Key Takeaways
- Artificial intelligence can unexpectedly make established jobs redundant, even for those working with AI.
- Traditional job hunting strategies can fall short in the current, tech-driven employment landscape.
- AI tools can significantly boost a job search by personalizing resumes, cover letters, and identifying personal strengths.
- Embracing AI can transform the challenge of job loss into a pathway to new career opportunities.
Mark Quinn found himself in an ironic situation: the very artificial intelligence he was working with advanced so rapidly it eliminated his job.
Quinn was building a large team at a startup, responsible for supervising and fine-tuning AI systems. He had a strong background, previously leading engineering operations at Waymo, so his career seemed secure.
Then OpenAI’s GPT-4 was released. “After playing with it for just a couple of months, we realized that the bulk of the operation that I was scaling… was no longer needed,” Quinn shared in an interview with Business Insider. The technology had outpaced the need for his team.
His final months at the startup were spent winding down the operation. It was a stark contrast to his previous experiences where top tech companies sought him out. Suddenly, he was jobless.
Quinn described a pivotal moment when he tasked GPT-4 with a complex problem his team had spent weeks solving. The AI delivered a “perfect answer” in just 30 seconds. “I just sat there with my jaw in my hand,” he recalled. “That was the moment that I thought to myself, ‘Info workers beware.'”
His initial five months of job searching were frustrating and yielded no results. He used the standard approach: updating his resume, writing cover letters, and networking.
Feeling almost desperate, Quinn turned to AI for help. “It came back with more nuance and appreciation than I ever could have imagined,” he said. This marked his shift to collaborating with AI in his job search.
He used tools like Google’s NotebookLM, feeding it his resume and LinkedIn profile. The AI generated a summary, highlighting strengths and experiences Quinn himself hadn’t fully appreciated or articulated.
Recognizing the tediousness of tailoring applications, Quinn found AI invaluable. “This is where AI is extremely helpful,” he noted, especially when you’re tired of staring at the same documents.
Quinn even created a custom AI tool, JobHunt GPT (now CareerBuddy GPT), which understood his background and career goals. He could ask it to assess his fit for a new role, suggest resume adjustments, draft cover letters, and even identify key people to contact.
This AI-powered approach helped him analyze job opportunities and develop leads effectively. His journey led him to a new position as Senior Director of AI Operations for Pearl.
His advice for others? “Don’t wait five months to figure out the right way to do it. The world has changed… you have to leverage the most powerful tool available, which is AI.”
