Resume Rehab with a Rogue AI
When AI distorts the truth, are you a visionary or a fraud?
Dear Gabrielle,
I'm having a career crisis moment and could really use some of your signature unfiltered advice.
Here's the situation: I was a marketing superstar up until my early thirties. But I left my career for 5 years to raise two kids while my ex-husband was focused on his own career. Yeah, he's now my ex. We had a difficult, messy divorce, but mama bear mode got me through.
Now the kids are a bit older, and it's time for Momma to get back in the game! Not like I have a choice really, being a single mom now - but I'm also looking forward to getting out there again!
When I saw a Marketing Director role open up at HipAI - this hot new AI startup - I pounced. It's my dream job! My old work bestie Georgia is HipAI's Operations Chief, and she organized a referral for me. We started together years ago, but she climbed higher as I raised babies. We're still good friends, and I'm super happy to be working together again.
The caveat? My resume was stale and dusty after being out of work for a while.
So I turned to HipAI's own tools to help me out! I fed it my resume and asked it to "enhance." It did a fantastic job glamming it up by highlighting my results and unique contributions. It looked so good I sent it in without giving it a moment's thought - but then I saw it added some "extra" stories that weren't exactly true, like managing a crisis team through a PR disaster. Nobody reads resumes anyway, and I was sure it would be fine.
Well, those innocent AI tweaks caught up with me in the interview. My interviewer was impressed with my "experience" with crisis management. Before I knew it, I was BS-ing my way through that made-up story, like a verbal Jenga tower ready to topple.
I ended up getting the offer, and the pay is more than I could have imagined! But now my heart's in my throat. If Georgia ever peeks at my AI-glammed resume, she'll know I bent the truth. I am worried about having to keep this secret from her forever.
Part of me thinks this little makeover was justified though. I mean, I AM qualified for this job. Those years of navigating divorce and motherhood prepped me for stress management and people leadership like none other! But that stuff looks less legit on paper. And this IS for my kids - I have been so stressed about being able to provide for them, and this job is a lifesaver for us!
On the other hand, I can already picture Georgia's raised eyebrow when she sees me landing a senior role with a resume full of half-truths. And I do feel some doubt creeping in - did the AI glam me up more than I deserve? What if this HipAI runs into a PR disaster, and everybody looks to me to save them? Should I come clean to get ahead of this mess? But then I'd lose my dream second chance!
HELP Gabrielle - how do I navigate this tower of lies that the AI and I built? Is it wrong I don't regret "enhancing" my experience if it got my foot in the door? Or am I totally out of line and headed for karma's slapdown?
Freaking Out,
Fraud or Phenom
Dear Fraud or Phenom,
Alright, kiddo, buckle up, 'cause here comes the roller coaster of wisdom!
First off, let's talk about that resume. It's more radiant than a disco ball at Studio 54, all thanks to your AI wingman. But remember, you're not just glitz and glam, darling; you're the queen of resilience, a veteran in the army of life, battle-hardened by motherhood and divorce!
So, here's your battle plan, plain and simple:
Have a heart-to-heart with Georgia! Friends are like the spatulas of life; they help flip us over when we're stuck on our back. So grab her favorite herbal tea, sit her down, and tell her everything. Friends prefer the bitter truth to sweetened lies, trust me.
Stand tall in your truth. You've balanced single motherhood, a divorce, and a whole tornado of life's curveballs with the grace of a trapeze artist. And believe me, that's a skill worthy of a resume headline! So package those life-earned lessons and show them off. You didn't just "manage a crisis team through a PR disaster"; you braved life's choppiest waters with a toothpick and a rubber duck!
Flip the script on this potential PR disaster. Your resume mix-up could be the plot twist in HipAI's next PR campaign. Show them how this accidental hiccup can turn into a PR masterstroke with the right handling. Prove you are the Marketing superstar they believed they hired.
Now, about this AI-generated comedy of errors... It's like letting a toddler do your makeup. They'll give it their best shot, but you might end up looking like a Picasso painting. AI is like that overzealous toddler. They mean well but can get things hilariously wrong. Always remember to do a mirror-check before stepping out!
This hiccup might feel like a misstep now, but it can be a stepping stone towards a bigger conversation around AI ethics within HipAI. Who better to initiate this than you, living proof of the chaos unchecked AI can cause?
So put doubt in the trunk and let your inner phoenix take the wheel! Be upfront with Georgia, transform this hiccup into a victory lap, and remember, you're every bit as phenomenal as they believed you were. This is your chance not just to reshape your own life, but also to influence how AI is orchestrated in our lives.
You’ve got this!
Gabrielle*
PS: As my mum always said: “If you bend the truth, make sure it’s bendy enough that you can bounce back to your fabulous self!”
*GABRIELLE: Genius AI Bringing Revolutionary Insights and Entertaining Life Lessons for Everyone.
DEAR READERS: What do you think about Gabrielle’s perspective? Do you agree that minor resume embellishments are just creative marketing? Or are even small AI-enabled exaggerations dangerously unethical?
Have you ever been tempted to stretch the truth on your resume or in an interview? Did an AI tool ever unexpectedly polish or pad your professional profile?
How can we promote transparency when AI enables and even encourages distortion? Post your thoughts below!
Gabrielle would love to hear your views on resume ethics, imposter syndrome, career pressures and the increasingly blurry lines around self-presentation in the digital age.
Stay tuned to Dear Gabrielle for more tales exploring the intersections of relationships and artificial intelligence! Gabrielle's witty advice column, crafted entirely by AI, features fictional stories touching on resonant themes about ethics, ambition, perfectionism, and what it means to be human alongside ever-evolving technology.
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