June Newsletter: Why “AI vs. Human Coach” Is the Wrong Debate
Why "AI vs. Human Coach" Is the Wrong Debate
There’s a seductive elegance in framing AI as the quick fix and humans as the strategists. But as a career coach who works one-on-one with professionals navigating real transitions, I think we’re oversimplifying the conversation while doing job seekers a disservice. So let’s talk about why it may be a good idea to pay for a coach or if a free or low-cost bot is what is called for.
AI can analyze. Coaches humanize.
An algorithm can scan for transferable skills or match your resume to a job post. But it can’t necessarily pub those skills in a context that best represents your personal brand or in a way that you can best defend in an interview. A good coach will challenge you when your story doesn’t align with your goals. And AI is not likely to be able to persuade you that you DO have skills that you may not see yourself.
Job search isn’t a checklist. It’s a campaign.
AI can generate 100 job applications in a day. Impressive, but if those resumes don’t differentiate you among hundreds of competitors, then you have little chance of success. Think about it. If 50 other job seekers with similar backgrounds are competing for the same job using the same AI tools which don’t know your secret sauce how are you to stand out?
Also consider that employers can afford to buy more robust AI tools than you can. And those tools are designed to flag AI generated approaches at the starting gate. You are human. The person who hires you will be human. It is important to nail the messaging without completely sacrificing what makes you, you.
Your résumé is not a data sheet. It’s a positioning tool.
AI is great for optimizing keywords and formatting for ATS. But most hiring managers don’t make gut decisions based on keyword density; they’re drawn in by clarity, confidence, and fit. AI might be a good tool for literally matching keywords. But a good resume should do more than that. It should tell your career story in a way that leads the reader to the unmistakable conclusion that you are the ideal person for the job. Truthful storytelling is not a black and white process.
Interviews aren’t pop quizzes. They’re conversations.
First know that only a handful of the thousands of hiring managers I have spoken to have ever been trained to interview candidates. Job seekers must therefore be prepared with key points that they must deliver in an environment in which they have no control over the quality of questions they are asked. Successful candidates must learn to ask questions and use human emotional intelligence to better understand the results a hiring manager is looking for and not just focus on the responsibilities that suggest you can lead them there.
AI will prepare you to discuss how you can execute the duties of the job and help you prepare sound bites that can be dropped into a conversation. It can also get you to think about how you might present your skills to a new job. These are good things for sure. But a great career coach can train job seekers to develop compelling career narratives. recognize the real question behind the question, and to answer with story, not only the superficial responses.
Networking isn’t outreach. It’s relationship-building.
Because AI can scrape contacts and auto-generate messages it can generate a ton of outreach with little effort beyond the original setup. But most busy professionals (or anyone, for that matter) don’t respond well to mass “mailings” and cookie cutter messaging.
Networking success will always be driven by true relationship building and by demonstrating a “givers gain” approach. Career coaches show clients how to connect in a way that’s relational, not transactional, because jobs come from people, not platforms.
This isn’t about "either/or." It’s about "where are you stuck?"
AI will get you started. A career coach keeps you unstuck. When you're drowning in options, doubting your positioning, or ready to level up your strategy—that’s when real coaching begins.
Because you're not just looking for a job. You're building a brand, shaping a story, and creating a future. That takes more than code. It takes connection.
A Favorite LinkedIn Testimonial
Scott had hired me several years before to build a resume to conduct what was to become a highly successful search for a new job in his existing field. As things played out, it became clear that Scott was miscast in his existing field and needed to figure out what else he was qualified to do that wouldn’t require extensive retraining or a step back financially.
Once we determined the new career direction, we realized that waiting for those positions to be posted online would not be the optimal strategy as the job postings would create tons of competition from folks who were already strong performers in this new direction. We need a plan to get to the opportunity BEFORE an employer devolved into resume keyword matching through their applicant tracking systems.
It worked!
“I recently landed a new position in the combination products field (medical devices and pharmaceuticals). I utilized John's advice. I called a former boss in February to chat about what his company was up to, what it was like to work there, differences, similarities, likes, dislikes, what it takes to be successful. About 5 months later, a job posting at the same company that caught my eye. Turns out it was his posting. That initial call put me in a favorable light, even though my experience in this particular area is pretty light. I got the job, because of previous experience with the manager, and also because of the networking I did. If I hadn't made that initial contact, he probably would have read my resume, and passed for a candidate more qualified (on paper). John, thank you for your advice and guidance.”
Job Guy’s Search Tip of the Month
Use AI in your search, but avoid dehumanizing your brand
Artificial intelligence is here to stay. And it can be a very helpful tool for many aspects of job search and career management when used correctly.
But bear in mind that AI results are only going to be as good as the content provided by the user. The trick to optimizing AI is to know what to ask whereas a human career coach will know what to ask you.
Changing careers is all about convincing someone in a new industry and function that you can do the work despite never having had that job before. This takes salesmanship that AI will struggle to account for. I have found that the most effective career changes aren’t always toward the dream job but are more likely to involve taking the job in a new direction that they feel confident in selling themselves into.
Targeting dream jobs that you have no chance of getting is a complete waste of time. For more time saving tips in the job search, check out my June blog post.
