AI probably hasn’t killed off your profession quite yet, but there’s still good reason to worry about that grim prospect, especially for white-collar workers.
- Last year, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicted that AI could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar work. Microsoft’s AI chief, who raised the stakes to include pros at every level, is giving it 18 months.
But while the tech has made only a modest dent in the job market thus far, it’s already delivered a fatal blow to the traditional job hunt: The resume is dead.
Perfect on paper? Big whoop
Today, anyone can whip up a sparkling resume or cheat through tests and interviews with the help of AI, which has made hiring a bit of a smoke-and-mirrors game and CVs irrelevant.
To cut through the slop, employers are opting for alternative ways to evaluate applicants who can actually walk the walk, per Business Insider.
Some are relying more heavily on their personal networks to find “known talent,” which one recruiting exec told The Times is “like gold dust nowadays,” or prioritizing a candidate’s enthusiasm (AKA the “why us?” question).
Another method is skill-based hiring, which 70% of employees now use, according to a recent survey.
- Ecommerce platform Gumroad, for example, asks engineering candidates to explain what they’ve built and why they want to work there via email; then, if selected, to participate in a four-to-six-week paid work trial to suss out their skills in real-time.
Where does that leave job hunters?
The resume’s death might be bad news for job seekers who’ve tended to rest on their laurels (sorry, middling Ivy Leaguers and Big Tech alum), but could be good news for qualified candidates who aren’t necessarily perfect on paper.
Either way, don’t expect it to make securing a job any easier.
- Ultimately, it’s just another AI-generated problem that today’s workplace hopefuls, who are already facing the worst job market in over a decade — one filled with ghost jobs, biased AI hiring systems, and interviews conducted by bots — will have to solve.
- Within a sea of applicants, including fake ones (you can blame AI for that, too), prospective employees will still have to get creative to stand out.
One idea? You could try Venmoing your future boss, which apparently worked for at least one guy.
And if all else fails, well, it might not matter in 18 month’s time, anyway.
