How to get a job in the age of AI: 9 practical tips

Looking for a job has changed. AI is changing which jobs exist and what employers expect, and it's changing hiring itself. Candidates write applications with AI, companies screen them with software, and recruiters receive more applications than ever. LinkedIn now handles around 11,000 applications every minute, up 45% in a year.

So working harder at the old approach is not enough. The good news is that the people who adapt stand out more clearly than before. Here are nine practical ways to do that.

1. Prove you can use AI well, don't just claim it

Two-thirds of employers plan to hire people with AI skills, according to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025. That's why "proficient in AI tools" now appears on almost every CV, and why it no longer means much on its own.

What sets you apart is evidence. Instead of listing tools, describe results: "Used AI to cut the time spent on monthly reporting from two days to half a day" says far more than "ChatGPT, Copilot". Be ready to explain your process in an interview: how you checked the output, what you corrected, and what you would never hand to an AI, such as confidential client data or a decision that needs human accountability. Knowing AI's limits is as convincing as knowing what it can do.

Do this: pick two or three tasks where AI genuinely made your work better or faster, and turn each one into a single line on your CV that states the result.

2. Make your human skills visible

As AI takes over routine tasks, the parts of a job it can't do become more valuable: understanding people, building trust, using judgement, and taking responsibility. We cover why in more detail in What distinguishes a modern education in the age of AI. For a job search, the question is how to show these skills, because everyone claims them.

Some examples of the human side of work that AI can't replace:

• Calming an unhappy client and keeping their business
• Negotiating a deal or settling a disagreement between colleagues
• Leading a team through a difficult change
• Making a sound decision with incomplete information, and standing behind it
• Persuading a sceptical manager to back your idea

Employers believe stories, not adjectives. Prepare a short story for each of your strongest human skills: the situation, what you did, and the result. In an interview, "I'm a strong communicator" is forgettable. "Our biggest client was about to leave, so I…" is not.

Do this: write down three short stories from your own experience that show judgement, leadership or dealing with people, and practise telling each one in under two minutes.

3. Have advanced education behind your skills

This point is easy to underestimate. In most hiring processes, education is one of the first things a recruiter checks, often before reading anything else. When hundreds of people apply for the same role, a relevant qualification is one of the quickest ways for an employer to narrow the list.

Good education does two things for you. First, it makes the skills you claim credible: anyone can write "data analysis" or "strategy" on a CV, but a qualification in that field shows you studied it in depth. Second, it sets you apart from the other applicants, especially when your experience is similar to theirs.

Education is not the only thing that matters. Experience, results and the human skills above count too. But it is often what gets you through the first filter, and without that you never get the chance to show the rest. If you're thinking about a master's, choose one that is up to date with how work is changing. Our guide How to choose an online master's explains what to look for.

Do this: look honestly at your CV beside the job ads you want. If most of them ask for a qualification you don't have, that gap is worth closing.

4. Aim at the jobs that will exist, not the ones that are disappearing

The World Economic Forum expects 170 million jobs to be created and 92 million displaced by 2030. Behind those numbers, some roles are growing fast while others shrink. The fastest-growing include data and AI specialists, fintech, cybersecurity, and roles that combine technology with business judgement. Routine administrative and clerical work is declining.

Preparing for a role that is shrinking is like swimming against the tide. Before you invest time and money, check which way your target role is moving. Search for it on job sites, see how many openings there are and how the requirements have changed over a year or two, and read the skills employers keep asking for.

For a closer look at where demand is heading, see The most in-demand skills for the future, and our guides to career paths after a Master in Artificial Intelligence and a Master in Digital Marketing.

Do this: choose your two target roles and check them against current job ads. If the openings are shrinking, look at the growing roles next to them that use the same strengths.

5. Get past AI screening without sounding like AI

Many companies use applicant tracking systems (ATS), software that sorts and ranks applications before a person reads them. Two things help you get through:

• Mirror the wording of the job ad. If the ad says "stakeholder management", use that phrase instead of a synonym, as long as it's true for you.
• Keep the format simple. Clear headings, standard section names, and no text inside images or complex tables, which software can misread.

At the same time, avoid the opposite mistake. Recruiters now see huge numbers of generic, AI-written applications, and they recognise them quickly: polished, vague and interchangeable. Use AI to check and improve your application, not to write it for you. Specific details about your experience and the company are what make an application read as human.

Do this: for each application, adjust your CV's summary and top three bullet points to match that job ad, and write the cover letter's first paragraph yourself.

6. Use referrals and personal connections

When inboxes are flooded, a personal introduction is one of the most reliable ways to get noticed. An application that arrives with "I know this person, they're good" often skips the queue.

This doesn't mean asking strangers for jobs. It means building real professional connections: keeping in touch with former colleagues and classmates, commenting thoughtfully on people's work, joining industry events and communities, and helping others when you can. Then, when a role comes up, ask a contact at that company for advice or an introduction.

Do this: make a list of ten people in your field you've lost touch with, and get back in touch with two of them this week. Don't ask for anything yet.

7. Prepare for interviews in the AI era

Interviews are changing too. Expect some of these:

• Questions about how you use AI. "How has AI changed the way you work?" is now common. Have a concrete answer ready (see tip 1).
• Practical tests. Because anyone can produce a polished CV, more employers ask candidates to complete a task, sometimes live.
• AI-run first rounds. Some companies use recorded video interviews or AI interviewers to screen candidates. Treat them as seriously as a human interview: look at the camera, answer the question you were asked, and keep answers structured.

Above all, be genuine. Interviewers are increasingly wary of rehearsed, AI-sounding answers. Your real stories and opinions are your advantage.

Do this: prepare your answer to "How do you use AI in your work?" and run a mock interview with a friend, or with an AI that plays the interviewer.

8. Show that you keep learning

The World Economic Forum estimates that 39% of today's core skills will change by 2030. Employers know this, so they look for people who keep learning, not just people who learned something once.

Make your learning visible. List recent courses, certifications and projects on your CV and LinkedIn profile, and be ready to say what you're learning now and why. A small project you built using a new tool can say more than a long list of skills.

Do this: add a "Recent learning" line to your CV, and if it's empty, choose one short course or project to start this month.

9. Watch out for AI-powered job scams

Scammers have noticed that job seekers are busy, hopeful and expect to deal with strangers online. According to the US Federal Trade Commission, reported losses to job scams more than tripled between 2020 and 2023, and passed $220 million in the first half of 2024 alone. AI makes fake recruiters, fake companies and fake job offers more convincing.

A few warning signs catch most scams:

• You're offered a job without a real interview
• You're asked to pay for training, equipment or "processing"
• Contact moves quickly to WhatsApp or Telegram
• The pay seems far too high for very easy work
• The email address doesn't match the company's official website

Do this: before sharing personal documents or bank details, check the role on the company's own careers page and confirm the recruiter's identity independently.

In summary

Getting a job in the age of AI comes down to being credible and being human:

1. Prove your AI skills with real results.
2. Make your human skills visible through stories.
3. Back your skills with advanced education.
4. Aim at roles that are growing.
5. Get past AI screening without sounding like AI.
6. Use referrals and real connections.
7. Prepare for AI-era interviews.
8. Show that you keep learning.
9. Protect yourself from job scams.

None of these need special connections or luck, just a deliberate approach. The people who adapt first will find that AI has made it easier, not harder, to stand out.