How To Get Cited In AI Search And Put It On Your Resume
A 48-hour portfolio project that proves you can get cited in AI search
Hiring managers are moving on from rankings and clicks.
The new question in interviews is: Do you show up as a source inside AI answers?
That’s where attention is going. AI Overviews appear on an increasing share of queries and measurably reduce click-through rates to traditional results.
Getting cited IS the traffic now. People ask a bot, skim the summary, click one link (if any), move on.
In this Lumar survey, 81% of marketing professionals named GEO/AEO as a top skill for 2026 and yet almost no one has it on their resume.
So here’s the play: build a tiny, fast, undeniable GEO case study in 48 hours and put it on your resume.
No “I’m passionate about AI.”
Receipts only.
In 48 hours, you’ll have a live page, 3 mentions, screenshots, and a case study link recruiters can click.
What changed (and why your old SEO flex is weaker now)
Classic SEO was: write content, rank, win clicks.
AI search is: answer the question, cite sources, move on.
That creates a new kind of competition:
Your page can be “good” and still ignored
Third-party mentions matter more than your own claims
Formatting and clarity beat clever writing
If you want interviews, this is leverage. You can ship proof in 48 hours.
What GEO means
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the practice of structuring your content so that AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews) cite it as a source in their answers, not just a ranked link.
You are optimizing for:
being referenced
being quotable
being trustworthy enough to cite
The GEO skill stack (what you actually need)
1. “Citable” content formatting
Make your content easy to lift:
Answer-first block (2–3 sentences at the top)
Clear headings that match real questions
Short bullets, mini checklists, small tables
FAQ section (5–8 questions)
Sources section
2. Entity clarity
Say who you are without marketing fog. If a machine can't understand you, it can't confidently cite you.
Before: “I help brands grow through content-led demand generation.”
After: “I write technical marketing resources for B2B SaaS companies. My content helps demand-gen teams reduce CAC. Example with a link”
The second version is machine-readable and citable. The first is marketing fog.
What you need:
What you are (category)
Who it’s for (audience)
What problem you solve
One concrete proof point
3. Earned mentions
This is the multiplier.
AI systems tend to trust what other credible places say about you more than what you say about yourself.
So your job is to earn a few relevant mentions that point to your “answer page.”
The 48-hour portfolio project
The deliverable (what you’ll have by the end)
One “AI-answerable” page
Three third-party mentions linking to it
A prompt test log with screenshots
That’s enough to separate you from most applicants.
By the end, you’ll have three resume bullets you can copy-paste.
Want this to be plug-and-play?
The GEO Portfolio Tracker includes the prompt log, outreach tracker, entity clarity sheet, and resume bullet builder.
It’s below for paid readers.
Also for paid members: this week’s 67 remote marketing jobs (USA, last 7 days)