🚀 Standing out in the age of AI -- focus on collecting EXPERIENCE

TalentGeist Newsletter

Immediately-actionable career insights for ambitious individuals.

Quick note: are you looking for work experience to strengthen your resume?

We’re running a Program sponsored by gov.sg. Free to attend, but limited spots (97% already taken — sign-up here). Rated one of the highest career programs in Singapore.

Today’s insights - 5-min read

Welcome to job hunting in 2025…..where AI tools can build your resume from scratch AND polish it, all in less than 30 seconds.

What does this mean for your career?
👉 ***If it can be done with 30-second ChatGPT prompts, it’s not going to set you apart anymore***

We’re seeing more and more students/professionals hit the same wall.

They’re doing all the “right” things —
✔ Prompt-optimizing resumes
✔ AI-assisted job assessments
✔ ChatGPT-generated outreach messages

And yet?
They’re still not getting noticed.

So, what CAN you do to stand out?

Well…..do what AI can’t do (yet)!

1. Collect the right experiences (takes minimum a few weeks of dedication).

2. Build a wide & rapport-driven network.

We’ve written about both before to various extents, but will dive into each again, in more detail & with more insights to account for the precipitous rise of AI.

Today’s focus — EXPERIENCE IS YOUR DIFFERENTIATOR (we’ll unpack ‘networking in the AI age' as the topic in a future newsletter).

The biggest misconception from young professionals is that recruiters and companies ONLY care about formal work experiences (e.g., at another company).

But formal work experiences is just a PROXY to show you can do the work. If you have other evidence (e.g., case competition, personal project, even volunteering leadership) – they can be just as effective…..sometimes even more so than ‘formal’ work experiences!

For example, let’s say you’re applying for a role at McKinsey. Who do you think McKinsey would be more inclined to take?

1️⃣ Candidate 1: worked on a self-initiated strategic project helping local SMEs increase revenue by 10%, with tangible examples of execution and proof that it led to impact. Can intelligently talk about the strategic frameworks used during interviews, and even show a ‘proof-of-work’ that mirrors the types of presentations they would actually need to put together at McKinsey.

2️⃣ Candidate 2: worked at Bain for a semester internship, mostly went on coffee runs for seniors. Worked on a piece of data analysis that was scrapped and didn’t even make it into the overall strategy, and no idea how the strategy led to provable client impact.

Odds favor candidate 1, despite candidate 2 having a brand name on the resume. Employers are increasingly focused on the depth of experiences as a true testament of a candidate’s potential.

If you’re having trouble finding experiences that can take your resume to the next level, we’re working with the Singapore government (MCCY, National Youth Council) to launch the Work Simulation Program:

✅ Learn work skills from top-tier professionals across Google, Unilever, etc.

✅ Tackle work simulation projects that you can put on your resume/LinkedIn to immediately boost your employability (aka all attendees benefit!)

✅ Earn paid internships — those who do exceptionally well will be hired by our network of companies; to date, 20+ students have been hired for paid internships directly out of our Program.

Let me know if you have any questions on what we covered above, or another career topic altogether. Always happy to chat more 🙂.

Until next time, folks!

Best,

Vincent (LinkedIn)