This as-told essay is based on a conversation with Dray Jankowski, former CrowdStrike employee and current Senior Director of Product Operations and Program Management at Wunderkind. Business Insider has verified his identity. This essay has been edited for length and clarity.
I still remember the morning I found out I was going to receive licensee of CrowdStrike.
I went to bed thinking everything was fine, and when I woke up there was a mysterious meeting on my calendar for later that afternoon.
That’s when I saw the email that the company was downsizing to accommodate AI-driven changes. It wasn’t about financial problems. It was sudden, impersonal and final. At 30, it was my first dismissal.
I was shaken. I worked hard to get where I was. At CrowdStrike, I was a Program Manager working closely with the team that makes motion sensors. I have also worked at Amazon and Raytheon and consulted for companies such as Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson. I had what people would consider a “great resume.”
I didn’t know how much labor market would become and how difficult it would be to find the right person.
The job search begins
In the first three months after my layoff, I applied to 52 jobs on my own and hated every second of it.
At first, I didn’t even look. I had savings and it was summer. I traveled to Yellowstone, spent time with my mom and two dogs, and casually applied for roles that I really liked.
Instead of remaining silent about my dismissal, I also decided to speak out. I started making YouTube videos and started a podcast called “The Reboot Era,” where I spoke openly about layoffs and invited others to share their experiences.
Even with my background, the job search process was frustrating. I would turn to ChatGPT with basic questions like “Should I update my resume for this position?” ” and I started noticing how many people were stuck for months because they didn’t know how to optimize it for applicant tracking systems. When I looked for help online, most of it was blocked behind paywalls.
LinkedIn “Easy Apply” felt like a black hole. Company websites required me to create a new Workday account every time. The process was tedious, slow and exhausting. So when an AI-powered app platform contacted me after seeing my posts about layoffs, I invited them onto my podcast with a warning: I wouldn’t promote anything unless I tested it myself and believed it worked.
How AI Helped Me Land My Role
At first, the results didn’t seem promising. The very first call I received was from a car wash near my house.
A week later, something changed. I started getting legitimate interview requests for corporate positions that matched my experience and salary range. A message on LinkedIn asked if I would like to interview with a company I had never heard of. That’s when I knew AI had applied for me.
In about a month, the platform sent 812 applications on my behalf. It also shows you keywords to use in your cover letters and you can set your own settings.
With AI handling repetitive work, I could focus on prepare for interviewspolish my CV, network and continue my podcast.
In total, I received five serious interview requests aligned with what I wanted. I moved forward with two. One didn’t work, but the other progressed quickly. Within two weeks, I received an offer.
That’s how I landed my current role as Senior Director of Product Operations and Program Management at Wunderkind, a marketing technology company that helps brands re-engage customers who leave their website without making a purchase.
AI didn’t get me the job. That got me the interview. From there, it was up to me to introduce myself, connect, and prove that I was the right person.
Takeaways
I think the job market is going in the wrong direction.
First, companies decide they can automate many standard workflows and lay off staff. These employees are then pushed back into the open job market and forced to apply for new positions. Now they face AI monitoring systems that evaluate them according to opaque criteria that they can neither see nor understand.
If the candidate also uses AI, they will be rejected by the screening AI if they seem too robotic. Then, even when you get the interview, many offers require you to meet with a digital recruiter who is not a real person and will ask you automated questions.
None of this seems fair, and it often feels like AI is working against job seekers in this field. brutal market. It took me over 800 applications to get a good offer, so it’s reasonable if you need help. When used correctly, AI can be the tool that gives you back your time and momentum.