Wednesday, 21 May 2025 Issue#032

Transition Smarter. Tech-Driven Guidance for What’s Next

AI note-taking, DIY resume hacks, and a data privacy facepalm...welcome to the digital battlefield.​
This week, we’re diving into Google’s shiny new AI sidekick that turns your notes into podcast-style summaries, showing you how to weaponize Google Forms to crank out custom resumes faster than a boot camp haircut, and sounding the alarm on a quiet-but-sketchy government rollback that leaves your personal data wide open to the creeps. Gear up—this newsletter’s got intel you don’t want to miss.

Weekly Spotlight

Tool of the Week: NotebookLM

NotebookLM: Google's AI Notebook Goes Mobile with Audio Overviews

Google's AI-powered note-taking tool, NotebookLM, has officially launched mobile apps for Android and iOS, bringing its suite of features to users on the go.Originally introduced as Project Tailwind in 2023, NotebookLM has evolved into a comprehensive research assistant, capable of summarizing documents, generating study guides, and creating AI-driven audio overviews.

Key Features:

• Mobile Accessibility:Users can now upload various sources—including PDFs, Google Docs, Slides, and web URLs—directly from their mobile devices, allowing for seamless research and note-taking anytime, anywhere.
• Audio Overviews:NotebookLM's standout feature, Audio Overviews, transforms uploaded content into podcast-like summaries. Two AI hosts discuss the material, making it easier for users to grasp complex information through engaging conversations.
• Enhanced AI Capabilities:Powered by Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash model, NotebookLM offers improved responses to complex queries, supporting over 50 languages and providing more accurate and comprehensive answers.
• NotebookLM Plus:For users seeking advanced features, NotebookLM Plus offers expanded capabilities, including increased limits on notebooks and sources, customizable output styles, and collaborative tools.

Use Cases:

NotebookLM serves a diverse user base, from students and educators to professionals and content creators.Its ability to synthesize information, generate quizzes, and provide audio summaries makes it a versatile tool for studying, preparing presentations, and analyzing data.

With the mobile app's release, NotebookLM continues to redefine how users interact with information, making research and learning more accessible and efficient.

What We Are Tracking

Your Data Just Got More Exposed—And Nobody Told You

While you were minding your business (literally), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) just quietly deep-sixed a proposed rule that would’ve stopped shady data brokers from selling your personal info like it’s discounted merch on Facebook Marketplace.

This now-scrapped rule was designed to give Americans more control over how their sensitive data—think location history, health info, and even military status—is bought and sold by third parties. Basically, it was meant to keep your digital trail from being auctioned off to the highest bidder. Novel concept, right?

So what happened?

Under previous CFPB leadership, the agency was moving toward classifying certain data brokers as “consumer reporting agencies,” which would’ve forced them to play by the same rules as credit bureaus like Experian and Equifax. But that all came to a screeching halt. The new acting director, Russell Vought, quietly pulled the plug, citing “policy shifts” and a “reinterpretation” of existing laws.

🚨 Translation: “We don’t feel like doing that anymore.”

Privacy watchdogs, consumer rights orgs, and national security folks? Not thrilled. Critics say this rollback opens the door for even more surveillance capitalism, targeted disinformation, and personal data ending up in all the wrong hands—without you ever clicking “I agree.”

Why should transitioning service members and veterans care? Because data brokers often collect military affiliation, VA benefits info, and even health data—stuff that can be misused by scammers, shady employers, or worse. You deserve privacy, not to be treated like a data buffet.

👉 Bottom line: A major opportunity to protect your data just vanished into the regulatory void. And unless Congress steps in, your personal info is still up for grabs.

Bonus Feature

Build a Killer Resume Database with Google Forms

Wether you are building out a new resume or attempting to tailor one for a specific job posting, the task can daunting. Resume creation & customization is one of the most challenging things in a transition, primarily because very little experience and because it is some ambiguous.

One issue with crafting a job landing resume is that we need to pull skills, accomplishments, and education relevant to the posting from a long list of data and doing so within a resume template is cumbersome at best.

Wouldn't be nice to have a running database of all resume related material that you can search, filter and pull from to tailor for the role?

Enter: The Google Forms Resume Database.

Think of it as your personal career CRM, always collecting and organizing your professional gold nuggets. This isn’t about writing your resume now. It’s about setting yourself up for resume success later.

I've found that collecting data through a simple form is less daunting than just opening Excel or Word and starting to enter data. Plus it is easier to do it in chunks this way. Spend a few minutes a day to get this going and then simply maintain it as you gain new experience or education. Lastly, you can then easily sort the information to make it easier to find and pull for use in a resume or cover letter.

Step 1: Use the Honor & Purpose pre-built form

I have created a form that you can use as-is or as a template to create your own. You can access it here: Honor & Purpose Resume Database​

Don't worry, this will be for your own use and I will not see your responses.

You can also head to Google Forms and create one from scratch that fits your specific needs.

Step 2: Fill in your data

It takes a bit of work up-front (what doesn't though) but start filling in the form and on the backend you'll have a nice sortable Google Sheet with all your resume worthy data.

I started by taking 10-15 minutes a day to enter stuff, after about a week I had a very robust database that I could easily sort and find the information I needed.

Step 3: Unleash the Power - Turning Data into a Killer Resume

When it’s time to build your resume, your responses are a goldmine.

1. Export to Google Sheets: In your Google Forms, go to the “Responses” tab and click the Google Sheets icon to create a spreadsheet of your data.
2. Filter and Sort: Use the filtering and sorting capabilities of Google Sheets to focus on the experiences and skills most relevant to the job you’re applying for.
3. Copy and Paste with Confidence: You’ll have well-documented descriptions, quantifiable results, and a clear understanding of your skills at your fingertips. No more frantic brainstorming!
4. Tailor and Refine: Remember, this is your raw material. You’ll still need to tailor your resume to each specific job description, highlighting the achievements and skills that align best with the employer’s needs.

➡️ Pro Tip: Run your accomplishments and job descriptions through a generative AI tool like ChatGPT or Gemini to help suggest impactful bullets that are tailored to a job description. Just feed it the job description and ask it to take your existing content and tailor it as best as possible to match the posting. Ask it to provide a few bullets and then you choose what is best.

The Bottom Line:

Building a Google Forms resume database might seem like a little extra work upfront, but trust me, future you will thank you. You’ll be armed with a comprehensive record of your career journey, ready to craft compelling resumes and applications with far less stress and much more impact.

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Productivity Spotlight

Tools that help you stay, or get, productive

✅ Playlist AI - Describe what you want to listen to and AI will make the perfect mix

✅ Rytr - Create original short form content with impact. Perfect for social media bios, thank you emails, cold networking emails and more!

✅ Podwise - Turns podcasts into searchable notes

Check us Out

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