AI: Job Search Wingman—Not Your Replacement

My Journey with AI: From Dread to Empowerment

I’ll start by sharing a bit of my own journey with AI. Like many, I’d heard of it for years, but it wasn’t until early last year that it truly hit my radar.

Suddenly, AI was everywhere—and honestly, my first reaction was fear. Think The Matrix, Terminator… you get the idea and I won't lie, sometimes those thoughts still sneak in!

But with time comes perspective, and I’ve learned that the best way to calm the mind is through understanding. So, I dove in. My AI education began on a sunny Thursday road trip, listening to the AI for Beginners podcast. It was eye-opening—yes, there were concerns, but it also helped me see how this technology could fit into my life in a grounded, practical way. Also, this phrase for some reason, really stuck out for me as I was learning and listening: “Humans with AI will replace humans without AI.”

So I thought to myself as I was navigating the open road "I can choose to get freaked out by this or I can choose to empower myself with understanding and perspective" - so my education around this topic continues today.

As a Career Transition Coach, I’ve integrated AI into my coaching because it’s here to stay and is expanding in ways we can hardly even comprehend. From what I'm learning, it is and will continue to be one of the major disruptors in the world of work. Therefore a significant part of me believes we must adapt or be left behind. Now while I hold this pragmatic approach, I also hold space for individuals and their own comfort level with it.

Now when it comes to AI for job seekers—whether you're crafting resumes, preparing for interviews, or researching roles, the key is to really understand that it’s a tool, not a substitute for your voice, your story, or your personal brand and that’s the heart of why I’m sharing this with you.

So let's just check in as you are reading this because you might be wondering, “Hey if this is such a great tool, I can just let it do everything - Why do I need to use it thoughtfully?”

Here are just a few reasons that stand out for me:

• Your personal brand matters more than ever. Recruiters are becoming increasingly attuned to content that sounds overly “AI-generated.” To stand out, your resume, emails, and other materials should reflect you—your tone, your values, and your unique personality.

• Real growth comes from engagement. When you use AI as a thinking partner—not a shortcut—you stay actively involved in the process. That’s where the learning happens. Letting AI do all the work may save time, but it also means missing out on valuable self-reflection and skill-building.

• Always review for accuracy and authenticity. AI can make mistakes or generate content that doesn’t quite align with your experience or intent. So it’s essential to fact-check and fine-tune everything to ensure it’s both correct and true to who you are.

• AI can miss nuance. While AI is great at structure and suggestions, it doesn’t always understand the subtle context of your experiences or the emotional intelligence behind your decisions. Only you can bring that depth and authenticity to your story.

• Hiring managers want you, not a template. Even in this digitally driven world - Recruiters are looking for real people with real voices. If your application sounds too generic or overly polished, it can come across as impersonal or even suspicious. Authenticity builds trust—and trust gets interviews - so customize that resume but at the same time personalize it and make it yours

How to Use AI Thoughtfully in Your Job Search (Without Losing Yourself)

So let’s be real—AI is powerful. But without the right mindset, it can quickly go from helpful assistant to creative crutch. And that’s where we can get carried away - we humans after all do tend to look for the easy road and not always the road filled with growth because that's the harder one.

Try to approach AI from a grounded perspective, that being : AI can amplify and refine your voice but not replace it. If you’re just copy-pasting what it spits out, you’re not job searching and you're not learning —you’re outsourcing your story and all the work and that’s not a strategic move.

As the title of this post says: AI is your wingman—not your replacement. It’s here to support you, not steal the spotlight.

So how do you use it well?

Here are a few ideas that might help to keep your interactions smart, strategic, and you:

• Brainstorm, don’t copy-paste. Use AI to get unstuck, spark ideas, or explore angles you hadn’t thought of—but never let it do the talking for you.

• Edit and personalize. AI can give you a solid draft, but it’s your job to make it sound like you. Add your voice, your quirks, your edge.

• Inject your story. Your values, your journey, your tone—these are what make you memorable. AI can’t replicate your lived experience.

• Refine, don’t define. Let AI help you polish your message, but you should be the one shaping it. You’re the author here.

Let’s leave you with a few more insights I’ve gathered through all the AI training and hands-on experience I’ve had lately. These are some takeaways that have really stood out for me, and I hope they help you too:

• Start by defining your personal brand. Before you get too close with your AI tool, you might want to take time to reflect on your values, tone, strengths, and what makes you you. Most of us do not even know and that's okay but nows a great time to work on this. Career transitions are a powerful opportunity to rebuild confidence, reconnect with your identity, and ask the big questions. If you skip this step, you may not even recognize whether AI-generated content sounds like you—or not.

  
  

• Use AI to articulate, not replace. Sometimes we just need a little help getting started and that is totally okay - whether it’s a LinkedIn message, a networking email, or help crafting a personal positioning statement - AI can be so helpful to kick start the process, but the final message should still sound like it came from you, not a robot.

• Make it yours: Rewrite with your voice. Take what AI gives you and rewrite it in your own words or rewrite certain aspects of it - for example, if there are words in the output that are not part of your vocabulary - take them out. Add your own humour, your warmth, your edge—whatever makes your communication feel real and human. That’s what people connect with.

If there’s one thing that’s really stuck with me through this AI learning, it’s the importance of keeping my own voice. It’s something I’m still working on—and probably always will be.

I’m not sharing this post as an expert, but as someone who’s learning, adapting, and figuring it out in real time—just like you. My hope is that this gives you a practical, grounded perspective on how to use AI in your job search without losing what makes you you.

Because at the end of the day, AI can totally support your journey in this very complex world —but try not to forget that you are the story.

To end on light note —here’s one of my favourite recent cartoons. I swear, every time I see it, I laugh my ass off. Why? Because it’s so me. I find myself always being polite to AI, and I love how it’s polite right back. I get a kick out of it. And maybe there's something to this cartoon (final panel - human being picked up) but I really don't want to be around if that day ever happens — eek!

Have a great one!

Angela