Lunch and Learn: Mission Job Search 2026 – Remaining Human in an AI Hiring Arms Race

Thursday, November 19th, 2026 | 12 – 1:00 p.m. | Zoom

Join us to learn how employers screen applications, use AI effectively in your job search, and show the human strengths that set you apart.

As artificial intelligence transforms the hiring landscape, both employers and job seekers find themselves in an “AI Doom Loop”. With many job seekers using AI and average corporate postings receiving nearly 250 applications, hiring pipelines are flooded with near-identical, AI-generated resumes. This session provides a “peek behind the curtain” of modern talent acquisition, explaining how applicant tracking systems (ATS), AI screeners, and recruiter filters select candidates. Attendees will learn how to ethically leverage AI for research and prep without sacrificing the authentic human voice, judgment, and presence that ultimately wins job offers.

Key Discussion Topics:

• Navigating the AI hiring “doom loop”: Understanding how automated submission tools have driven job applications with very little ROI.
• Rebuilding trust with employers: Why majority of hiring managers suspect AI misrepresentation and how many are adding more friction to verify authenticity.
• A peek behind the screening curtain: How automated applicant tracking systems work and how they filter candidates before human review.
• Understanding entry-level market shifts: How companies are restructuring junior roles around AI, shifting hiring budgets, and raising expectations for soft skills and document literacy.
• Leveraging AI ethically as a job search enhancement: Using AI tools strategically for research, customizing materials, and interview rehearsal while maintaining an authentic voice.
• Shifting to “proof over pedigree”: Demonstrating real-world business impact, problem-solving reasoning, and strategic thinking rather than relying on AI-generated summaries.
• Communicating uniquely human differentiators: Identifying and showcasing the core human qualities technology cannot replicate—including discernment, context, emotional intelligence, and presence

About our Presenter:

Brad Minton has spent the last 15 years of his career helping the next generation find their own. He is a Certified Career Counselor, Professional Resume Writer and the Founder of Mint To Be Career, LLC. In addition, he works for Wayne RESA, and educational services agency as a Postsecondary Success Navigator offering career guidance and support to recent high school graduates. He is the host of the Your Career GPS Podcast and has been featured in numerous media publications, podcasts and webinars on platforms like HubSpot, Success, Jobscan, and Indeed. Fun fact: He was a Walsh College Career Advisor from 2018-2019.