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AI Can’t Make You Stand Out in Your Job Search, with Gina Riley

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Generative AI makes it easy to create resumes and cover letters, but it also makes your application sound just like everyone else’s. Find Your Dream Job guest Gina Riley says relying on AI alone won’t help you stand out in today’s market. Instead, she encourages job seekers to focus on storytelling, showing the results you’ve achieved and the unique value you bring to employers.

Gina shares how to use AI wisely, not as a shortcut, but as a support tool for shaping stronger applications and tailoring them to specific roles. She explains why mass applications rarely pay off, why thoughtful customization matters, and why networking and referrals remain important. By building relationships, highlighting results, and positioning yourself as the obvious solution to an employer’s problem, you’ll stand out in ways that AI-generated materials never can.

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Find Your Dream Job, Episode 522:

AI Can’t Make You Stand Out in Your Job Search, with Gina Riley

Airdate: October 8, 2025

Mac Prichard:

This is Find Your Dream Job, the podcast that helps you get hired, have the career you want, and make a difference in life.

I’m your host, Mac Prichard. I’m also the founder of Mac’s List. It’s a job board in the Pacific Northwest that helps you find a fulfilling career.

Every Wednesday, I talk to a different expert about the tools you need to get the work you want.

Thanks to generative AI, you can easily create cover letters, resumes, and other application materials.

However, you also risk sounding like everybody else with a free ChatGPT account.

Gina Riley is here to talk about why AI can’t make you stand out in your job search and what you should do instead.

She’s an executive career strategist and the author of the new book, Qualified Isn’t Enough: Develop Your Story. Land the Interview. Win the Job.

Gina joins us from Sisters, Oregon.

Well, Gina, let’s start. Get right into it. How do candidates typically use AI tools right now? Give us some examples of what you see job seekers do.

Gina Riley:

Absolutely. I think the easiest thing that people can do is go into ChatGPT and ask some basic questions about the job description alignment related to their background, and then generate a resume based on that job description, but not necessarily representative of their entire career history.

So one, they can’t speak to what they have on the resume. And two, that AI-generated resume is going to look like everyone else who put in those same generic prompts.

So what happens is those recruiters on the other end who are seeing the applications come through, they’re seeing hundreds and hundreds of resumes. Many are very similar.

Mac Prichard:

And how can recruiters tell that someone has used AI to tweak a resume? What are the tells?

Gina Riley:

It’s the same as my husband, who’s a professor at a college. It’s the same situation our teachers have going on as well. When they’re reviewing papers, it’s the same words and phrases that are coming up over and over, and maybe not always in context. And it may not sound very authentic.

There are some words and phrases that ChatGPT and these other AI tools tend to generate over and over that don’t sound like the way that we talk.

Mac Prichard:

Is there, I know we’re going to talk about how to use AI effectively. But why do people do this? Why, why do they plug in their use of AI to produce a resume that risks sounding like everyone else?

Gina Riley:

That’s a really good question. And my first go-to for that is most people have a mentality of, “I’ve got to apply to as many jobs as I can as quickly as I can.” And we call that in the career coaching world, the spray and pray mentality.

And what happens is when a job seeker is applying, applying, applying, and spraying their resume out, oftentimes they’re trying to optimize speed. They’re not really customizing that resume in a way that’s gonna really land per each job opportunity, because you have to think that there’s a decision maker on the other side of each of those.

So why are job seekers doing this? They’re hungry to get to work. There’s desperation. We’ve had so many layoffs in our communities, Mac, right? And people are feeling scared. And so they feel as though it may gamify the situation for them, but instead, what it’s doing is having that resume go through these applicant tracking systems.

And one thing that I learned in some research that I’ve done about ATS systems is that it’s possible that you can become blacklisted, or you could be seen as a bot if you’re over-applying through these job boards. And applicants are never going to really know if their resume is in that situation. It would be a Herculean task to figure that out.

Mac Prichard:

It’s understandable why people are sending out a large number of resumes. They want to get a job. Maybe they’ve run out of time. Their finances are tight. They might be feeling very anxious, as you said. But you talked about some of the risks of using AI and perhaps being identified as a bot.

Using AI to create what in the end sounds like a generic resume, is it a deal breaker for recruiters like typos or grammatical errors, you know, that many hiring managers will look at a stack of resumes? They’re trying to get it to a manageable number.

And so they see a typo or grammatical error, and you get eliminated. Is there a risk that AI-generated materials are falling into that category, too?

Gina Riley:

Absolutely. Absolutely. The way to stand out is to appear as though you are the obvious choice, but it can’t be a copy exactly of that job description. It’s got to be representative through those career experiences that you’ve got on the resume.

But what I would say is the resume is truly, I think of it more as a marketing document. Today, I see it as your talking points.

So the effort that a job seeker puts into the storytelling on the resume is actually going to give them more confidence to then network into opportunities instead, and have the right conversations aimed at those various targets that they are shooting for.

Mac Prichard:

Well, I want to talk about storytelling. We’ve talked about the risks of using AI to create application materials. What are examples of people using AI wisely in their job search?

Gina Riley:

Yes, I have seen it used wisely.

I use it all the time so transparently I’m using it but I’m having to apply my expertise and discernment as I create any any storytelling document and so it’s it’s not really difficult to go and take those job descriptions and even convert those bullet points you know the what you will do into behavioral questions for example and when you do that you can start to outline your storytelling so that’s really helpful for interview prep.

But if we’re talking about resumes, I would lay out my stories, and then I like to use something called the RAS model. I learned that from a friend of ours, Sarah Johnston. And RAS stands for lead with the result, and then think about the action you took, and then what was the situation?

And each time you apply this discipline to creating bullet points, you will be forced into

explaining the results and the value that you bring as a candidate into that interview process.

Mac Prichard:

I’d love it if you would just walk us through that. So I’m sitting at my computer. I’ve got my resume. I know the job I want to apply for. I’ve got ChatGPT 5.0 open. What do I do next in order to do this in a way that is going to be effective and not get my resume rejected from the stack of applications, and apply that RAS?

Gina Riley:

You know, that is such a great question, and I’m gonna, I’m gonna back it up a little bit. So, unless and until you’ve created your unique value proposition and unless and until you’ve created what I call a career data vault with all of the stories and all the results from throughout your career, you’re going to be very hard-pressed to sit down at ChatGPT and ask it the right questions to help you convert those experiences into bullet points that will resonate.

That’s when people get locked up, is they sit down and they go, I gotta create a bullet point. Well, how do you know you’re even telling the right story? You need to back into, know, at a higher level, what was under all of my scope of responsibility?

A lot of the people that I coach are mature professionals, ages 40 to 69, and many are in leadership roles. And so the first thing that we’re talking about when we’re trying to create a resume is how many people did you lead? What was the scope of responsibility? Was it across regions or the globe? What was the budget that you had, and what oversight you had?

And so those are always the standard things that you want at the top under each job description. And then after that, the first bullet point, it really needs to be the one that hits people between the eyes. Like, wow, that was the result that that person got. I want to know more.

Mac Prichard:

So know your unique selling proposition, what makes you stand out, and be prepared to talk about your results that you produced in your different positions. So we’re still sitting at the laptop. What’s the prompt to use AI wisely?

Gina Riley:

Got it. Got it. OK. So what I would be doing is taking those stories, and I would be feeding in the job description, and I would be asking Chat GPT, “Please take a look at the what you will do section in this job description. And then I want you to take a look at my career story as it stands now,” and feed it your current resume, feed it additional notes about the stories.

This is what I led. This is my team size, this is my budget, this was my responsibility and tell ChatGPT some of the stories just in writing and bullet points. Here’s what I did: help me translate these experiences in alignment with these job description bullets. And that will be the start.

Now, I would also add, for Chat’s benefit, I really want to use as much as possible the RAS model. Please lead with the result. For example, give it an example. “Earned $8 million in revenue by opening up new channels in two regions and so on.” Something like that, and that will give you that prompt, and then suddenly, Mac, those results will look like yours because they are.

Mac Prichard:

Okay, let’s pause there because I want to talk about storytelling in the second segment, that’s the key, and I know you have great tips about how to do that, so stay with us.

When we return, Gina Riley will continue to share her advice on why AI can’t make you stand out in your job search and what you should do instead.

We’re back in the Mac’s List studio.

I’m talking with Gina Riley. She’s an executive career strategist and the author of the new book, Qualified Isn’t Enough: Develop Your Story. Land the Interview. Win the Job.

Gina joins us from Sisters, Oregon.

Now, Gina, before the break, we’re talking about AI and why it can’t make you stand out in your job search, and what you should do instead. And you outline the risks of using AI and some of the benefits, too.

And the key, I know you feel very strongly about this, you see this come up again and again in your work with your coaching clients, is the importance of storytelling and positioning yourself strategically.

Why does your career story matter so much when you’re applying for your next position?

Gina Riley:

You know, our unique value proposition is the one thing people can’t take away from us, Mac. We all have something valuable to give. I call each candidate, each applicant, business solution, and how we package that solution in conjunction with the target audience is the most important part of the process. It’s foundational.

And so the way I like to back into the storytelling is, of course, we need to develop our stories, but then we need to start doing research, and we need to figure out what are those key decision makers of the future really need from us? Do the research on the companies that you’re applying for, you know, to and look at the hiring manager and the team.

Look at what you can see in the news, what is Googleable. See if they’re on YouTube. Go everywhere you can and do that research, and start to build a thesis or a hypothesis about what is needed.

The stories that you want to be telling from your whole swath of experiences are the ones that are most gonna resonate. What I like to say is that you don’t want to be a Swiss army knife full of tools when you first go to market.

You need to know what your toolkit is, but when you are out in the market talking to any given hiring manager, you want to pull out the jackknife if that is what they need or the corkscrew, and then let them uncover that you have a fingernail file later.

But you don’t want to say, “I’ve done it all. Put me in, coach. I can play anywhere on the team.” That’s not what they’re looking for. Decision makers want to know, do you have the solution now to solve my problem that’s keeping me up at night? And so developing those stories is hypercritical so that you’re ready to have those conversations.

Mac Prichard:

Some people, especially those who have been out of work for a while, who are applying everywhere and believe that they can indeed do anything, they’re open to all options. They might not want to hear what you just shared.

How can you help people make that mind shift and understand that, indeed, being open to everything is not going to work in your job search?

Gina Riley:

I’m glad you asked me that because gosh, I’ve worked with so many people who are Swiss Army knives, right? And so the first thing that we do is we unpack the whole story so that we can see it laid out, and we pull out the threads, the themes, and the patterns and the threads of that person’s career so they know what they’re talking about initially.

But to answer your question, I would go forth with a consultant’s hat, consulting mindset, and what you’re doing is you’re uncovering and unpacking what those challenges and problems are.

So, if you’re already confident in your stories and you know you have an amazing toolkit and you know you have the EQ or the emotional intelligence to know you should not lead with all of it because it will overwhelm the listener, instead start with curiosity. What do these people need, and how can I be of service?

Mac Prichard:

This is a very different approach than applying everywhere and creating application materials that sound like everybody else. What advice do you have for somebody who might be struggling with identifying their target employers and figuring out their unique selling proposition so that they can tell their story effectively?

This is a big challenge. I’m working with quite a few people who have been laid off lately, who have never had to look for a job because they’re in their 50s and they’ve been with the same company more than 20 years.

And my advice is, first, you are setting up your storytelling and trying to understand what your own unique value proposition is. Then, instead of applying, you need to hold informational conversations.

So you’re going on fact-finding to make sure, “Am I targeting the right industry that interests me? Am I targeting the right jobs that are in alignment with what I know how to do?”

And even finding out, Mac, if the job titles are even comparable to the ones that they’ve had coming up through that other company, we’re finding sometimes that they’re not.

And so you may even have to go back to your resume and change or tweak what those job titles were just so that they’re more aligned, and then they’ll pop up in recruiter searches if that makes sense. But back to the initial question, which is hold informational conversations and taking with you that consulting mindset.

And I use two frameworks for people to gather information. One is a simple SWOT. Hey, tell me a little bit about what the strengths of your organization are. I don’t love the word weaknesses, but what I’ll say is, you know, tell me what’s not working so well.

But here’s where the juice is for the job seeker. Tell me about the opportunities your company is trying to seize right now. Where are you headed? What do you want to accomplish? And then what’s threatening success?

If you find out what the opportunities and the threats are, now you can go back into the stories that you’ve already developed. Now you have something to talk about and something to sell or position.

There’s another formula and framework that I like to use, which comes from Steve Dalton’s The 2-Hour Job Search, and it’s called TIARA. And it stands for what are the trends happening in your industry or within your competitive landscape? What insights do you have for me as I navigate my job search? What advice do you have? What resources do you recommend? And then the last part of Tiara is assignments.

My mature job seekers are not asking to be given an assignment. That’s kind of for a student. But if you go forth with curiosity, you’re asking great questions with these two back-pocket frameworks, and you uncover the opportunities that a company is trying to aim for, now you need to align those stories.

But if you haven’t worked on your storytelling, you may not even start connecting the dots if you’re doing those informational conversations. But I would do informationals before I apply.

Mac Prichard:

And to do informational interviews and have these conversations, you really need to have a short list of target employers, don’t you, Gina?

For someone who might be struggling with that, what’s your best tip about how to narrow that focus? Cause there are even, no matter what the unemployment rate is, people are always hiring, and there are hundreds, even thousands of companies you could find online.

How do you narrow it down to the two or three dozen that you might want to work at and where you could make a difference?

Gina Riley:

Yes. I have so many answers that I’m trying to narrow down and be succinct. First, the thing that I want to say is I think the statistic is about 97% of all companies fall into a category of one hundred employees or less.

And a lot of job seekers understandably try to go for the big dogs out in the landscape, the Googles and the Amazons, et. cetera. However, if you have a mindset shift and you start thinking, open up that aperture and go, wow, what’s in the 97%? That’s one method.

I like going to LinkedIn and actually looking at different companies, like I’m really interested in these. I already know a few names, and then you can see that other people have looked at these other similar companies.

LinkedIn is spoon-feeding that to us. And then AI, go and use your favorite AI tool or a couple of them, cross-reference, and then ask AI to build you a target list. And you can even get granular. Please organize my list by number of employees, revenue, or global versus local.

If you build your queries in a way that is really effective, you’re going to get a list that you can then organize and build that target of 40 that you want to start working down and prioritize. Terrific.

Mac Prichard:

Well, it’s been a great conversation, Gina. Now, tell us what’s next for you.

Gina Riley:

Oh, my goodness. I am super excited about my book, Qualified Isn’t Enough. And really, it is about helping people go to the granular level of building that story.

And then positioning themselves in the marketplace. So I get it right. It’s almost like a workbook, Mac.

Mac Prichard:

Well, I know that listeners and viewers can find your book on Amazon.

And you also encourage people to visit your website, ginarileyconsulting.com, and to connect with you on LinkedIn.

And when you do reach out to Gina on LinkedIn, please mention you heard and saw her on Find Your Dream Job.

Now, given all the great advice you’ve shared today, Gina, what’s the one thing you want a listener to remember and a viewer too about why AI can’t make you stand out in your job search and what you should do instead?

Gina Riley:

Absolutely. So one of my favorite things to say is, “Don’t wait to get plucked out of obscurity.” And when you’re relying on job boards, applicant tracking systems, or AI, you’re playing a game of waiting, and you’re hoping to get discovered.

And my recommendation is that you must build relationships and get referrals. The more conversations you have, the sooner you will land a job.

Mac Prichard:

Next week, our guest will be Dr. Lucas Moe.

He’s the associate director for career services at the University of Washington’s Information School.

Your values make a huge difference when you look for a job.

When you understand what matters to you in the workplace, your job becomes more rewarding.

It also becomes easier to find the employers who offer what you want.

Join us next Wednesday as Dr. Lucas Moe and I talk about why you need to know thyself in your job search.

Until next time, thanks for letting us help you find your dream job.

This show is produced by Mac’s List.

Susan Thornton-Hough schedules our guests and writes our newsletter. Lisa Kislingbury Anderson manages our social media and creates our transcripts.

Our sound engineer and editor is Matt Fiorillo. And our music is by Freddy Trujillo.

This is Mac Prichard. See you next week.

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