How AI Is Changing Recruiting and Job Search Andrew Hersh of Hybrid Hire on Smarter Hiring

Andrew Hirsch · AI Marketers Guild · July 23, 2026

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In this AI Insiders session from AI Marketers Guild, David Berkowitz sits down with Andrew Hirsch, founder of Hybrid Hire, to explore practical ways AI is improving recruiting workflows without replacing human judgment.

Andrew shares how he uses tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Apollo, and Exa.ai to build recruiting systems that go beyond traditional LinkedIn searches. He also offers actionable advice for job seekers looking to improve their resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and search strategies.

Key moments

[03:18] How Can Recruiters Replace LinkedIn Recruiter Using an AI Tool Stack?

Recruiters can successfully replace LinkedIn Recruiter by building a custom, highly integrated stack of AI and search tools consisting of ChatGPT, Claude, Apollo, and Exa.ai. Andrew Hersh, founder of Hybrid Hire, states that while LinkedIn remains the foundational data source for almost all search tools, recruiters do not need to rely on LinkedIn's native recruiter seat to find top-tier talent.

To optimize this workflow, Hersh recommends mapping different AI models to their natural strengths. He uses ChatGPT to handle conversational tasks, while utilizing Claude (specifically through the Claude Co-work space) to handle more complex modeling, wireframing, and structured boolean queries. This structured, multi-tool approach allows recruiters to bypass expensive single-platform fees while yielding highly tailored talent pools.

[05:41] How Does the Exa.ai API Improve Recruitment Data Enrichment?

Exa.ai is an advanced search and web-scraping API that helps recruiters enrich candidate data by scanning multiple online sources to verify contact and career information. Andrew Hersh explains that many expensive, modern AI recruiting platforms are simply white-labeled wrappers built around an Apollo database interface with an Exa.ai backend.

Instead of paying hundreds of dollars a month for these pre-packaged tools, Hersh imports his personal Exa.ai API key into his Claude Co-work environment. This setup allows him to scrape and clean candidate data programmatically at a fraction of the market cost. The combination of Apollo's database, Claude's reasoning capabilities, and Exa's search scraping creates a highly efficient "waterfall" process that delivers accurate, clean candidate profiles.

[08:58] How Can You Find and Connect With Candidates Without LinkedIn Recruiter?

Recruiters and job seekers can bypass LinkedIn Recruiter by pairing relationship-mapping software like Connect the Dots with automation tools like the Claude Chrome extension. Connect the Dots aggregates a user's personal and business email accounts to map warm referral paths, showing clear access points to mutual connections (such as finding common connections to a CEO).

Once target prospects are identified, Andrew Hersh recommends using the Claude Chrome extension directly on LinkedIn. By pinning the extension, users can input specific Boolean criteria, allow Claude to scan first-, second-, and third-degree networks to pull qualified prospects, and then prompt the tool to automate personalized connection messages. Hersh notes that because this relies on the user's manual parameters and custom messaging templates, it preserves a authentic, personalized outreach style while scaling productivity.

[13:22] How Exact Do Keywords and Abbreviations Need to Be on a LinkedIn Profile?

Keywords on a LinkedIn profile do not need to be written as exact matches for every single industry variant, but they must account for how human recruiters structure their Boolean search parameters. Andrew Hersh advises job seekers to include both fully spelled-out professional terms and their common industry abbreviations on their profile.

For example, if a job seeker works in manufacturing, they should explicitly list both the full word "manufacturing" and the abbreviation "MFG" within their page copy. Because search algorithms and human recruiters index capitalization, spacing, and shorthand differently, presenting both variations ensures that the profile is captured regardless of how broad or narrow a recruiter's Boolean search strings are configured.

[15:40] How Should Job Seekers Choose a LinkedIn Headline for Transferable Roles?

Job seekers targeting roles across multiple industries should use a universal, broadly recognized title in their headline rather than hyper-specific, niche terminology. Andrew Hersh recommends reverse-engineering target job postings to identify a standard title that acts as a "universal key" across different industry sectors (or "ponds").

During a discussion with a former journalist, Sally, who consults in corporate communications, crisis management, and storytelling, Hersh pointed out that different industries use different titles for similar functions. Rather than crowding a headline with specialized terms like "VP of Issues and Crisis Communications," a job seeker should find the most common denominator title, such as "Head of Content" or "VP of Corporate Communications." This strategy immediately signals transferable skills to recruiters across varied industries, while leaving the specific project details to the main profile body.

[18:06] Is A/B Testing Your LinkedIn Profile and Headline Effective?

A/B testing a LinkedIn profile by periodically updating the headline, "About" section, and overall tone is an exceptionally effective way to optimize visibility and engagement. Andrew Hersh suggests treating the platform as a continuous experiment, recommending that users alter their profile copy every month or so to measure changes in incoming interactions.

When running these profile tests, job seekers should carefully monitor who is initiating contact. If the goal is to attract corporate clients or hiring managers, the profile's tone should focus on business pain points and operational solutions. If the goal is to network with candidates or industry peers, the copy should shift to a community-focused, conversational tone. tracking these changes allows users to systematically refine their messaging for their primary audience.

[19:53] How Can Job Seekers Identify Which Companies Are Actually Hiring?

Job seekers can identify companies with active hiring budgets by monitoring macro-financial market performance and tracking whether those companies are currently recruiting Talent Acquisition (TA) professionals. Andrew Hersh notes that when a company lists open positions for recruiters, heads of talent, or TA directors, it is a leading indicator that the organization is preparing to scale its overall headcount.

To capitalize on this, Hersh advises job seekers to avoid the "general population" (gen pop) route of clicking "Easy Apply" on LinkedIn, which often results in resumes getting lost in massive databases. Instead, job seekers should look for these talent-scaling signals, use platforms like Apollo or Connect the Dots to identify direct contact points within the target company, and request warm introductions to bypass the automated screening filters entirely.

[23:21] How Can Job Seekers Safely Use AI to Write Their Resumes Without Getting Filtered?

Job seekers should use AI strictly as an editor to tighten and polish their original writing, rather than letting AI generate their resume or profile copy from scratch. Andrew Hersh cautions that many enterprise companies now utilize AI detection software to screen out resumes that contain high percentages of machine-generated text.

To use AI safely, job seekers should write out their authentic thoughts, wins, and experiences, and then prompt ChatGPT or Claude to format, organize, and tighten the text while maintaining the candidate's personal voice. Hersh also highlights a major giveaway of low-effort AI usage: leaving in formatting artifacts like double dashes (M-dashes) or generic AI transition words, which hiring managers and automated systems immediately recognize as automated output.

[25:18] Why Can Automated AI Resume Customization Backfire on Job Seekers?

Automated AI resume customization platforms can backfire by editing candidate resumes so aggressively that they misrepresent the job seeker's actual skill levels and professional experience. Andrew Hersh highlights an emerging problem where automation software applies to jobs on behalf of candidates, altering their credentials to perfectly match a job description without the candidate's direct oversight.

While this aggressive customization successfully pushes the resume past automated Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), it often falls flat during the initial human screening. When recruiters contact these candidates, they are frequently met with confusion because the job seeker did not realize the software applied for them, or they cannot speak to the advanced technical skills the AI added to their resume. This mismatch ultimately damages the candidate's professional credibility and wastes the employer's vetting time.

[32:53] How Can You Use ChatGPT to Write Boolean Search Strings for Job Hunting?

Job seekers can use ChatGPT to generate highly targeted Boolean search strings for Google X-ray searches by feeding their target job parameters into the AI and iteratively testing the output. Andrew Hersh suggests prompting ChatGPT with your desired job titles, target locations, and required industries, and asking it to output a concise Boolean string optimized for search engine character limits.

To get the best results, Hersh recommends following an iterative testing process at least five to seven times:

Generate the initial Boolean string with ChatGPT.
Copy and paste the string into Google.
Review the search results to see if the jobs or profiles returned are accurate.
Copy a snapshot of the results, feed it back into ChatGPT, and ask the AI to tighten or broaden the search terms based on those results.
Repeat this loop until the search string consistently surfaces highly relevant opportunities.

[35:38] Are LinkedIn Job Application Counts Accurate, and Should You Apply If You Do Not Meet All Requirements?

The applicant numbers displayed on LinkedIn job postings are highly inaccurate because the counter increases every time a user clicks on the posting, regardless of whether they complete the application. Andrew Hersh notes that a job posting showing "thousands of applicants" often only has a small fraction of actual completed submissions.

Additionally, Hersh strongly encourages candidates to apply for positions even if they do not meet every single listed requirement. Most job descriptions are compiled by HR departments to cover corporate and legal baselines, rather than being written directly by the hiring manager. Because the actual hiring manager is usually looking for a core set of skills and practical knowledge rather than a rigid legal checklist, candidates with solid, transferable skills should not let generic requirements deter them from applying.

[37:25] How Do You Structure a Resume to Showcase Transferable Skills?

Resumes should structure accomplishments around how the candidate leveraged their employer's resources to drive business growth, rather than simply listing isolated personal wins. Andrew Hersh recommends framing resume bullet points with action-oriented statements such as, "By working for this company, I was able to build [system] which generated [X] in revenue."

To make a resume highly readable and professional, Hersh advises following several formatting rules:

Vary Action Verbs: Never repeat the same primary action verb (e.g., "created," "managed") twice in a resume. Using diverse synonyms signals adaptable communication skills.
Limit Listed Skills: Feature no more than eight core skills on a resume; exceeding this number can look unrealistic to recruiters.
Contextualize Metrics: Avoid listing standalone percentages (e.g., "increased sales by 100%") without baseline numbers. Increasing sales from $5 to $10 is technically a 100% increase, but without scale and context, empty percentages lose their impact and credibility.