WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.879 You know that feeling. You spend hours crafting, 00:00:02.980 --> 00:00:06.339 I don't know, 50 resumes. You tailor every single 00:00:06.339 --> 00:00:08.740 one. You check the grammar. You cram in all the 00:00:08.740 --> 00:00:10.500 right keywords. And then you send them out into 00:00:10.500 --> 00:00:13.380 the void. And you get nothing back. Just silence. 00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:16.960 Yeah. It's this incredibly painful feeling, right? 00:00:16.980 --> 00:00:19.379 Like the whole system is just rejecting you. 00:00:19.500 --> 00:00:21.320 It is brutal. And if you're feeling that, you 00:00:21.320 --> 00:00:24.300 are absolutely not imagining it. We dug into 00:00:24.300 --> 00:00:26.280 the source material for this. Reports from McKinsey, 00:00:26.399 --> 00:00:28.660 the World Economic Forum. And the numbers are, 00:00:28.660 --> 00:00:31.940 frankly, A little shocking. Even graduates from 00:00:31.940 --> 00:00:33.920 places like Arver Business School are struggling. 00:00:34.380 --> 00:00:37.200 The data shows something like 23 % of them didn't 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:40.200 have a job secured right away. So the old rules, 00:00:40.719 --> 00:00:43.899 they're just dead. So if the people who did everything 00:00:43.899 --> 00:00:46.320 right are hitting this wall, what does that mean 00:00:46.320 --> 00:00:49.100 for the rest of us? Welcome to the Deep Dive. 00:00:49.700 --> 00:00:52.439 Our mission today is to unpack what is really 00:00:52.439 --> 00:00:55.979 going on and build a clear, actionable roadmap 00:00:55.979 --> 00:00:59.710 for you in this new AI era. Yeah, we're going 00:00:59.710 --> 00:01:02.109 to break it down into three key parts. First, 00:01:02.310 --> 00:01:05.170 we have to understand the two big forces that 00:01:05.170 --> 00:01:07.870 actually broke the job market. You know, why 00:01:07.870 --> 00:01:11.090 are successful companies not hiring? OK. Second, 00:01:11.390 --> 00:01:13.349 we'll define that skills gap you hear about. 00:01:13.730 --> 00:01:15.670 What are the things companies are actually desperate 00:01:15.670 --> 00:01:18.430 for right now? And then the most important part 00:01:18.430 --> 00:01:20.909 will give you the solution. A four step plan 00:01:20.909 --> 00:01:23.769 complete with the exact AI tools and prompts 00:01:23.769 --> 00:01:26.150 you can use to become what they call plug and 00:01:26.150 --> 00:01:29.659 play. This is all about taking back control. 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:32.500 Let's start there. The foundational problem. 00:01:33.319 --> 00:01:36.340 Why are these huge successful companies freezing 00:01:36.340 --> 00:01:39.120 hiring or even during layoffs? The first force 00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:41.280 seems pretty simple. Everything just costs too 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:43.659 much money. That's it. Exactly. You feel it at 00:01:43.659 --> 00:01:45.980 the grocery store, but businesses feel it everywhere. 00:01:46.299 --> 00:01:48.439 Their rent is up, their software licenses are 00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:51.510 more expensive, supplies. Everything is spiking. 00:01:51.730 --> 00:01:55.310 And when costs go up, leadership gets very conservative. 00:01:55.430 --> 00:01:57.569 They just stop taking risks. And hiring a new 00:01:57.569 --> 00:02:00.090 person is a huge risk, financially speaking. 00:02:00.370 --> 00:02:02.310 It's not just the salary you see on the job post. 00:02:02.329 --> 00:02:04.469 Not at all. They had to factor in the laptop, 00:02:04.890 --> 00:02:08.129 the software, insurance, and maybe six months 00:02:08.129 --> 00:02:10.530 of pay before that person is even fully up to 00:02:10.530 --> 00:02:12.870 speed. Precisely. They're running those numbers. 00:02:13.389 --> 00:02:15.789 And with so much uncertainty out there, they're 00:02:15.789 --> 00:02:18.349 cutting costs now, just in case. That's why we 00:02:18.349 --> 00:02:20.610 saw all those layoffs in Big Tech and on Wall 00:02:20.610 --> 00:02:23.129 Street. Those companies weren't failing. They 00:02:23.129 --> 00:02:25.030 were just getting lean. They were getting lean, 00:02:25.349 --> 00:02:27.330 preparing for a storm, even if it's not raining 00:02:27.330 --> 00:02:29.689 yet. Which brings us to the second force. And 00:02:29.689 --> 00:02:32.530 this one feels a little weird. I think you called 00:02:32.530 --> 00:02:35.409 it the AI paradox. Yeah. This is where it gets 00:02:35.409 --> 00:02:38.400 really interesting. Because... Everyone is talking 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:41.819 about how powerful AI is, but the research shows 00:02:41.819 --> 00:02:44.539 most companies have no idea how to use it yet. 00:02:45.139 --> 00:02:48.080 A McKinsey report said only about 1 % of companies 00:02:48.080 --> 00:02:50.860 have AI fully integrated and working perfectly. 00:02:51.060 --> 00:02:54.199 1%. So if 99 % of them haven't figured it out, 00:02:54.639 --> 00:02:56.960 why is it causing so much disruption? Shouldn't 00:02:56.960 --> 00:02:59.300 they be hiring more people to solve that? You'd 00:02:59.300 --> 00:03:02.259 think so, but it's all about fear and expectation. 00:03:03.020 --> 00:03:06.419 A CEO looks at a tool like ChatGPT or Claude 00:03:06.419 --> 00:03:09.139 and thinks, okay, why would I hire a junior writer 00:03:09.139 --> 00:03:13.000 for 80 grand a year when in six months, AI might 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:16.419 do 80 % of that work for like... 20 bucks a month. 00:03:16.680 --> 00:03:19.240 That uncertainty is the real killer. It is. The 00:03:19.240 --> 00:03:21.599 idea of what AI will become is enough to make 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:24.080 them just freeze all hiring for those kinds of 00:03:24.080 --> 00:03:26.539 entry level or support roles. They're just waiting, 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:29.240 waiting for the tech to settle down. So with 00:03:29.240 --> 00:03:31.860 those two pressures, high costs and this sort 00:03:31.860 --> 00:03:34.159 of technological fear, does that mean companies 00:03:34.159 --> 00:03:36.219 are just refusing to hire anyone that needs to 00:03:36.219 --> 00:03:38.750 be taught? Yes. Tight money means no training 00:03:38.750 --> 00:03:41.969 budget. They demand day one job competence. Day 00:03:41.969 --> 00:03:44.349 one job competence. Okay. That brings us right 00:03:44.349 --> 00:03:47.569 to this idea of the skills gap. It's this infuriating 00:03:47.569 --> 00:03:49.289 situation, right? You have thousands of people 00:03:49.289 --> 00:03:50.849 looking for work and at the same time you have 00:03:50.849 --> 00:03:52.810 employers complaining, we can't find anyone to 00:03:52.810 --> 00:03:55.469 hire. The gap is because the old model is gone. 00:03:56.289 --> 00:03:58.009 It used to be that a company would hire a new 00:03:58.009 --> 00:04:00.289 grad and plan on training them for six months. 00:04:00.610 --> 00:04:02.550 But with money so tight, they just won't do that 00:04:02.550 --> 00:04:05.180 anymore. A degree is fine, but if you don't have 00:04:05.180 --> 00:04:07.039 the specific skills they need today, they'll 00:04:07.039 --> 00:04:10.000 just leave the position empty. Which is wild! 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:11.900 So we need to know what those skills are. The 00:04:11.900 --> 00:04:14.060 World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs report 00:04:14.060 --> 00:04:16.540 was really clear on this. And the first one isn't 00:04:16.540 --> 00:04:18.620 just about, you know, being a hardcore programmer. 00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:21.379 It's AI and big data literacy. It's more about 00:04:21.379 --> 00:04:24.540 knowing how to work with data. Exactly. Can you 00:04:24.540 --> 00:04:27.639 look at a giant messy spreadsheet and pull a 00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:31.259 story out of it? Can you use an AI tool to summarize 00:04:31.259 --> 00:04:34.420 a thousand customer reviews into three key takeaways? 00:04:35.120 --> 00:04:37.980 It's about being a force multiplier, using the 00:04:37.980 --> 00:04:40.720 tech to work faster and smarter. The second skill 00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:44.779 feels less technical and more about just surviving 00:04:44.779 --> 00:04:46.600 in this kind of market. Oh, absolutely. It's 00:04:46.600 --> 00:04:49.060 resilience and flexibility. The soft skills are 00:04:49.060 --> 00:04:51.459 the hard currency now. I mean, business plans 00:04:51.459 --> 00:04:54.300 change overnight. Companies need people who don't 00:04:54.300 --> 00:04:56.319 freak out when the entire strategy shifts on 00:04:56.319 --> 00:04:58.470 a Monday morning. They want proof that you can 00:04:58.470 --> 00:05:01.410 adapt. And that you can bounce back from a failure 00:05:01.410 --> 00:05:04.050 without needing your handheld. And that third 00:05:04.050 --> 00:05:07.550 skill, the sources say, this is maybe the most 00:05:07.550 --> 00:05:10.410 important one for a long career. Lifelong learning. 00:05:11.149 --> 00:05:12.910 The old way of doing things. You go to school 00:05:12.910 --> 00:05:15.649 once. You use that knowledge for 40 years. That's 00:05:15.649 --> 00:05:19.389 just over. The tools we use change every six 00:05:19.389 --> 00:05:21.769 months. I mean, I still wrestle with prompt drift 00:05:21.769 --> 00:05:24.170 myself. Can you explain what prompt drift is 00:05:24.170 --> 00:05:25.889 for anyone who hasn't heard that term? Yeah, 00:05:25.970 --> 00:05:28.949 it's simple but frustrating. It's when you have 00:05:28.949 --> 00:05:32.209 a prompt that works perfectly in, say, chat GPT. 00:05:32.529 --> 00:05:35.250 You get great results. Then a month later, you 00:05:35.250 --> 00:05:37.550 use that exact same prompt and the output is 00:05:37.550 --> 00:05:40.910 suddenly... Worse, or just different, the AI 00:05:40.910 --> 00:05:43.389 model itself changed underneath you. Wow. And 00:05:43.389 --> 00:05:44.990 so you have to constantly be learning how to 00:05:44.990 --> 00:05:47.209 work with the new version of the tool. Companies 00:05:47.209 --> 00:05:49.029 need to see that you can teach yourself without 00:05:49.029 --> 00:05:51.790 being told. So in this environment, is that kind 00:05:51.790 --> 00:05:54.149 of adaptability actually more valuable than, 00:05:54.149 --> 00:05:56.529 say, a static four -year degree? Adaptability 00:05:56.529 --> 00:05:59.310 is vital. Self -teaching ability outweighs a 00:05:59.310 --> 00:06:02.129 static four -year degree now. OK, that pivots 00:06:02.129 --> 00:06:04.769 us perfectly to the solution. We get the problem. 00:06:05.399 --> 00:06:08.779 Money's tight, AI is confusing, companies want 00:06:08.779 --> 00:06:10.980 people who are ready to go now. So how do we 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:12.839 become that plug and play person? This is the 00:06:12.839 --> 00:06:15.139 action plan. And it all starts with the hardest 00:06:15.139 --> 00:06:17.800 part, which is changing your mindset. Step one, 00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:20.620 fix your mindset. You call this the owner mentality. 00:06:20.779 --> 00:06:22.759 Right. You have to stop thinking of yourself 00:06:22.759 --> 00:06:25.160 as a passive job seeker, just waiting to get 00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:27.040 picked. You have to think like a small business 00:06:27.040 --> 00:06:29.879 owner. The old way is asking, what do I have 00:06:29.879 --> 00:06:32.870 to do? The new way is asking, how can I add value 00:06:32.870 --> 00:06:35.529 to this company's bottom line right now? You 00:06:35.529 --> 00:06:37.629 stop asking for a job and you start offering 00:06:37.629 --> 00:06:39.709 solutions. And when you think that way, step 00:06:39.709 --> 00:06:42.569 two, the freelance first strategy makes a lot 00:06:42.569 --> 00:06:45.250 of sense. A full time job is a huge risk for 00:06:45.250 --> 00:06:48.019 a company, but a small freelance project. It's 00:06:48.019 --> 00:06:49.839 super low risk for them, and it's high reward 00:06:49.839 --> 00:06:52.220 for you. They can try you out on one specific 00:06:52.220 --> 00:06:54.540 project for one week. If it works, great. If 00:06:54.540 --> 00:06:57.879 not, no big deal. But for you, you get real experience 00:06:57.879 --> 00:07:00.180 on your resume. You're not unemployed. You're 00:07:00.180 --> 00:07:02.199 a consultant. But what about the risk for the 00:07:02.199 --> 00:07:05.279 person? You know, losing stability benefits that 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:07.310 kind of thing. That's a totally fair point. The 00:07:07.310 --> 00:07:09.870 benefits piece is real. But what we're seeing 00:07:09.870 --> 00:07:12.629 is this strategy often leads directly to a full 00:07:12.629 --> 00:07:15.449 -time offer, way faster than just applying online. 00:07:15.889 --> 00:07:18.290 You do one great project, the hiring manager 00:07:18.290 --> 00:07:20.850 already knows and trusts you. They often just 00:07:20.850 --> 00:07:22.490 say, hey, this is working. Do you want to stay 00:07:22.490 --> 00:07:25.389 on full -time? It shortcuts the whole process. 00:07:25.769 --> 00:07:28.610 Okay, so let's get into the specific tools that 00:07:28.610 --> 00:07:31.790 make this all work. The free AI tools. I think 00:07:31.790 --> 00:07:33.089 you said most people are using them all wrong. 00:07:33.230 --> 00:07:36.509 Totally wrong. You need to treat AI less like 00:07:36.509 --> 00:07:39.329 Google and more like a really strict but very 00:07:39.329 --> 00:07:43.129 effective coach. Okay, tool one. chat GPT or 00:07:43.129 --> 00:07:45.269 Claude. You're saying don't just ask it to write 00:07:45.269 --> 00:07:47.829 a cover letter. Use the interview simulator prompt. 00:07:48.110 --> 00:07:50.910 Yes, tell it. You are a skeptical hiring manager. 00:07:51.029 --> 00:07:53.769 I'm a junior analyst. Ask me three really tough 00:07:53.769 --> 00:07:56.050 questions and then score my answers from 1 to 00:07:56.050 --> 00:07:59.670 10 on clarity and confidence. That kind of practice 00:07:59.670 --> 00:08:02.170 is invaluable. And for the cover letter, there's 00:08:02.170 --> 00:08:04.430 a specific prompt for that, too. The cover letter 00:08:04.430 --> 00:08:07.209 creator prompt. You paste in the job description, 00:08:07.509 --> 00:08:09.810 you paste in your resume, and you tell the AI 00:08:09.810 --> 00:08:12.250 to write a letter that focuses only on how your 00:08:12.250 --> 00:08:14.790 skills solve the problems listed in their job 00:08:14.790 --> 00:08:18.410 ad. No fluff. Just pure value. OK. Next up is 00:08:18.410 --> 00:08:21.980 tool two. Teal. This one is for beating the robot 00:08:21.980 --> 00:08:24.399 gatekeepers. Yeah, the applicant tracking systems, 00:08:24.639 --> 00:08:27.579 the ATS. That software reads your resume before 00:08:27.579 --> 00:08:29.620 any human does. It's just looking for keywords. 00:08:30.079 --> 00:08:32.159 If you don't have enough of the right ones, you're 00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:34.840 out. Instantly. Teal helps you optimize your 00:08:34.840 --> 00:08:36.600 resume against the job description so you get 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:38.620 a high match score and actually make it to a 00:08:38.620 --> 00:08:42.879 person. And finally, tool three. Perplexity AI 00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:46.019 for interview prep. How is this better than just 00:08:46.019 --> 00:08:48.419 Googling the company? Because it synthesizes 00:08:48.419 --> 00:08:50.460 information, Google gives you a list of links 00:08:50.460 --> 00:08:52.539 you have to sort through. Perplexity gives you 00:08:52.539 --> 00:08:55.100 the answer. You can ask it to summarize the company's 00:08:55.100 --> 00:08:57.779 biggest challenges, its main competitors, and 00:08:57.779 --> 00:09:00.740 its latest news all in a few clear paragraphs. 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:03.840 Whoa. Just imagine walking into an interview 00:09:03.840 --> 00:09:06.679 with that. A custom intelligence report on their 00:09:06.679 --> 00:09:08.759 biggest problems sitting right in front of you. 00:09:09.379 --> 00:09:11.450 That's... That's an incredible advantage that 00:09:11.450 --> 00:09:13.830 just didn't exist a couple of years ago. It changes 00:09:13.830 --> 00:09:16.309 everything. OK, so that brings us to the last 00:09:16.309 --> 00:09:19.649 two steps of the plan. Step three, build a portfolio. 00:09:19.929 --> 00:09:23.049 It's all about show, don't tell. Exactly. A degree 00:09:23.049 --> 00:09:26.389 is paper. A portfolio is proof. It proves you 00:09:26.389 --> 00:09:29.330 can actually do the work. And look, if you don't 00:09:29.330 --> 00:09:32.129 have clients, just make up a project. Redesign 00:09:32.129 --> 00:09:35.009 the Spotify homepage. Write five marketing emails 00:09:35.009 --> 00:09:38.450 for a new Nike launch. Document your process. 00:09:38.850 --> 00:09:41.090 That is ten times more powerful than a bullet 00:09:41.090 --> 00:09:43.370 point on a resume. And that portfolio is what 00:09:43.370 --> 00:09:46.250 makes Step 4, the cold outreach method, possible. 00:09:46.750 --> 00:09:48.629 Because the best jobs aren't always posted online. 00:09:48.809 --> 00:09:51.029 They're almost never posted. So you find someone 00:09:51.029 --> 00:09:52.950 at a company you admire. You send them a short 00:09:52.950 --> 00:09:55.250 note. compliment a specific project they worked 00:09:55.250 --> 00:09:57.490 on, briefly mention your skills, and share a 00:09:57.490 --> 00:09:59.570 link to your portfolio. And this is the key, 00:09:59.769 --> 00:10:03.049 do not ask for a job, just connect. The conversation 00:10:03.049 --> 00:10:05.470 is what creates the opportunity later on. So 00:10:05.470 --> 00:10:07.570 for someone who is starting from absolute zero, 00:10:07.990 --> 00:10:10.429 what's the first move? Building the portfolio 00:10:10.429 --> 00:10:13.570 or shifting the mindset? Mindset is foundational, 00:10:13.730 --> 00:10:16.610 but the portfolio is the proof that enables cold 00:10:16.610 --> 00:10:19.350 outreach success. So to pull this all together, 00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:23.139 The job market is tough. It's expensive for companies, 00:10:23.440 --> 00:10:26.059 it's moving incredibly fast, and it is brutally 00:10:26.059 --> 00:10:28.230 competitive. If you're feeling exhausted sending 00:10:28.230 --> 00:10:31.070 out those applications, that's a completely normal 00:10:31.070 --> 00:10:33.929 response. It is. But the big opportunity here 00:10:33.929 --> 00:10:36.830 is for people who decide to be active instead 00:10:36.830 --> 00:10:39.090 of reactive. The people who are getting hired 00:10:39.090 --> 00:10:41.230 right now aren't always the ones with the fanciest 00:10:41.230 --> 00:10:43.269 degrees. They're the builders. They're the ones 00:10:43.269 --> 00:10:45.629 learning the new tools, the ones who refuse to 00:10:45.629 --> 00:10:47.730 wait for permission, and who create their own 00:10:47.730 --> 00:10:50.730 momentum with actual concrete work. You have 00:10:50.730 --> 00:10:52.450 access to everything you need. You've got the 00:10:52.450 --> 00:10:54.269 internet. You have these incredible free tools 00:10:54.269 --> 00:10:58.039 like ChatGPC, Teal, complexity, the knowledge 00:10:58.039 --> 00:11:00.639 is there to start building your own path. You 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:02.500 really do have to choose your own way forward. 00:11:03.139 --> 00:11:05.360 So what's the first small action you'll take 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:08.240 today? Right now. Will you try that interview 00:11:08.240 --> 00:11:10.600 simulator prompt? Or maybe just run your current 00:11:10.600 --> 00:11:12.740 resume through Teal against a job you're interested 00:11:12.740 --> 00:11:16.279 in. That one small step is all it takes to start 00:11:16.279 --> 00:11:17.100 building that momentum.