Market Brief: AI in Applications

I want to nip a very prevalent myth in the bud: It’s usually not AI or an applicant tracking system arbitrarily “knocking you out of the running.”

But everyone else using AI to apply? Fam, that surely is making you harder to see.

AI has made it incredibly easy to find jobs, tailor résumés, write cover letters, and apply at scale.

So now employers are flooded with polished applications that all look… pretty polished.

And when everyone looks qualified on paper, companies need other ways to decide who deserves a closer look.

A new research paper suggests that employers may respond by relying more heavily on prior experience and other established signals—which could disproportionately hurt career changers and early-career professionals.

To be clear: This is early research, not proof that every employer or ATS is already doing this.

But it reinforces something I tell my clients all the time: A beautifully tailored résumé can get you aligned.

Proof gets you believed.

That proof might look like:

→ Accomplishments with clear scale, context, and outcomes

→ A relevant case study, work sample, or portfolio (Hello, LinkedIn Featured section!)

→ Recommendations that validate your expertise

→ A warm introduction

Especially if you’re changing careers, ask yourself:

What might make an employer question my fit, and what evidence can I offer before they have to ask?

This isn’t a reason to stop using AI.

It’s a reason to use it without letting it turn you into one big, beautifully formatted blob of sameness.

Because AI can polish your application.

But it can polish everyone else’s, too.

And when every candidate is “results-driven,” “strategic,” and “uniquely positioned to drive impact”… nobody is memorable.

So yes, tailor your résumé. Use the right keywords. Make the alignment obvious. But then give them something only you can give them.

Polished gets you into the pile.

Specific gets you remembered.