74% of companies report candidates using AI in the search, and hiring teams say they can spot generic AI writing in five seconds. The fix isn't avoiding AI. It's making sure the words that go out are unmistakably yours.
The tells of AI sameness, so you can catch them:
- Opening cadence. "In today's fast-paced environment..." and "I'm excited about the opportunity to leverage..." Every reader has seen these 500 times. Cut them.
- Abstract nouns with no specifics. "Driving impactful results across cross-functional stakeholders." Says nothing. Replace with the actual result and the actual team.
- Even, frictionless rhythm. Real writing has texture, a short sentence after a long one, a specific detail that interrupts the flow.
The workflow that keeps your voice:
- Use AI to summarize the JD's three core signals and brainstorm which of your outcomes match. Thinking, not writing.
- Write the first draft yourself, fast, in plain language. Don't optimize, just say the true thing.
- Ask AI only to flag passive voice or unclear sentences. Then edit those by hand.
- Read it aloud. If it doesn't sound like how you'd describe your work to a respected colleague, rewrite that line.
The 20 minutes this takes out-performs a 2-minute generation 10x in this market. Not because AI is bad. Because sameness is now filterable.
— Dr. Hosney Adel