AI Can't Eat Your Lunch

I've seen two adverts today online for an AI recruiter - for $29/mth - that'll do everything I can apparently. Then I saw a Peter Thiel-backed AI CMO platform that'll create adverts, branding and imagery in seconds on the same scroll... then, I started whistling American Pie. Don Mclean's lament felt relevant as the end of an era for marketing, and maybe recruitment (yikes!) fully starts to dawn.

Then, I thought about all the conversations I have with people I'm trying hard to help and all the curveballs that this last few years has thrown...

AI will, of course, save us all time and will help with certain tasks but here's my take on how to embrace it if you're job hunting and are worried about staying relevant.

1. Position Yourself as a Strategic Thinker, Not Just a Tactician

• AI can execute. You can strategise.

• Emphasise your ability to understand brand positioning, consumer psychology, and how to craft integrated campaigns that align with long-term business goals.

• Talk about times you’ve used data (maybe even AI tools) to guide creative direction—not just produce assets.

In an interview:

“While AI can generate content quickly, it still needs someone who understands the nuances of consumer behaviour, brand tone, and strategic timing to make that content effective. That’s where I bring value.”

2. Highlight Emotional Intelligence and Stakeholder Management

• AI can’t build relationships—internally or externally. You can.

• Emphasise how you’ve influenced cross-functional teams, worked with sales or product, or navigated conflicting priorities.

• Showcase empathy in customer communications—AI might get the words right, but the feeling comes from human instinct.

How to maybe highlight this:

“One campaign I led involved aligning input from sales, supply chain, and creative—AI couldn’t have brokered those conversations or managed those tensions. That human element was critical to the campaign’s success.”

3. Show That You’re AI-Literate, But Human-Led

• Don’t avoid AI — embrace it, but position yourself as the conductor of the orchestra, not just another player.

• Talk about tools you’ve used — ChatGPT, Jasper, Grammarly, etc.—and how they helped accelerate your work, not replace your thinking.

Example Answer in an Interview:

“I use AI to generate first drafts or help with ideation—but the final message still has to sound like our brand and speak to our audience. That’s where I bring my experience to shape the final output.”

4. Lean Into Brand Storytelling

• Consumers connect with stories, not just clever copy.

• Show how you’ve built brand narratives that resonate—especially in an industry like Consumer Goods where emotional connection often drives loyalty.

5. Soft Skills = Competitive Advantage

• Adaptability: Navigating change in fast-paced environments.

• Creativity: Not just artistic flair but solving problems in original ways.

• Collaboration: AI doesn’t do team dynamics or culture building.

• Judgement: Knowing when to act, and how much to say, can’t be automated.

Bring stories to life in interview that show how these qualities made a difference.

You’re not just selling your ability to do marketing. You’re selling your ability to lead, adapt, and connect—all things that remain uniquely human.

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POET is a UK-based recruitment company that helps some of the Consumer Goods industry's best-loved brands to hire world-class talent across Sales, Marketing, Insights and Operations. Now in our tenth year, we help with one-off projects, building entire teams or simply consulting across an increasingly unpredictable market for talent.

For advice, help or just to understand what's happening in the FMCG marketplace, get in touch with POET - book a call any time here 

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FMCG Recruitment. Done Better.