Amy Lovett, a 54-year-old former account executive, successfully leveraged AI tools to optimize her job search after being laid off from a software company where she worked for 20 years. Her story highlights both the challenges of ageism in the tech industry and the practical applications of AI in modern job hunting.
After her July layoff—which she attributes to a payroll decision as one of the last senior representatives—Lovett initially struggled to generate interview opportunities despite customizing her resume for specific roles. Her breakthrough came after consulting with a career advisor who recommended removing her photo and limiting her work history to the most recent 20 years, eliminating older dates that could reveal her age.
The results were dramatic: Lovett described the change as “night and day,” with interview requests jumping from zero to two or three times per week. This transformation underscores persistent ageism concerns, particularly in SaaS companies that often employ younger workforces fresh out of college.
AI played a crucial role in Lovett’s successful job search strategy. She used AI tools to streamline her application process, particularly for cover letter creation and resume optimization. Her approach involved feeding her resume and job requirements into AI systems to generate personalized content quickly. However, Lovett emphasized the importance of maintaining authenticity, noting that purely AI-generated resumes are easily identifiable and lack natural human communication patterns.
“I would tweak my résumé. I would run it through AI,” Lovett explained, while cautioning that “the verbiage, a lot of times, doesn’t sound like a person.” Her strategy involved using AI as a productivity tool rather than a complete replacement for human judgment, asking herself: “Does it sound like how you would communicate?”
Lovett maintained a disciplined approach throughout her search, working on applications every weekday and tracking opportunities in a detailed spreadsheet. After focusing intensively on her job search starting in September, she successfully secured a position, with the company even waiving her final interview to extend an immediate offer.
Her experience demonstrates how AI tools are becoming essential in modern job searches, particularly for experienced professionals navigating age discrimination while trying to compete in a technology-driven hiring landscape.
Key Quotes
It absolutely felt like night and day. I was having calls with companies two to three times a week.
Lovett described the dramatic increase in interview requests after removing her photo and limiting dates on her resume, highlighting how age-related information may have been hindering her applications despite her qualifications.
I did lean into AI because it helped me speed up the process, because there’s so much involved, and I was really just trying to find something as quickly as possible.
Lovett explained her strategic use of AI tools to accelerate her job search, demonstrating how AI can provide practical efficiency gains for individual job seekers navigating complex application processes.
I don’t like the AI-generated résumés. You can tell they’re AI. The verbiage, a lot of times, doesn’t sound like a person.
Despite embracing AI tools, Lovett cautioned against over-reliance on AI-generated content, emphasizing the importance of maintaining authentic human communication that reflects personal voice and style.
Going forward, especially in the field that I’m in, you’ve got to embrace technology.
Lovett’s reflection on her experience underscores the broader imperative for professionals to adopt AI and other technologies as essential career skills, not optional enhancements.
Our Take
Lovett’s experience represents a fascinating case study in the dual role AI plays in modern employment: as both a screening mechanism that can disadvantage candidates and as an empowerment tool that levels the playing field. Her strategic, measured approach—using AI for efficiency while maintaining human authenticity—offers a blueprint for job seekers navigating an increasingly automated hiring landscape.
What’s particularly noteworthy is how AI accessibility has shifted power dynamics. Individual candidates can now deploy sophisticated optimization tools that were once exclusive to corporations. However, this creates an arms race where AI literacy becomes mandatory for competitive job seeking.
The ageism dimension adds another layer: while AI tools helped Lovett compete more effectively, the underlying bias she faced reveals that technology alone cannot solve systemic discrimination issues. Her success required both technological savvy and strategic presentation choices that unfortunately meant obscuring her experience level.
Why This Matters
This story illuminates two critical trends reshaping the modern workplace: the persistent challenge of age discrimination in hiring and the growing necessity of AI literacy for job seekers. As companies increasingly rely on applicant tracking systems and automated screening, candidates must adapt by using AI tools strategically to optimize their materials and improve their chances.
Lovett’s experience reveals that AI has become democratized as a career tool, accessible to individual job seekers rather than just corporations. This represents a significant shift in the power dynamic of hiring, where candidates can now use the same technology that screens them to improve their applications. However, her caution about maintaining authenticity highlights an important balance—AI should augment human judgment, not replace it.
For the broader workforce, particularly experienced professionals, this case study demonstrates that embracing AI technology is no longer optional. As Lovett noted, “going forward, especially in the field that I’m in, you’ve got to embrace technology.” This sentiment extends beyond job searching to career longevity in an increasingly AI-integrated workplace.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/exec-revised-resume-to-downplay-age-got-more-interviews-2026-1