With this first post of the year, I want to wish a Happy New Years to all of you. I worked last night and got home late in the evening. It was an exhausting shift, and that means I was in bed asleep before the turn of the new year.
This past year was a huge one for both me and the blog: I posted 527 times, and the blog saw more than 2.4 million post views, which is more than 4600 views per post.
Personally, I did pretty well. I earned 3 board certifications and finished my MBA. I am doing that because I realized what a disaster of a dumpster fire my place of employment has become, so I decided to do something about it. That’s what all of us should do: If you don’t like your job, get a better job. If you can’t get a better job as is, then do something to make a better job more likely.
Let’s see if we can make this year a good one. I’m going to start the year by spending my day applying for new jobs. I already applied to three of them this morning. One thing I have discovered during this job search is this:
Employers are using AI driven ATS(Applicant Tracking Systems) to screen applicants. These systems look for very specific things, and automatically reject applicants before the application is even seen by human eyes. The key to getting your resume to a decision maker’s human eyes is to tailor your resume and application to that ATS. So the I have begun using my own AI system, pasting my resume and the job requirements into the system, and letting the AI rewrite my resume to match what the ATS is looking for.
Let’s see how that works.
16 Comments
NoNeedtobeMean · January 1, 2026 at 4:48 pm
I read your blog every day. I find it to be educational and interesting. I hope your new year and job search are fruitful.
Thank you for all of your thoughts.
Steady Steve · January 1, 2026 at 5:01 pm
My guess is that these AI systems will fall flat by choosing people who the human sorters don’t really like. This will extend head hunting time and suitable hires will already have secured a job or moved on. By taking human intuition out of the equation they are likely to pass over the best choices.
Southernborne · January 1, 2026 at 6:41 pm
May I ask which AI you are using?
CelticGirl424 · January 2, 2026 at 4:49 pm
I have the same question.
Happy New Year!
Divemedic · January 2, 2026 at 5:00 pm
ChatGPT
Danny · January 1, 2026 at 6:56 pm
I’m not sure what to expect this coming year.
Guess it’s same shit, new year. Stay sharp – head on a swivel.
pchappel · January 1, 2026 at 7:18 pm
Yeah, the whole AI “screening” is annoying. Also, potentially legally “problematic” here in TX since it is making a substantive decision likely without human oversight… But that is just specific to the State of Texas, so good luck out there!
Tom235 · January 2, 2026 at 8:34 am
AI may be dumb but it’s probably smarter than most HR employees
McChuck · January 2, 2026 at 9:38 am
You can populate your resume with buzzwords and phrases using 2 point font in white-on-white at the bottom of the page. Humans can’t read them, but the computers can.
It’s not necessarily a good idea, but it can be done.
JoshO · January 3, 2026 at 10:10 am
They supposedly know about and look for that white text trick now.
Stealth Spaniel · January 2, 2026 at 9:38 pm
This is brilliant advice had ChatGPT write my resume but I never considered having it write to the job listing!
JoshO · January 3, 2026 at 10:11 am
That AI usage by HR scum should be illegal, as should the HR scum themselves.
Divemedic · January 3, 2026 at 11:57 am
Because inserting the power of government into the equation, which created this problem in the first place, is the answer?
Jc · January 4, 2026 at 8:34 am
Every fucking day. At least a dozen applications. Now they’re asking.me to interview with a chatbot when they respond at all. Which is less than .01%. Yes. That’s one in ten thousand.
Jc · January 4, 2026 at 8:41 am
DiL checked out in a novel fashion. Asphyxiation with helium balloons.
Curious Career Changer · January 5, 2026 at 10:36 pm
Hey DM,
How do you determine what prompts to use in ChatGPT to determine the key words the ATS is looking for?
I started a new role with a small firm as an ecologist about 15 years ago and made the mistake of asking why my second pay was nine days late. Turns out the company vehicle had broken down in a very remote area, and the firm didn’t have the cash flow to pay for a major repair to the vehicle. Apparently I was out of line for asking about the late pay.
For the first and only time in my life, I found didn’t pass the probation period – being told it was because the current economic conditions were really bad.
Stupidly I put this firm down as a reference – and found that I just couldn’t get an interview for ANYTHING I applied for. Changed my mobile number & left off my middle name, and got the next job I applied for. Sure it was simply co-incidence. I hate these HR systems with the heat of the sun.
The firm in question was bought by a major player in the ecological consultancy game about a month after I was let go.
Comments are closed.