The New Way to Get Hired: Be Smart

Back in 2023, the manager spent most of his time talking to his marketing people. His calendar was a collage of one-on-ones with subordinates and pitch meetings with higher-ups about marketing campaigns. That was then. A mere two and a half years later, he spends the majority of his time overseeing the AI that creates his marketing campaigns.

Multiply him by 8 million, and you see how swiftly US firms have redefined the managerial skills they consider to be essential. Organizations are now focused more on intelligence than on traits like motivation or interpersonal skills. Indeed, most hiring pros say smart candidates are trying to impress hiring managers by emphasizing how, well, smart they are—and how effectively they can partner with AI. The key for them is to demonstrate a workplace intelligence that AI lacks. “I would focus on what’s left over now, because that’s where the puck is going,” says Chris Cantarella, senior client partner in the Global Technology Markets practice at Korn Ferry. 

The most sought-after corporate skills have shifted quickly, of course. Five years ago, computer-science majors were prized hires because they could craft code. Two years ago, data-science majors able to engineer prompts were in demand. Suddenly, English majors are in vogue, valued for their ability to precisely describe what’s needed. Just last year, LinkedIn didn’t even cite “intelligence” as a top-five most-needed skill, instead listing communication, project management, and leadership, among others. Today, two of LinkedIn’s top-five skills involve intelligence. “The most useful skill when working with AI is your command of language,” says  Bryan Ackermann, head of AI strategy and transformation at Korn Ferry. He sees this as a correction to an overemphasis of tech skills that lasted several decades.

To be sure, corporations undoubtedly still value core skill sets such as being agile and innovative; these have long been seen as essential amid tech upheaval. Other types of intelligence, like practical problem-solving and lived experience, also remain crucial to workplace success. But today’s hiring managers are looking for those who can properly employ AI in a particular work environment. “What’s different here is that because AI is moving so quickly in both ubiquity and ease of use, it’s very quickly becoming less important to be super techy,” says Ackermann.

The specific type of brainpower needed differs by field. Among salespeople, it’s essential to be able to to transform raw information from AI into “a correct and coherent approach for a client conversation,” says Dave Brazel, leader of the Digital Leadership Development sales team at Korn Ferry. To do this involves critical thinking, yes, but it also calls for the creativity required to angle and land the conversation. The leader of an accounting firm that’s using AI to improve processes needs the acuity to decide how much information should be included, how it should be governed, and how it will impact people.

Understanding the subject matter itself is no longer essential. For example, an employee can translate text into Spanish without knowing the language. But that employee must have the foresight to ask a native Spanish speaker review the final output. “You can’t be lazy,” says Ackermann.

This return to prizing intelligence will produce leadership candidates whose intelligence is markedly different from that of their predecessors—with one critical exception, says Paul Fogel, sector leader in the Software practice at Korn Ferry. With AI increasingly handling many employees’ bread-and-butter tasks, hirers are more focused on candidates who fit the culture. “The days of being a hyperintelligent jerk who can climb the ladder are essentially over,” says Fogel.

Learn more about Korn Ferry’s Talent Recruitment capabilities.  

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