. After leaving Apple, Garrett experienced the frustrations of modern job searching firsthand. His solution? Building a tool that helps job seekers navigate AI-driven hiring, optimize their resumes, and take control of their job search workflow.

This eye-opening conversation will change your thoughts about job searching in 2025 and beyond. If you’re serious about advancing your career, you need to know how AI impacts hiring and how you can adapt.

Here is how to adapt and stay competitive:

1. Optimize Your Resume for AI, Not Just Humans

Most resumes never reach a human recruiter because they fail AI screenings.

• Ditch fancy designs, colors, and charts. ATS software reads plain text only.

• Mirror the job description. Use the exact keywords from job postings.

• Customize for each application. Generic resumes will not get you past the AI filter.

2. Master AI-Enhanced Networking

Networking is still the most effective way to land a job, but AI tools can make it smarter.

• Use AI-powered platforms to identify key hiring managers and decision-makers.

• Let AI help you draft personalized outreach messages.

• Focus on relationship-building, not just asking for job leads.

3. Prepare for Video and AI-Driven Interviews

Video interviews are becoming a mandatory part of hiring. If you are not comfortable on camera, you are at a disadvantage.

• Practice answering common interview questions on video.

• Use AI-powered mock interview tools to simulate real hiring scenarios.

• Get feedback on your tone, delivery, and clarity.

4. Develop AI Literacy—It Is No Longer Optional

AI is shaping not only job searching but also every industry. If you are not using AI, you are falling behind.

• Learn how AI hiring tools work so you can beat the system.

• Experiment with AI tools like ChatGPT to enhance your job search strategy.

• Stay updated on hiring trends—AI is evolving fast.

How Professionals Can Learn AI to Stay Competitive

A client recently came to me feeling overwhelmed. She’s a senior professional in a fast-moving industry, and AI was becoming a more significant part of her daily work. But she wasn’t sure where to start, how to learn it, how to use it, or how to stay relevant in an AI-driven workplace.

I hear many professionals voice the same concerns. The good news is that you don’t need to be a tech expert to leverage AI effectively. Here are the tips I gave her to get started. Please note that you don't have to do everything, but you must do something!

1. Experiment with AI Tools

The best way to learn AI is to use it. Try tools like ChatGPT, Bard, and Claude for drafting emails, summarizing reports, and brainstorming ideas. Test out AI-powered analytics tools like Tableau AI or Microsoft Copilot to automate data insights. There is no point in doing the other tips I suggest below if you don't use AI regularly!

2. Take Free Online Courses

You don’t need a degree to understand AI. Platforms like Coursera, edX, and LinkedIn Learning offer beginner-friendly courses on AI fundamentals and applications in business.

3. Follow AI Thought Leaders

Stay updated by following industry experts like Andrew Ng, Ethan Mollick, and Fei-Fei Li on LinkedIn and Twitter. They break down AI trends in a way that’s easy to understand and relevant for professionals.

4. Read AI-focused Newsletters and Blogs

Subscribe to The AI Exchange, Ben’s Bites, and The Rundown AI to get concise daily or weekly updates on how AI evolves across industries.

5. Join AI Communities

Engage in discussions with professionals who are using AI in their fields. Communities like r/MachineLearning (Reddit), the AI Alignment Forum, and AI-focused LinkedIn groups are great places to learn and ask questions.

Listen to This Week’s Episode

In this interview with Garrett Rice, former Apple product manager and co-founder of Callings.ai, we explain how AI is reshaping the hiring process and strategies to help you stay ahead. 

• Listen to the full episode on the podcast website
• Listen on Apple Podcasts
• Listen on Spotify
• Listen on Audible

Time Out

• I went into a Millie Bobby Brown Bongiovi rabbit hole, watched her new movie, The Electric State, and listened to two podcasts with her, Smartless and Call Her Daddy. She is fun and full of energy. But that's enough, I will stop now!
• If you follow me on Instagram, you know I spend all my free time at the beach, under the shade, doing Duolingo. Our entire family is learning Italian on Duolingo, and I got bored and started learning music as well. Duolingo is addictive, but at least it's way better than TikTok! 
• I watched this video of Amanda Seyfried on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon possibly one hundred times. Three minutes into the interview, she plays the dulcimer and sings "California" by Joni Mitchell. I need her to release an entire cover album. You have to watch it to understand how extraordinary her rendition is. 

If this newsletter helped you:

• Please help me raise awareness for the newsletter. You can forward it to other professionals who may benefit from it and invite them to subscribe. I will be forever grateful to you.
• Visit my website to learn more about career coaching. There are services and courses available to help you achieve your career goals.

To your career success

RBX

Renata Bernarde | Career Coach | Host, The Job Hunting Podcast