Episode
The Work Edit: Everyone is using AI to apply for jobs. Here's how to stand out.
- Podcast
- How I Work
- Published
- May 27, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1759
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://omny.fm/shows/how-i-work/hiw-nicole-v2
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Summary
Knowing how hiring works does not prepare you for what job hunting actually feels like right now. Today’s guest, Nicole, found that out the hard way. She has spent 30 years on the hiring side of the table. She has interviewed hundreds of candidates, read thousands of applications, and knows exactly what good looks like. So when she re-entered the job market after a six-month sabbatical, she found herself starting from scratch. Nicole, a senior executive, knew how the game used to work. What she didn't know was how much it had changed. AI-generated resumes flooding inboxes. Applicant tracking systems filtering on past performance. Three or four hundred applications for every role, most of them indistinguishable from one another. The playbook she had built over decades wasn't quite fitting the game anymore. This episode is part of The Work Edit, a new format on How I Work where I sit down with someone facing a real professional challenge and we work through it together. Nicole came to me wanting help with the part of job hunting that was giving her the most trouble: getting from application to shortlist. We get practical about what actually works right now, from why a written application might be the weakest version of your pitch, to how to use AI to run your own mock interview and genuinely sharpen your performance in ways most people never bother doing. If you are currently in the job market, or know someone who is, this one is worth sharing. We discuss: Why the job market has shifted so dramatically in the last few years, and what that means for experienced candidates re-entering the workforce How applic…