Hebba Youssef recognizes that the world of work is changing rapidly.
Youssef is the chief people officer at Workweek, a professional networking startup. She’s also the creator of “I Hate It Here,” a biweekly newsletter about HR and recruiting, which is hosted by Workweek.
In the past few years alone, American workers have weathered major shifts like the growth of remote and hybrid work and the rise of AI technology, she says.
For that reason, the top qualities she looks for in job candidates today are curiosity and adaptability.
“In a world that’s rapidly changing, if you’re curious about the problem the company is trying to solve, its positioning in the world, and how this role is going to contribute to the company’s success, I think those are giant green flags,” she says.
With AI gaining traction in the workplace, employers will want to see that prospective hires are able to quickly adjust to new technology, she says.
Youssef points to a quote from Nvidia CEO and co-founder Jensen Huang: “You’re not going to lose your job to an AI, but you’re going to lose your job to someone who uses AI.”
That’s why she believes it’s crucial to highlight your AI skills during the job process.
A candidate who is thinking about how to apply AI to the role “would really stand out” in an interview — it gives them a “killer edge,” Youssef says.
She’s always impressed by interviewees who present strategies to make the job “better and easier and more efficient.”
Before the interview, Youssef recommends doing your research to determine which AI tools align with the position’s main duties. For instance, a candidate interviewing for a marketing role could look into AI tools that make it easier to analyze the outcomes of ad campaigns.
The role may not require that employees use AI just yet, but it’s beneficial for candidates to demonstrate that they have “a basic comprehension of what AI is and what its capabilities are,” she says.
Eventually, “we’ll see more and more job descriptions have AI literacy as a job requirement,” Youssef says, “so it’ll be important for you to upskill yourself.”
At the same time, Youssef acknowledges that AI technology is constantly evolving, which makes it difficult to stay abreast of the latest advancements.
Today’s top AI skills could become obsolete in just a few months, she says, which is a “genuinely scary” prospect.
Still, she maintains that having a basic understanding of AI demonstrates to employers that you’re capable of keeping pace with new developments.
AI is going to disrupt “every single industry,” Youssef says. “There is nothing it’s not going to touch.”
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