Getting hired has always been challenging, but today’s executive job seekers face new hurdles. With thousands of applicants competing for a single position, standing out requires more than just a polished resume. Gerald Gordon, CTO and co-founder of Reference Me, has spent years helping professionals navigate this changing landscape. Together with his wife, the company’s founder, Gerald has built a platform that helps knowledge workers leverage their certified professional references to land jobs faster.
The Three Myths Holding Back Your Career
Gerald doesn’t mince words when discussing what’s holding many professionals back. He identifies three critical myths that can derail even the most promising careers:
- The Experience Myth: “You think because you have 30, 20 years experience in a particular area, it automatically makes you attractive to employers?” Gerald challenges. “No one cares about the years of experience anymore. What they want to know is, what did you master? What are the skills that you’ve obtained?, Will those skills help companies make money?”
- The Connections Myth: “The old adage is it’s who you know,” Gerald notes from personal experience. “I thought that the CEO, because I had a relationship with him, was going to help me save my job or get a new job. What you find out is most of those people today, they’re trying to keep their own jobs.”
- The Attention Myth: “In today’s job market, it’s not who you know – it’s who knows you,” Gerald explains. “You’re in what is called an attention economy. The ones who are extremely successful understand that they have consistently communicated who they are on many mediums.”
From Who You Know to Who Knows You
The most important shift Gerald has observed involves reputation. “You’re in what is called an attention economy,” he explains. “Instead of it being who they know, it’s who knows them.” This requires a complete mindset change. Rather than chasing companies, professionals need to position themselves so companies chase them. Gerald’s approach combines skills development, community engagement, and personal branding. “When you combine skills, giving back to the community without expecting anything in return, and your branding where people can actually know you for the things that you know how to do – when you combine all three, it makes you attractive to companies.”
Applying AI for Precision
Gerald has spent over a decade working with AI, and he’s clear about its career implications. “AI by itself will not replace people’s jobs. People who know AI will replace those who don’t know it.” At Reference Me, AI helps clients optimize every aspect of their job search strategy. “We use AI to actually understand how vector database searches will find you via LinkedIn,” Gerald explains. “We use AI anytime we’re replying via email or doing any type of communication.” Most importantly, AI helps professionals focus. “Too many people will say, ‘I can do many things.’ If you try to do many things and you’re not targeted to something very specific – which AI helps us help you target – Hiring managers and recruiters won’t be able to find you.”
As AI capabilities grow, Gerald sees a counterintuitive trend emerging. “Authenticated Attention is going to be king. People are going to want to know, am I talking to an AI or am I talking to a real person?” This shift makes human connection more valuable, not less. “People will want to do less with AI generated videos. They’re going to want to get on the plane and actually shake somebody’s hand, this is the most pure form of Authenticated Attention that builds trust,” Gerald predicts. “They’re going to want to have actual interactions with people because they can’t trust the videos, they can’t trust the digital interviewing process that is overrun by synthetic AI clones of people.”
Follow Gerald Gordon on LinkedIn to stay ahead in today’s attention-driven job market.
