Pam Baker, Contributing WriterMarch 19, 20257 Min ReadAndyS via Alamy StockIts hard to survive a layoff or a firing. Its tougher now than ever given the long hiring cycles and the growing number of ghost jobs. Adding to the unemployment chaos are the massive White House and DOGE firings as well as expected upticks in layoffs correlating with a spike in tariffs. The future looks bleak for the unemployed.Layoffs arent just numbers but a form of economic trauma, says Lars Nyman, CMO of CUDO Compute, a platform that powers many AI programs.Right now, the job market feels like an obstacle course rigged against the people running it. Generative AI isnt a magic bullet and actually takes many jobs, but if you use it right, it can tilt the odds back in your favor, Nyman adds.But how do you use AI right to get another job. Here are eight ways to apply GenAI to your advantage.1. AI as exorcist: expelling ghost jobs from your job huntGhost jobs arent a fluke. They are an actual business strategy for companies seeking to accomplish goals that often have nothing to do with hiring anyone now.A whopping 40% to 50% of job postings are ghost jobs, meaning roles companies never intend to fill but leave up to look busy or fish for future talent. Generative AI tools can analyze patterns in job postings to flag likely fakes. Red flags would be vague descriptions, recycled listings, and positions staying open forever. If youre seeing those, move on, says Nyman.Related:Use general generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, or Perplexity AI to weed out ghost jobs. Sample prompts for GenAI tools connected to the Internet: A ghost job is a job opening announcement which the company does not actually plan to fill now or maybe ever. The following are indicators that a job announcement is a ghost job: vague descriptions, recycled listings, and positions staying open (listed or relisted) for longer than 3 months in a one-year period. Analyze the following job announcement to determine whether it is a legitimate job opening or a ghost job [copy and paste job description here].2. AI as scam buster: identifying scam job postingsDesperate times call all the predators forth to feast on desperate people. Watch out for fake jobs. You might apply, be interviewed, get hired, fill out the onboarding forms with your personal data including your social security number and bank details. After that theres only crickets. Youve been scammed. This job didnt exist.AI can help identify fake jobs posted by scammers. But do research job listings further, too. AI can get you a false red or green flag.Related:Feed the job posting text into AI, asking it to flag suspicious phrases or inconsistent requirements, says Sam Wright, head of operations and partnerships at Huntr.You can add flags to the prompt too, like asking AI to check the email or web address in the job announcement against the web address and emails of the company advertised. Add any other red flags too, so AI can make a better assessment.3. Use AI to automatically fill out job application formsAutofill helps fill out some fields on online forms, but not very many. That leaves you to fill out the rest of job application forms online. If youre smart and playing the numbers, youre filling out a lot of job applications. That means entering the same data over and over and over again. AI can do that for you and much faster!I used this extension called: Simplify Jobs, it allowed me to fill most of the job applications within one minute, which allowed me to apply to 30+ jobs within an hour. Generally, it takes 15-30 minutes for each application if you manually do it, says Devansh Agarwal, senior machine learning engineer at Amazon Web Services.I set up LinkedIn alerts for the companies and job types that I was interested in and every day I would receive mails with job posting alerts. Then I would use Simplify Jobs to apply to these roles, Agarwal adds. He also says that all the views he expressed in this article are his own and do not reflect his current or previous employers.Related:4. Use AI to tailor resumes and cover lettersYou can use a generative AI tool to create your resume. When creating your resume, you need to be precise, as the recruiters spend less than 10 seconds looking at one. You need to write your experiences in the correct format, it takes time and is complicated to do it yourself. ChatGPT can help you rephrase things and write them in the proper format, says Agarwal.But then be sure to use AI to repurpose your resume and cover letter to fit the exact requirements for each job application. Go the extra mile and prompt the GenAI tool to use keywords that will trigger the AI on the other side to conclude an exact candidate match.You can automate job applications, and without looking like a bot. There are tools like LazyApply that mass-send applications, but the value is in using AI to customize your resume and cover letter -- producing quality, accurate material at scale, says Nyman. AI can tweak tone, highlight specific achievements, and adjust language to better suit company culture.5. Use AI to boost your LinkedIn reach so more employers see youPosting often on LinkedIn is a great way to build your following and profile views which can be helpful to your job search.During a job search there isnt enough time to focus on posting content on LinkedIn but since it is the primary platform for job search it is important to increase your network on it. People use GenAI to post things on LinkedIn and increase their reach, by using GenAI it barely takes any time to create the posts so you can continue to focus on job search and interview preparation, says Agarwal.6. Use AI for practice in mock interviewsIt can be hard to think of a good answer to an interview question on the spot. Some people find it helpful to prepare ahead of time by interacting with GenAI tools in mock interviews or as career coaches.Tools like ChatGPT or Gemini can simulate interview Q&As, giving you feedback and potential follow-up questions -- helping you feel more confident and prepared, says Agarwal.Dont forget to use AI to do your homework on the company before the interview too.Sometimes you need to review certain topics just before the interview, searching for notes online is time consuming and often times they are not concise. In this situation, you can ask LLMs to explain the topic and provide the important concepts in this topic with examples. This is extremely useful and can save hours of time, says Agarwal.7. An extra AI tip for government employees and their supportersMass government layoffs have led to mass despair with little recourse other than the courts. While youre waiting for your case to be heard, it may be helpful to connect with your federal representatives.You can use AI tools to write a series of emails that you, your family, your church, your friends, and community supporters can send daily to government representatives and hotlines. Changing the message to reflect the feelings and concerns of each person sending it or simply changing the wording some to keep the message fresh over time is a good use of AI. Who knows, maybe a congressman will help you get your job back. Its worth a try.8. Use AI to automate everything you can in the job search processYou dont have to limit your use of AI to the things on this list. Take notice of the things youre doing manually in the job search -- especially if youre doing the same thing repeatedly. Whatever those steps are, the odds are that you can use AI tools to do it automatically for you. Give it a shot and see where it leads.Weve seen job seekers slash hours off their application process by harnessing generative AI for resumes, cover letters, and mock interviews, leaving them more time to handle the real-life challenges that come with a layoff, says Wright.About the AuthorPam BakerContributing WriterA prolific writer and analyst, Pam Baker's published work appears in many leading publications. She's also the author of several books, the most recent of which are "Decision Intelligence for Dummies" and "ChatGPT For Dummies." Baker is also a popular speaker at technology conferences and a member of the National Press Club, Society of Professional Journalists, and the Internet Press Guild.See more from Pam BakerWebinarsMore WebinarsReportsMore ReportsNever Miss a Beat: Get a snapshot of the issues affecting the IT industry straight to your inbox.SIGN-UPYou May Also Like