-
The world of work is changing at a rapid pace, and the skills and tactics that landed you a job a decade ago might not be enough today. This is especially true for job seekers entering the workforce for the first time. Fear not, though! In my new podcast episode LinkedIn Top Voice Deepali Vyas dives into the exciting new trends shaping the job market and offers tips to help you stand out from the crowd.
Soft Skills Are Queen
Gone are the days when technical skills were the sole focus. Soft skills like communication, teamwork, and adaptability are increasingly valued by employers. Hone your ability to collaborate effectively, manage conflict constructively, and think outside the box. These interpersonal strengths will be essential for navigating the dynamic nature of future workplaces.
Lights, Camera, Action: Embrace the Video Interview
Video interviews are no longer a novelty. In fact, they’re becoming the norm. Don’t dread them! See them as an opportunity to showcase your personality and energy in a way a text resume can’t. Practice your on-camera presence,research the company thoroughly, and be prepared to engage in a dynamic conversation.
AI: Your Job Search Ally (But Use It Wisely)
Artificial intelligence (AI) is making waves in the job market. From resume-building tools to interview prep platforms, AI can streamline and enhance your job search. However, remember: AI is a tool, not a replacement for your own initiative.Use it to personalize your applications and highlight your unique skills, not to create generic profiles that blend in with the masses.
Stay Curious, Stay Connected
The job market is a living organism, constantly evolving. Stay ahead of the curve by actively seeking out information.Read industry blogs, attend webinars, and connect with professionals in your field. Networking has always been valuable,and in a rapidly changing world, it’s crucial for staying informed about new opportunities and trends.
The Power of Personalization
In a world saturated with applications, standing out demands more than just a list of skills. AI and data analytics can empower you to personalize your application materials. Tailor your resume and cover letter to each specific role,highlighting relevant experiences and showcasing how you can uniquely add value.
Show, Don’t Tell: The Rise of Video Profiles
Static resumes might become a thing of the past. Video profiles are gaining traction as a way for candidates to present themselves in a more authentic and engaging way. Think of it as a chance to tell your professional story in a visually compelling format.
AI Coaching: A Boost for Your Job Hunt
AI can be your coach too! Look for AI-powered platforms that can analyze your interview performance and offer personalized feedback. These tools can help you identify areas for improvement and build confidence before your next big interview.
Strengths for Success: Thrive in the AI Age
The future of work will be heavily influenced by AI. Don’t get intimidated! Identify your strengths and focus on developing skills that complement AI, not compete with it. Creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence will be invaluable assets in a world where machines handle the mundane tasks.
Welcome to the Age of Hyper-Personalization
Get ready for a future where job applications and the overall candidate experience are hyper-personalized. Employers will be looking for individuals who can demonstrate a deep understanding of their specific needs. Be prepared to tailor your approach and showcase how you can uniquely contribute to their organization.
By embracing AI tools, you can navigate the job market with confidence and land the perfect position for your skills and aspirations. So, build your brand, polish your video resume, and get ready to shine!
Watch and listen here. Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review!! ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Transcript:
Mary (00:00.776)
Deepali Vyas, welcome to Recruiting Insider.
Deepali Vyas (00:04.11)
Thank you, glad to be here.
Mary (00:06.28)
Deepali’s journey spans over 25 years from founding Fearless Plus to leading groundbreaking work in data science and AI at Korn Ferry. With a passion for nurturing young talent and harnessing the power of AI and data science, she’s not only a CEO and global head, but also a certified executive coach and published thought leader. Today, we are going to dig into our insights on innovation.
empowerment, and the future of technology. Deepali, can you share your journey of founding Fearless Plus and how it intersects with your work at Korn Ferry and AI and data science leadership?
Deepali Vyas (00:45.966)
Yes, well, first of all, thank you for having me. A lot of my work in recruiting has always been thinking about the future of work. And as I’ve been working with some of the best leaders in the industry, I always have kind of kept in mind, what is the future of work for that next generation? And what we’re dealing with now is sort of the…
the higher pace of change when it comes to technology and every single buzzword under the sun around artificial intelligence and machine learning and generative AI, and you know all of these things. And so when we think about that from a recruiting perspective, from how this next generation is going to enter the workforce, what skills do they need in addition to understanding the technology landscape? That’s where I started thinking about,
Mary (01:17.254)
Mm -hmm.
Deepali Vyas (01:41.486)
How do I make this next generation fearless about those things? Hence the name Fearless Plus. So we started this content and I would say digital portfolio platform where the invention or reinvention of a profile is via video.
some AI enhancements so students can really stand out and really focus on the soft skills that are going to be needed in the workplace in addition to understanding the technical skills. So I felt that it was a great opportunity for me to take a look at that young generation and say, hey, here’s where the future of work is going. What do employers look for? 92 % of employers are looking for soft skills rather than hard skills. And,
What are you doing about it now in order to make you more successful in the workplace?
Mary (02:36.386)
I love that. I think that that’s an interesting concept to really bring video into the interview process. What about those job seekers or many of our listeners today who might fear being on camera and they kind of freeze up as soon as the video starts? What would you recommend for those people?
Deepali Vyas (02:43.598)
Mm -hmm.
Deepali Vyas (02:55.342)
Yeah.
Yeah, so I think that look, and to be very clear, we actually have this platform called Profolios. And so it’s almost as if we’ve, again, reinvented the way that people approach video. So think about having a fireside chat with me. I’m asking you the question, you’re answering it. However, it’s being recorded and it’s being packaged up in almost like your three minute video elevator pitch. You are now standing out.
against those sea of resumes that might be using AI and automation to get in the door. But what’s going to be attractive for that employer is to kind of see you differently. And that’s why I’m harping on this so much because I think here’s what’s happening. Gen Z is what we call the TikTok generation. They’re actually quite used to video.
And I don’t think that they have as much paralysis on video because that’s a modality that they’re used to communicating in. Also, we’ve found some empirical research with other technology companies that the older generation, I’m just going to say older, where they like storytelling. They have a lot of…
They have a lot of stories to tell, they have a lot of experience and it’s hard to do that in written form and the attention spans are, you know, quite limited. And so when you think about that generation wanting to storytell their experiences, there’s an art in that and video actually supports that. So that’s kind of where we were going with it and kind of bringing all of that together where imagine you getting in front of an employer and having your three -minute video elevator pitch and you being comfortable enough to do that.
Deepali Vyas (04:46.478)
I think that’s sort of the future of work and the future of interviewing.
Mary (04:51.036)
Yeah, I mean, TikTok is a craze, you know, for the younger generation. And there are a lot of famous TikTokers who really make an entire production out of TikTok. So it seems like a simple 30 second video, but it’s actually, you know, they may have spent $100 ,000 or I’ve heard even in some extreme cases, a million dollars on a TikTok or YouTube. Yeah.
Deepali Vyas (05:02.35)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
Deepali Vyas (05:16.206)
No, you’re absolutely right. You’re absolutely right. But what we’re trying to do with our technology, and again, we’re using technology, we are alleviating the intimidation factor by having people choose questions that they want to answer, by being able to put some soft music behind their answers and make it feel like it’s highly produced, something that they can share that they’re proud of. And so we’re trying to…
take out the intimidation factor and also be able to present them in their most authentic self.
Mary (05:53.946)
I love that. And I think that that’s an important skill for people to gain as well, just being comfortable getting in front of a camera and talking and explaining their background and their achievements in that way.
Deepali Vyas (05:57.838)
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
Deepali Vyas (06:04.846)
Look, gone are the days. I remember in my role as search consultant, our update calls used to be over the phone. And then once the pandemic hit, everything, all of a sudden, even phone calls went to Zoom. Normal phone calls went to Zoom. So if you aren’t comfortable on video, I feel that there’s an inevitability of video in your life, right? Your friends are FaceTiming you.
you’re on Zoom, you know, with your clients or colleagues, at some point in time, you are facing the music, right? You’re facing the person. And I also think, let’s take that a step further. You’re a job seeker. You are applying to a bunch of jobs. At some point, someone’s gonna say, I wanna meet you. Okay, so whether it’s video, Zoom interview, or an in -person,
Mary (06:41.464)
Yeah.
Deepali Vyas (07:02.03)
there is going to be some face -to -face interaction. So what we’re trying to do is again, that intimidation factor, let’s pull on that thread, let’s get everybody comfortable in a way that they feel proud of what they’re doing.
Mary (07:15.478)
You nailed it. You know, and I think whether you’re in front of a video camera or you go in person to have an interview, there are going to be nerves that you need to get over or learn how to deal with.
Deepali Vyas (07:25.102)
Yeah, yeah. And by the way, those vulnerabilities that show up in your video may end up working to your advantage.
Mary (07:35.255)
It humanizes you, right? Yeah, yeah. How do you see AI transforming the job search process as a whole, and what advice do you have for our listeners navigating all of this change?
Deepali Vyas (07:37.486)
Yeah, totally.
Deepali Vyas (07:48.174)
Yeah, you know, so I’m glad you asked that question because I think about AI a lot given my practice. Specific to job search, I think that there’s a double -edged sword in AI when it comes to navigating this terrain. I think AI tools have become ubiquitous, right? You’re leveraging these technologies to enhance resumes, your LinkedIn profiles, people are using chat GPT.
And just today there was an article on CNBC that employers are noticing that every single cover letter looks identical. Okay? So you are now running the risk. If you’re chat GPT -ing it up, you are running the risk that you’re looking like everybody else. So how do you stand out? Right? And so the other complication that happens is those individuals that are on the market that are applying to that job under normal
Mary (08:23.494)
Yeah.
Deepali Vyas (08:45.07)
market conditions, there were on average 250 resumes per job posting. With AI, however, and automation, right, people are automating their resume sendouts, you’re now at 500 resumes per job application. Now, what’s happened on the other side of recruitment is that that poor recruiter, right, there’s been downsized teams in talent acquisition just because of the way that the market conditions are. And now they went from
viewing 250 resumes to 500. So they’re bogged down. And now on the other side, those job seekers are complaining, I’m being ghosted by recruiters. I’m not hearing back. You know, there’s complete silence. So there’s a little bit of, you know, pain that AI has caused on both sides of the equation. And don’t get me wrong, I am a huge advocate of AI. I am. I think there are things that, you know, are from a productivity perspective that are much better.
But I do want people to understand that there is this sort of double edged sword. And if you’re thinking about sort of that resume arbitrage versus unwanted automation, that’s where I think we really have to kind of double click on that market.
Mary (10:02.641)
It seems like every company feels like they need to remain on the forefront of AI right now or incorporate something AI related into their product, into their company. You know, and from a resume perspective and a cover letter perspective, and even when I see people interact on LinkedIn, you really can tell when they’re using AI to generate those documents or generate those responses.
Deepali Vyas (10:09.87)
Mm -hmm.
Mary (10:32.432)
I mean, I’ve seen responses on LinkedIn to a post and there are four or five responses in a row and they’re all a variation of the exact same, you know, very general thing. You know, people trying to boost their brand awareness, of course on LinkedIn, which makes sense. But, you know, what are some ways that we could leverage AI to our advantage in our job search?
Deepali Vyas (10:42.126)
Yeah.
Deepali Vyas (10:55.566)
Yeah, so I think what candidates need to really focus on is the soft skills that they bring to the table, right? Yes, use AI as a tool, right? That can certainly get you in the door, but the self -awareness around the soft skills that you’re bringing to the table is what’s really going to set you apart, right? So, because at the end of the day,
there’s human judgment going into that hiring decision, right? It’s not gonna be an AI tool that’s gonna say, that’s the resume, that’s the person I want, you’re hired. There’s gonna be human judgment and insight. So my biggest thing to people when you’re doing that, yes, use those enhanced AI tools, develop some sort of utility around it. But I think that the best way to utilize it is AI should be…
you know, giving them sort of interview prep and sort of help around reframing those answers. But then they also need to think about how am I going to build that into my narrative to be more authentic? I’m articulating ideas in a really simplistic way or articulating complex ideas in a very simplistic way. So those are the things that I think people are going to have to really focus in on in order for them to make a very successful path towards a strong interview process.
Mary (12:22.508)
Yeah, great. And I’m also curious, I mean, really considering really, if you look at the rapid evolution of AI technology, how would you recommend that our listeners stay informed and really adapt as everything changes and evolves?
Deepali Vyas (12:38.798)
Yeah, I mean, I think that, look,
How I stay informed is to have a really broad, you know, appetite for consuming information, right? There’s social media, there’s obviously Twitter and Instagram and TikTok and all of that. And I think that’s gonna give you sort of a broad strokes of what’s happening in the market. If you go on TikTok right now,
All anybody’s ever talking about is the job market in 2024 and how bad it is, right? So you’re now kind of understanding, my God, this is sort of the reality of the situation. When you subscribe to newsletters that are specifically dedicated to that space, you’re now getting a different view of how technology companies are approaching some of these tools, how employers are viewing it, setting alerts on what’s happening in the space.
I love those daily newsletters in my inbox or alerts that come in about what’s happening on the job market, what’s happening in AI, how is AI affecting career moves, so on and so forth. So I think just being smart about your consumption around information, then the next thing is you’re networking, see what other people are doing, right? Like when you’re in those networking events, what are other people hearing? Just kind of keeping an ear to the ground. And then lastly, I would say that…
all the events and conferences around this topic that you’re interested in, stay plugged into that because there’s always going to be those talks, those panel discussions that are worthy of your attention to understand like this is where the puck is going. And you know, you learn a lot just by listening.
Mary (14:19.494)
Absolutely. And going back to productivity, you mentioned that there are a lot of tools that can really enhance our productivity. Could you give our listeners some specific examples of AI tools that could really boost their productivity in the job search?
All right, so I’ll just name a couple of AI tools that I think are pretty interesting for job seekers. But again, be aware of how you’re kind of going about that in your application process. But there’s something called autoapply .jobs. And so that’s, again, having your CV match to those keywords, you’re applying to jobs a lot faster. And so that’s the productivity part, right? I always tell job seekers,
Finding a job is a full -time job. It’s a lot of work. And so imagine, you know, having all of these spreadsheets and like, where have I applied and I don’t want to double apply and all of this stuff. So there’s some AI tools like AutoApplyJobs. Then there are things like JobsMate. It connects candidates to employers in specific sectors. So if you’re in the IT sector, JobsMate is a really good one. Jobscan is another one that optimizes your resume for any job.
So jobscan .co. Yodely is actually another one. And I know that, you know, we’ve actually had some partnerships with Yodely where it’s an online job interview real -time speech coaching tool. So now, you know, it sort of gives you a running list or feedback tab of like, you said, you know, you said this too many times, you use too many ums or…
Mary (17:25.662)
Mm -hmm. Mm -hmm.
Deepali Vyas (17:40.27)
It didn’t, your point didn’t come across, you know, as clearly. I talked about career flow, code warps, flex jobs. There’s, okay, so there’s one big thing that I haven’t talked about yet is remote jobs, flex jobs, side hustles, bridge jobs, particularly in this market. So there are a lot of, there are a lot of tools out there that can help you identify some of these sort of
remote or side jobs that can bridge if you’re on the job market or if you’re laid off, for example, there are things that you can do. So there are flexjobs .com, obviously Upwork and Fiverr and all of those platforms. But I think people really need to remember when you’re on the market, you have to appear that you’re doing all the things that you can to…
Mary (18:15.257)
Yep. Mm -hmm.
Deepali Vyas (18:38.35)
make your job search successful, but you’re not sitting idle. You want to make sure that you are learning something, you’re trying something, you’re taking on a project that’s keeping you busy and keeping you intellectually curious. I think those are some of the big things that I always say. So aside from the AI tools that can help you, there are things that you can be doing from a learning perspective as well.
Mary (19:01.05)
Absolutely. And that kind of plays into, you know, I’ve heard a lot about how can AI really empower job seekers in their future careers, you know, specifically the next generation of careers. Can you share any success stories or examples from your own work, how AI and data analytics have already either empowered or even hindered the job search?
Deepali Vyas (19:10.318)
Mm -hmm.
Deepali Vyas (19:26.862)
I would say we talked about sort of the hindering, right? Like using too many tools for you to be one of many. But I would say that AI tools, like the platform that I’m building, right, with the video has also been, you know, sort of such a success story. I’ll actually give you a perfect example. There was a person that, again, not my particular tool, but…
there’s a person that reached out to me on LinkedIn that the first time they reached out, they just said, hey, can we meet for coffee? And one, I have no idea who you are. Why do you wanna meet me? What is the purpose of this meeting? Like it was just not enough information. The second time they reached out, they actually put a video in my LinkedIn message, okay? And they said,
Hey, Deepali, I wanna meet you for this reason. This is what I’m all about. This is why I wanna reach out to you and network with you and connect with you, so on and so forth. That person got on my radar. They ended up, you know, we ended up doing a full blown interview and they are currently in the process of interviewing for a number of roles through, you know, my current work. So again, showing up differently, using technology to help you show up differently. And I know I’m harping on this and I’m…
kind of speaking my book. But again, I think about the future of work. I think about the challenges that are happening in the market today and how you need to show up differently. And it’s, I’m harping on the soft skills that are going to allow you to show up differently.
Mary (21:08.276)
That’s a great example. And I’ve had people show up in my LinkedIn messages through video as well. And it kind of took me back because it’s only happened a handful of times and it really stands out and it’s memorable and it makes you want to interact with that person. It’s way more personal.
Deepali Vyas (21:23.054)
Absolutely. I’ll do you one better. There’s another example that I want to give you. And again, this is not related to the job search, but this person is in sales. So this person reached out to me and said, hey, I really want to talk to this aspect, and I really think I can help you in this way. And it’s an obvious sales pitch. So at first, I was like, I don’t know if I should take this call.
second time they approached me with the video. And so when I heard the story, more context, right? I was like, okay, I’m going to take the call. I’m intrigued. I’m intrigued enough to take the call. And the genuineness of how they came across really intrigued me. Okay. So we had, we, I took the call and we had a fantastic conversation. I knew what this person was selling and it intrigued me. And I said, you know what? I would like to do this based on that conversation.
Now, third time, he came into my text messages via video, okay? And he just wanted to share a story of the things that we talked about. So now, look at how that made me feel. He remembered our conversation. He remembered the story. He kind of plugged in his pitch once again. I am going to buy that product. Whatever he’s selling, I’m buying. And it made such a huge difference. And I…
It was weird because I don’t have a lot of video messages in my text, right? Like you’re kind of used to seeing it on social media, but this guy is in my text. And I was almost afraid to be like, my God, my husband’s gonna see this, you know, like dude in my text. It was just kind of funny. But like, he totally related everything to me. And I was like, I like what I’m hearing. And he showed up differently.
Mary (22:56.877)
Yeah. Mm -hmm.
Mary (23:03.664)
Yeah.
Mary (23:18.287)
And it was a human saying this, right? It wasn’t an AI bot. Yeah. Wow. Wow.
Deepali Vyas (23:20.974)
No, it wasn’t an AI, we had a conversation, we were on Zoom for an hour. We were on Zoom for an hour after the second meeting. And, you know, it was this training thing that we’re talking about and it made total sense. He knew his audience, he knew why he was approaching me, he knew what he could do for me. And now to close the deal, he kind of shared this beautiful story and it made me, like, he closed me 100%.
Mary (23:35.662)
Yeah.
Mary (23:45.23)
Yeah. I think the only video texts that I’ve ever sent are my son saying something and I’ll send that to, you know, his, his grandma. And it really, it rings that, you know, the heartstrings, it pulls the heartstrings regardless of who it is. So I think that that’s, that’s a fantastic story.
Deepali Vyas (23:55.534)
Absolutely.
It does.
It does. And so, and that’s my point, like, you don’t have to be on the job hunt, right? Like for you sales professionals out there, thinking about, you know, tools that can make you more productive and just technology that can make you more productive. This is yet another thing that, that, you know, AI to script out your, your stuff, but make it more authentic.
Mary (24:07.597)
Mm -hmm.
Mary (24:22.604)
Absolutely. Authenticity goes a long, long way. So you mentioned your video interviews. I want to touch a little bit more on that. As AI continues to really reshape industries, how do you foresee resumes evolving to really adapt to this shift?
Deepali Vyas (24:40.27)
Yeah, yeah. So let’s talk about traditional way of things that have been done and where the disruption is about to happen. So I don’t know if you’ve heard this stat, but typically recruiters look at a resume for on average six seconds. It’s a scan. And so where I think about efficiency,
The last thing recruiters want to do is to see an enormous amount of resumes, multiply that by six seconds versus a lower amount of resumes with the two to three minute video profile. It’s the same amount of time, more discerning, and I’ll give you the other stat. A video speaks…
to 1 .8 million words, right? A video is worth 1 .8 million words versus that resume that you’re scanning for six seconds that might have, you know, a thousand words on it. A thousand, a million, right? So I think that’s where the shift is going. And I think people really need to be conscious of that, on, you know, how that’s going to be disruptive. Now.
We haven’t talked about how companies are going to deal with data privacy and all of those things. So there’s going to be a lot of hurdles. This is not something that’s going to be an overnight thing. But I do think that, like I said, the technology company that I was referring to earlier said that Gen Z actually prefers video and the boomers prefer video in terms of storytelling. So.
There is this shift that’s happening. And again, I think it’s gonna take a little bit of time, but I think the more innovative companies are gonna say, I need you to show up differently. And perfect example, actually, I was at a conference of, an engineering conference, God, I’m nerdy. Okay, so I was at this engineering conference and companies like Tesla, SpaceX, and really, really big tech companies were there.
Mary (26:45.959)
Mm.
Deepali Vyas (26:56.686)
And during the resume workshop sessions with those students, right? So there were engineering students. Those talent acquisition recruiting teams that were running the workshop for the representing those companies said, what else are you going to put on your resume? Aside from what I’m seeing, do you have a GitHub? Do you have a personal website? Do you have some work that you can point to? So that tells me that.
The resume alone is not going to do its job, especially when recruiting for those types of companies. They are looking for more. And guess what? Hiring managers today, before they hire anybody, they are Googling you. So they are taking the time. If you’ve gotten through, obviously, the first sort of first, second, third layers of the job search process, trust me, they are going to Google you before anything else. So why not curate your…
personal brand, your digital identity into a place and a format that everything is available to them so they don’t have to second guess and they don’t have to search the whole web for you. You’ve presented it right there. So that’s what our Profolio’s product does. It’s helping you build your personal brand. It’s embedding video. You’re curating your digital presence, whether you have a medium blog, you have a GitHub, you have your LinkedIn, you have Squarespace.
whatever it is, all the great work that you’ve done. Maybe you’ve published articles, so on and so forth. All of that kind of filters into this really beautiful place where you can send those hiring managers. And I think that’s what the future is going to be.
Mary (28:38.117)
Yeah, I mean, I think for entry level candidates, I could see that being an amazing tool for somebody that doesn’t have a lot of experience. The employer wants to see who is this person? What type of soft skills do they bring to the table? Now, what about those people that have 25, 30, 35 years of experience and they’ve done all of these great things, worked for all of these great companies?
Deepali Vyas (28:47.95)
That’s right.
Deepali Vyas (28:53.582)
Right.
Mary (29:05.701)
How do they really create that unique narrative in a two minute video?
Deepali Vyas (29:10.414)
Yeah, so that’s the other thing that our platform kind of focuses on is that I am the use case, right? I have a 25 year career. It hasn’t been linear. I do a lot of things. I’ve been an entrepreneur. I’ve been an author. I’ve been, you know, exec search consultant. I’ve sold a business, so on and so forth. What that video allows me to do is select the questions that I want to focus on that.
give me the art of storytelling. I want to be able to tell you a story and it may not cover everything, but that rest of the profile does, right? You’ll see all of my work and my accolades, you know, kind of build my credibility. But that story that appears will allow you to see my passion, my mission, the challenges that I’ve worked on, the things that I like to do. And it doesn’t necessarily mean that I have to say,
I’ve been 25 years in executive consulting. I’m a leadership coach. That’s not the story. The reason why you’re going to someone like myself is I’m on a mission to help people. And that’s the story that I’m telling via video. And I think most people have this misconception on video that they have to cram everything in. That’s not what we’re, that’s not the point. The point is to tell one, you know, beautiful story.
about yourself that engages that audience, that hiring manager is like, I want to learn more about that person. That person is so interesting. Or you tell a story about your intellectual curiosity. Think about it in a way of, think back to when you were writing your college essay for admissions, right? You focus in on one particular topic and you tell that story and you pull on that thread that makes you interesting, that makes you you.
And that’s what we’re doing there.
Mary (31:07.488)
That’s amazing. You know, I feel like it could be a huge supplement to resumes in the immediate, you know, because the resume, the recruiter could take six seconds to scan and get a good idea for what their background is, where they’ve been, what they’ve done, what their progression was. And then the video can really help them understand who that person is as an actual human. Yeah.
Deepali Vyas (31:33.774)
Right? Yep. It’s a supporting actor, right? It’s like your resume was the main act, but here’s your supporting actor that’s helping you kind of get through the door.
Mary (31:38.559)
Yeah, it’s a supporting actor. Yeah.
Exactly.
Absolutely, I think it would be a beautiful marriage of the two, absolutely. As a certified executive coach, how do you integrate AI into your coaching approach?
Deepali Vyas (31:50.222)
Yes.
Deepali Vyas (32:01.39)
A lot of the work that I do with AI is tools -based. So when I am coaching someone and I’m taking, first of all, taking notes is an AI productivity tool, right? If I’m using Otter or any of these tools, what happens during that conversation, obviously with permission, having the permission to have it recorded, so both of us are really efficient in our interactions.
Mary (32:15.101)
Yeah. Mm -hmm. Yeah.
Deepali Vyas (32:29.902)
there’s a summary that happens. And then based on that summary, I’m still using other AI tools to think about what other questions can I ask to unlock their development even further. So I would say that it’s almost as if it’s my virtual assistant when I am coaching. And I think it’s a really great way for me to, you know, maybe there are things that I…
Mary (32:47.838)
Mmm.
Deepali Vyas (32:56.974)
didn’t unpack or I missed in that summary that we can kind of come back to. So, I mean, like I said, I love all things AI. Like it’s been the best thing ever. You know, I don’t, when I draft an email, for example, I’m going back and kind of checking like, is there a way that I can say this differently, a better, like, you know, in a better tone that I might not have done before? It doesn’t replace my voice. It just enhances it.
Mary (33:11.228)
Mm -hmm.
Mary (33:27.099)
Yeah, I mean, even with this podcast, it auto generates the captions so I can, you know, it makes it so much easier for me to edit and to capture the description of the podcast or, you know, there are a lot of ways and, you know, both coaching and in your day to day life or AI can really save you hours and hours of time. So from your perspective, what are some key skills that people should
Deepali Vyas (33:33.262)
That’s right.
Deepali Vyas (33:49.102)
Yeah, that’s right.
Mary (33:55.931)
really develop right now so that they can thrive in this AI -driven market.
Deepali Vyas (34:01.23)
Yeah, the number one skill is harness the art of storytelling. If you aren’t able to communicate and articulate your ideas and the essence of what you want to get across, you will be dead in the water. Right? I think, and that’s one thing. The second thing, and I think it’s a deep misconception in sort of the…
the workplace is that you have to be totally passionate or you need to follow your passions. And I think that that is a deep misconception for most young people or even, you know, older folks, right? I think most people need to assess what their strengths are. I’ll give you an example. I am not a very detail oriented person. I’m, every assessment that I’ve ever taken, I’m
big picture, big vision, empowerment, rah -rah, cheerleader, you know, all of it. I’m actually not that big of an extrovert despite how I’m speaking right now. But I am playing to my strengths. And my strengths turned into passion because when I know I’m good at something, it makes me wake up in the morning and want to do it more. And I don’t want young people to think that, you know,
I need to find a hobby and be really passionate about it and go for it when it’s not playing to my strengths. So I think people need to understand, hey, I have the gift of gab and I really can sell ice to an Eskimo. Play into your strengths and get a sales job, right? Like go for it. And then you might actually, maybe you don’t like what you’re selling, but you know you’re good at selling. So find something that you want to sell.
Right? And so I think that’s the second thing that I would say to people is that be aware of your strengths, play to your strengths and follow that and don’t misconstrue that with I need to find passion. I don’t think that’s true. And I think the third thing is to be really realistic about what the job is, right? I think people often think they sort of…
Deepali Vyas (36:28.366)
have this sort of, I’m gonna say, glamorization of what work is. The work is hard and you have to show up every day and you have to do these things that might seem mundane and not as exciting. But those little increments of things that you’re doing, when you zoom out, you’ve now gone on this sort of bell curve of experience, right?
And I think what people don’t understand is that it’s every day that’s building your experience. And it’s not something that you’re gonna walk in and you’re gonna make this big client presentation. It’s all the things that led up to that presentation, for example, that’s making you who you are and great at your job.
Mary (37:21.232)
Yeah, you know, I think in going back to what when you said, you know, play to your skills. And I think that that’s so incredibly smart. But I think that there are also ways that you can develop skills if there’s a passion or something that you’re really interested in pursuing, but you don’t feel like you quite have the skills necessary to do that thing. You can really practice and become.
Deepali Vyas (37:36.43)
Mm -hmm.
Mary (37:51.375)
better and better at something.
Deepali Vyas (37:52.942)
I really agree. Let’s take the industry of podcasting, right? Like, look at what you’re doing, right? You, even myself, I have a podcast, and I turned my interviewing skills into an opportunity to become a podcaster. I would have never thought that I was going to do that. Not 10 years ago, right? Or even five years ago.
Mary (37:55.567)
Yeah. Yeah.
Mary (38:01.071)
Mm -hmm.
Deepali Vyas (38:20.11)
And so there are these new crop of industries, content creators, bloggers, so on and so forth, that yes, there is a little bit of element of passion. You are interested in this field, you can go and start something and create content around it and be successful at it. So yes, I totally agree with you. But again, it’s still playing to your strengths and your interests.
Mary (38:41.326)
Absolutely, 100%. What excites you the most about the future of technology? And where do you see the greatest opportunities for both innovation and disruption?
Deepali Vyas (38:53.838)
That is a loaded question. I think…
Deepali Vyas (39:03.502)
Look, I think AI will be a buzzword that’s not going to go away and particularly generative AI and we are just scratching the surface. I think that there is some disruption to be a little apprehensive about because, you know, again, it could go bad real fast, but at the same time, like,
I’m so excited that some tool can, some AI tool can make reservations for me, make my doctor’s appointment, go through all of my calendaring with between my son’s lacrosse practice and this speech that I have to give in some other town and when can we all kind of get together? I think those are the things that really excite me that.
You know, I can have almost like, everyone can have sort of a personal virtual assistant. I always think about that movie, Her, right? And with like, and so I feel like that’s the future. You know, AI is gonna make phone calls to my favorite restaurant and say, DePolly wants a reservation at 7 p with her, you know, family and can we make this happen? And it’s her birthday and blah, blah, blah. Like that excites me a lot. And I feel like hyper personalization.
Mary (40:07.724)
Yeah, yeah.
Deepali Vyas (40:28.878)
will be the next frontier for everybody. Imagine walking into a retail store and your phone is scanning everything that’s on sale there and it says like, here’s your size, here’s your, you know, the dress that you might be interested in and it’s on sale. Boom, done. Like, my God, like how exciting is that? So I think that’s, you know, sort of the future of technology when I think about it in sort of my personal.
you know, life and how much it can alleviate some things for me. Then you talk about automated driving, you talk about all of these things, you know, drone deliveries, that’s all happening and it’s being worked on right now. I think the other side is like, you know, a little bit of regulation, you know, a lot of our personal data, how much is too invasive, how much is too personalized, so on and so forth. So, you know, there’s things that we have to be conscious of, but that’s what I’m excited about.
Mary (41:28.361)
So high level, what do you want our listeners to take away from our conversation today?
Deepali Vyas (41:33.454)
Well, I think everyone should be able to articulate their story. I think everyone should build their personal brand, whether they are independently employed or employed by a big corporation, because you as the talent working inside or outside of an organization is a brand. You are a brand. You are your own personal brand. And there’s a lot of…
competition in the market and with technology, things start to blur when it comes to content. So the authenticity of how you show up, like I said, my big message is start building your personal portfolios, start building those video resumes. So you are now ahead of the curve when these trends start converging.
Mary (42:28.069)
What are you working on at the moment and where can we find you on social media?
Deepali Vyas (42:31.534)
Awesome. Well, I’m on LinkedIn, DePoly Vias. If you go to portfolios .ai, so not portfolios, but profolios .ai, you’ll see that our product is up there. It’s in beta. You can try it out for 30 days. And please give us feedback. We’re really excited to have you try this tech and get out there and use it and use it to your advantage.
Mary (42:33.989)
Mm -hmm.
Mary (42:55.364)
Deepali, thanks for coming on today.
Deepali Vyas (42:57.23)
I appreciate it. Thanks, Mary.