How to Get Ahead—Without AI Skills

It’s a rough year for people whose career specialties overlap substantially with the core competencies of generative AI. Just two years ago, the job market favored researchers, marketers, and basic finance analysts. Now a bot can perform the majority of the tasks each role demands—albeit awkwardly and with plenty of errors.

Experts say that the emergence of AI is not the end of the road for content creators and software developers. “The worst thing a person can do is think that their skill set is replaced by AI,” says David Vied, global sector leader for medical devices and diagnostics at Korn Ferry. Rather, AI is a tool that needs someone smart and experienced to deploy it.

In the last year, use of generative AI in the workplace has doubled: Some 75% of knowledge workers now employ the technology, according to data from Microsoft. This means that the majority of recruiters are now conversant in AI. We asked our experts for advice on how candidates can promote skills that potential employers might see as obsolete.

Highlight skills AI can never replace. 

No one wants to be on an airplane without a pilot in the cockpit. Experts advise homing in on the skills that will always be both needed and wanted at work, including good judgment and communication. You should also consider your ability to transfer skills from one context to another, the ease with which you can adapt as needed, and your facility with human-centered skills like collaboration and cultural competence. “These are qualities that AI can’t replace,” says Deepali Vyas, global head of the FinTech, Payments, and Crypto practice at Korn Ferry.

Get creative. 

Rather than attempting to go head-to-head against AI—a losing battle, at best—try using a professional portfolio site to create an engaging website or video résumé. Both can reflect communications expertise and thought leadership, as well as soft skills like emotional intelligence, says Vyas; most importantly, they telegraph the message that you can create things that AI can’t. 

Discuss your expertise with AI. 

Yes, AI is a smart tool. But like any tool, it requires a capable user. “Unabashedly talk about your use of AI to accelerate and augment your work, as well as to make it more efficient,” says Vied. You can tie in your remarks to your particular expertise: Research and marketing content is useless unless cogently deployed—and you’re the deployer.

Learn more about Korn Ferry’s career development capabilities from Korn Ferry Advance. 

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