I recently asked ChatGPT how to find an entry level job. What I received back were some very basic steps about identifying skills and interests, creating a resume, networking, using job search websites, applying for jobs and following up. Good basic information.
Yet very incomplete.
ChatGPT and other AI engines can only give you algorithmic and/or formulaic learnings. Yes, these learnings will get better over time. But for now, the deep learning you need for your job search can only be found in the heuristic processes that evolve to meet your unique needs and those of the employer.
For example, if you want to be truly successful in your job search, you need to change your perspective from candidate-based to employer-based. Most job searches are conducted from a me, what I want, what I'm looking for, what I'm open to considering. Yet if you really want to get to what you need or want, you must first look to fulfill the needs of others. Specifically, the needs of the employer. And there is no artificial intelligence that will take you there. You may be the absolute best fit for the role in the entire world, but if you approach the employer asking what's-in-it-for-me, the employer will likely pass you by. For someone less talented. Less smart. Less educated. But someone who is all in for that particular job. AI could make an initial match, but the offer goes to the fully committed candidate.
So think about your job search from the other-side-of-the-desk perspective. What's-in-it-for-the-employer? Because it's only when you fill the employer's needs that you get the opportunity to fulfill your own needs.
From an other-side-of-the-desk perspective, think about how the employer would like to be approached. I used to be VP Global Talent Acquisition at Amazon. Most people know Amazon as a brand, right? And you might even think, well, I wouldn't even have to do anything to prepare before approaching Amazon as a potential employer, because I already know Amazon as a company, right? Nope. Wrong. Same thing applies for other employers you know by their brands, like the rest of the FAANG, Facebook, Apple, Netflix and Google. All household name tech employers. And all have brands that you're already familiar with, right? So no research required? Right? Wrong. Because a consumer brand is not the same as an employer brand. And you only have one opportunity to make a great first impression as a candidate. That needs to be based on the employer brand, not the consumer brand. If you come in thinking you already know us, but haven't done even the most basic research about who we are as an employer, what we actually do for a living, what our values are, what drives our performance, our key performance indicators, our business drivers…you will likely fail in that initial first impression. And even though you might be a great candidate, you will never even get to first base.
And it's not just name brand employers where this happens. It also applies with employers that are not name brand. Small to mid-sized employers. Or even large employers which simply don't have a consumer brand presence. Many of the best employer brands have little or no consumer brand recognition. Yet they are great employers. There are a LOT of employers out there who could be your possible dream employer. But if you don't do the basic research, you will never know. You might never find them. Nor will they find you.
And this is where the deep dive begins to start serving your needs. Because now you will begin to see what is a good fit and what is not a good fit. For you. And for the employer. And then by looking beyond the employers on your campus, you truly have the opportunity to make your job search about not just finding a job. But finding the right job.
At CollegeGrad.com, we publish our list of Top Entry Level Employers, Top Intern Employers and Top Master's Employers. That's a great place to start in your employer research. But that's just a starting point. You need to drill deep if you are going to understand an employer as an employer brand and as a potential employer.
ChatGPT and artificial intelligence cannot tell you what makes you uniquely you. Only you can do that. Nor will AI perform your job search for you. It is up to you to do your own personal research, to drill deep in learning about potential employers and job opportunities.
So don't shortchange yourself in your job search by allowing anyone else, including an AI bot, do the necessary work for you. You are uniquely you. Only you can uniquely find that job that is right for you.
