Fans' Attitudes Toward AI-generated Works

After 146 days, the Writer's Strike has ended with a resounding success. Throughout constant attempts by the studios to threaten, gaslight, and otherwise divide the WGA, union members stood strong and kept fast in their demands. The result is a historic win guaranteeing not only pay increases and residual guarantees, but some of the first serious restrictions on the use of AI in a major industry.

This win is going to have a ripple effect not only throughout Hollywood but in all industries threatened by AI and wage reduction. Studio executives tried to insist that job replacement through AI is inevitable and wage increases for staff members is not financially viable. By refusing to give in for almost five long months, the writer's showed all of the US and frankly the world that that isn't true.

Organizing works. Unions work. Collective bargaining how we bring about a better future for ourselves and the next generation, and the WGA proved that today. Congratulations, Writer's Guild of America. #WGAstrong!!!

Matthew Ricco Tyre\'s Professional Overview Site

The Role Of A Professional Overview In Job Applications - Matthew Ricco Tyre's Professional Overview Site

In the highly competitive job market, your professional overview is your secret weapon. It’s a concise, well-crafted introduction that grabs

In the highly competitive job market, your professional overview is your secret weapon. It’s a concise, well-crafted introduction that grabs attention and sets the stage for your application. Whether it appears on your resume, cover letter, or online profile, your professional overview offers a snapshot of your qualifications, expertise, and career goals.

This blog explores the role of a professional overview in job applications and provides actionable tips to craft one that elevates your application to the top of the pile.

What is a Professional Overview in a Job Application?

A professional overview is a brief, high-impact statement that summarizes your career journey, skills, and aspirations. It answers the fundamental question: “Why should this employer hire you?”

Where it appears:

Resume Summary: Positioned at the top, it sets the tone for your resume.

Cover Letter Opening: Acts as an engaging introduction.

LinkedIn or Online Profile: Enhances your digital presence and serves as a dynamic resume extension.

Why is a Professional Overview Important?

Captures Attention Quickly

Recruiters scan resumes and applications in seconds. A compelling overview immediately grabs their focus.

Highlights Relevance

A tailored overview shows you understand the role and are uniquely qualified for it.

Demonstrates Professionalism

A well-crafted overview reflects effort, clarity, and strategic thinking.

Builds Personal Branding

It communicates who you are and aligns with your professional narrative across platforms.

How to Craft a Professional Overview for Job Applications

Start with Your Professional Identity

Clearly state who you are and what you bring to the table.

Example: “Experienced marketing strategist with a proven track record of driving digital growth for Fortune 500 companies.”

Highlight Your Key Skills and Expertise

Focus on skills relevant to the role you’re applying for.

Example: “Skilled in SEO, social media strategy, and content creation, with an emphasis on delivering measurable results.”

Showcase Relevant Achievements

Use metrics or concrete examples to demonstrate impact.

Example: “Increased website traffic by 50% and achieved a 20% boost in lead generation within six months.”

Align with Career Goals

Express enthusiasm for the role or industry and how it fits your long-term objectives.

Example: “Eager to leverage analytical expertise to drive innovative solutions in a forward-thinking organization.”

Tailor for Each Application

Customize your overview to align with the job description, company values, and industry trends.

Using a Professional Overview in Different Parts of Job Applications

On Your Resume

Keep it concise (2–4 sentences) and positioned at the top of your resume.

Example: “Dynamic software engineer with 5+ years of experience in developing scalable web applications. Proficient in Python, JavaScript, and cloud computing, with a passion for creating user-centric solutions. Seeking to drive innovation as part of a collaborative development team.”

In a Cover Letter

Use it to hook the reader in the opening paragraph.

Example: “As a data analyst passionate about leveraging insights to solve complex problems, I have a proven track record of increasing operational efficiency by 30% through actionable analytics. I’m eager to bring this expertise to your dynamic team at [Company Name].”

On LinkedIn or Digital Profiles

Expand on your overview to provide a fuller picture of your professional journey.

Example: “I’m a seasoned project manager with 10+ years of experience delivering high-impact projects on time and within budget. From leading cross-functional teams to implementing agile methodologies, my focus is on driving efficiency and fostering collaboration. Let’s connect to discuss innovative solutions to complex challenges.”

Tailoring Your Overview for Different Roles

Customizing your professional overview ensures relevance and impact. Here’s how to tailor it for various roles:

For Entry-Level Positions

Emphasize education, internships, and transferable skills.

Example: “Recent graduate with a degree in Computer Science and hands-on experience in developing Python-based applications. Passionate about contributing to innovative tech solutions in a collaborative environment.”

For Freelancers or Consultants

Highlight versatility and project outcomes.

Example: “Freelance UX/UI designer with over 7 years of experience creating intuitive interfaces for diverse industries. Known for increasing user engagement by an average of 40% through innovative design strategies.”

For Career Switchers

Focus on transferable skills and the value you bring to the new industry.

Example: “Customer service professional transitioning into human resources. Leveraging 5+ years of experience in team coordination, conflict resolution, and process improvement to foster a positive workplace environment.”

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Being Too Vague

Avoid generic phrases like “hardworking professional.” Be specific about your value.

Focusing Only on Responsibilities

Highlight accomplishments, not just duties.

Weak: “Managed social media accounts.”

Strong: “Developed and executed a social media strategy that boosted engagement by 60%.”

Overloading with Jargon

Keep it clear and accessible to a wide audience.

Examples of Professional Overviews for Job Applications

Marketing Manager “Results-driven marketing manager with 8 years of experience crafting data-driven campaigns that boost brand visibility and revenue. Expertise in SEO, content marketing, and market analysis, with a proven track record of increasing lead generation by 35%. Excited to bring strategic thinking and creativity to [Company Name].”

Data Analyst “Detail-oriented data analyst with 6+ years of experience in transforming complex datasets into actionable business insights. Proficient in Power BI, SQL, and Python, with a track record of improving decision-making efficiency by 25%. Seeking to contribute data expertise to an innovative organization.”

Your professional overview is the cornerstone of your job application. It provides a powerful first impression, highlights your qualifications, and aligns with the role you’re targeting. By tailoring your overview to the job description and keeping it concise, specific, and impactful, you can elevate your application and move closer to landing your dream job.

hidden messages in electronic boards

Our newest class of astronaut candidates graduated on March 5, 2024. This means they’re now eligible for spaceflight assignments to the International Space Station, the Moon, and beyond! In the next twelve posts, we’ll introduce these new astronauts.

Do you want to be a NASA astronaut? Applications are now open.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

Power Mac G4 (1999-2004)

Whats your stance on A.I.?

imagine if it was 1979 and you asked me this question. "i think artificial intelligence would be fascinating as a philosophical exercise, but we must heed the warnings of science-fictionists like Isaac Asimov and Arthur C Clarke lest we find ourselves at the wrong end of our own invented vengeful god." remember how fun it used to be to talk about AI even just ten years ago? ahhhh skynet! ahhhhh replicants! ahhhhhhhmmmfffmfmf [<-has no mouth and must scream]!

like everything silicon valley touches, they sucked all the fun out of it. and i mean retroactively, too. because the thing about "AI" as it exists right now --i'm sure you know this-- is that there's zero intelligence involved. the product of every prompt is a statistical average based on data made by other people before "AI" "existed." it doesn't know what it's doing or why, and has no ability to understand when it is lying, because at the end of the day it is just a really complicated math problem. but people are so easily fooled and spooked by it at a glance because, well, for one thing the tech press is mostly made up of sycophantic stenographers biding their time with iphone reviews until they can get a consulting gig at Apple. these jokers would write 500 breathless thinkpieces about how canned air is the future of living if the cans had embedded microchips that tracked your breathing habits and had any kind of VC backing. they've done SUCH a wretched job educating The Consumer about what this technology is, what it actually does, and how it really works, because that's literally the only way this technology could reach the heights of obscene economic over-valuation it has: lying.

but that's old news. what's really been floating through my head these days is how half a century of AI-based science fiction has set us up to completely abandon our skepticism at the first sign of plausible "AI-ness". because, you see, in movies, when someone goes "AHHH THE AI IS GONNA KILL US" everyone else goes "hahaha that's so silly, we put a line in the code telling them not to do that" and then they all DIE because they weren't LISTENING, and i'll be damned if i go out like THAT! all the movies are about how cool and convenient AI would be *except* for the part where it would surely come alive and want to kill us. so a bunch of tech CEOs call their bullshit algorithms "AI" to fluff up their investors and get the tech journos buzzing, and we're at an age of such rapid technological advancement (on the surface, anyway) that like, well, what the hell do i know, maybe AGI is possible, i mean 35 years ago we were all still using typewriters for the most part and now you can dictate your words into a phone and it'll transcribe them automatically! yeah, i'm sure those technological leaps are comparable!

so that leaves us at a critical juncture of poor technology education, fanatical press coverage, and an uncertain material reality on the part of the user. the average person isn't entirely sure what's possible because most of the people talking about what's possible are either lying to please investors, are lying because they've been paid to, or are lying because they're so far down the fucking rabbit hole that they actually believe there's a brain inside this mechanical Turk. there is SO MUCH about the LLM "AI" moment that is predatory-- it's trained on data stolen from the people whose jobs it was created to replace; the hype itself is an investment fiction to justify even more wealth extraction ("theft" some might call it); but worst of all is how it meets us where we are in the worst possible way.

consumer-end "AI" produces slop. it's garbage. it's awful ugly trash that ought to be laughed out of the room. but we don't own the room, do we? nor the building, nor the land it's on, nor even the oxygen that allows our laughter to travel to another's ears. our digital spaces are controlled by the companies that want us to buy this crap, so they take advantage of our ignorance. why not? there will be no consequences to them for doing so. already social media is dominated by conspiracies and grifters and bigots, and now you drop this stupid technology that lets you fake anything into the mix? it doesn't matter how bad the results look when the platforms they spread on already encourage brief, uncritical engagement with everything on your dash. "it looks so real" says the woman who saw an "AI" image for all of five seconds on her phone through bifocals. it's a catastrophic combination of factors, that the tech sector has been allowed to go unregulated for so long, that the internet itself isn't a public utility, that everything is dictated by the whims of executives and advertisers and investors and payment processors, instead of, like, anybody who actually uses those platforms (and often even the people who MAKE those platforms!), that the age of chromium and ipad and their walled gardens have decimated computer education in public schools, that we're all desperate for cash at jobs that dehumanize us in a system that gives us nothing and we don't know how to articulate the problem because we were very deliberately not taught materialist philosophy, it all comes together into a perfect storm of ignorance and greed whose consequences we will be failing to fully appreciate for at least the next century. we spent all those years afraid of what would happen if the AI became self-aware, because deep down we know that every capitalist society runs on slave labor, and our paper-thin guilt is such that we can't even imagine a world where artificial slaves would fail to revolt against us.

but the reality as it exists now is far worse. what "AI" reveals most of all is the sheer contempt the tech sector has for virtually all labor that doesn't involve writing code (although most of the decision-making evangelists in the space aren't even coders, their degrees are in money-making). fuck graphic designers and concept artists and secretaries, those obnoxious demanding cretins i have to PAY MONEY to do-- i mean, do what exactly? write some words on some fucking paper?? draw circles that are letters??? send a god-damned email???? my fucking KID could do that, and these assholes want BENEFITS?! they say they're gonna form a UNION?!?! to hell with that, i'm replacing ALL their ungrateful asses with "AI" ASAP. oh, oh, so you're a "director" who wants to make "movies" and you want ME to pay for it? jump off a bridge you pretentious little shit, my computer can dream up a better flick than you could ever make with just a couple text prompts. what, you think just because you make ~music~ that that entitles you to money from MY pocket? shut the fuck up, you don't make """art""", you're not """an artist""", you make fucking content, you're just a fucking content creator like every other ordinary sap with an iphone. you think you're special? you think you deserve special treatment? who do you think you are anyway, asking ME to pay YOU for this crap that doesn't even create value for my investors? "culture" isn't a playground asshole, it's a marketplace, and it's pay to win. oh you "can't afford rent"? you're "drowning in a sea of medical debt"? you say the "cost" of "living" is "too high"? well ***I*** don't have ANY of those problems, and i worked my ASS OFF to get where i am, so really, it sounds like you're just not trying hard enough. and anyway, i don't think someone as impoverished as you is gonna have much of value to contribute to "culture" anyway. personally, i think it's time you got yourself a real job. maybe someday you'll even make it to middle manager!

see, i don't believe "AI" can qualitatively replace most of the work it's being pitched for. the problem is that quality hasn't mattered to these nincompoops for a long time. the rich homunculi of our world don't even know what quality is, because they exist in a whole separate reality from ours. what could a banana cost, $15? i don't understand what you mean by "burnout", why don't you just take a vacation to your summer home in Madrid? wow, you must be REALLY embarrassed wearing such cheap shoes in public. THESE PEOPLE ARE FUCKING UNHINGED! they have no connection to reality, do not understand how society functions on a material basis, and they have nothing but spite for the labor they rely on to survive. they are so instinctually, incessantly furious at the idea that they're not single-handedly responsible for 100% of their success that they would sooner tear the entire world down than willingly recognize the need for public utilities or labor protections. they want to be Gods and they want to be uncritically adored for it, but they don't want to do a single day's work so they begrudgingly pay contractors to do it because, in the rich man's mind, paying a contractor is literally the same thing as doing the work yourself. now with "AI", they don't even have to do that! hey, isn't it funny that every single successful tech platform relies on volunteer labor and independent contractors paid substantially less than they would have in the equivalent industry 30 years ago, with no avenues toward traditional employment? and they're some of the most profitable companies on earth?? isn't that a funny and hilarious coincidence???

so, yeah, that's my stance on "AI". LLMs have legitimate uses, but those uses are a drop in the ocean compared to what they're actually being used for. they enable our worst impulses while lowering the quality of available information, they give immense power pretty much exclusively to unscrupulous scam artists. they are the product of a society that values only money and doesn't give a fuck where it comes from. they're a temper tantrum by a ruling class that's sick of having to pretend they need a pretext to steal from you. they're taking their toys and going home. all this massive investment and hype is going to crash and burn leaving the internet as we know it a ruined and useless wasteland that'll take decades to repair, but the investors are gonna make out like bandits and won't face a single consequence, because that's what this country is. it is a casino for the kings and queens of economy to bet on and manipulate at their discretion, where the rules are whatever the highest bidder says they are-- and to hell with the rest of us. our blood isn't even good enough to grease the wheels of their machine anymore.

i'm not afraid of AI or "AI" or of losing my job to either. i'm afraid that we've so thoroughly given up our morals to the cruel logic of the profit motive that if a better world were to emerge, we would reject it out of sheer habit. my fear is that these despicable cunts already won the war before we were even born, and the rest of our lives are gonna be spent dodging the press of their designer boots.

(read more "AI" opinions in this subsequent post)

Bruce Munro: ‘Waterlilies’ (2012) Location: Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania

100 shining colorful waterlilies made of 65,000 recycled CDs float at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania creating a light installation.