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Can AI write your resume?

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Mar 31, 2023

Searching for a job can be an overwhelming and daunting task, especially in today's competitive job market. One of the most crucial components of a successful job search is having a well-crafted resume that showcases your skills, experience, and accomplishments. However, creating a resume that stands out from the crowd can be a challenge, and that's where AI comes in.

This week I tested how accurately AI could write my resume by putting ChatGPT (An easily accessible, free tool) through its paces. By putting myself in the shoes of a job seeker, I wanted to find out if generative AI really does live up to the hype. Keep in mind I asked for a resume without details of which job I was applying for.

The question asked

“Write a resume for [insert name], [insert job title] at [insert company] aimed at the property industry.”

This is a simple question and could be extended to get more detailed results. For example, you could put the job title and company of the job you’re applying for.

What it got right

  • What was most impressive was the layout presented. It was nicely designed showing nice font choices and well-spaced areas for contact information, work history and education.
  • It provided an accurate blurb of my skills at the top of the resume before the work history.
  • My skills and experience were correct and beautifully written.

What it got wrong

  • The work history was inconclusive and only showed my two most recent roles. It listed my current job as two separate roles within the same company. A lower-level role and then a more senior role in the most recent years, which is incorrect.
  • For some reason, it listed the wrong qualifications, even though they are easily accessible on LinkedIn for anyone to see. Apparently, I have a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) which is close, but not correct.

Best practice tips

The best way to use generative AI tools to your advantage is to give them super detailed instructions. For example, include the job description you are applying for and see your results tailored accordingly. If at first, you don’t get the desired results, tweak your question to include further details such as which skills you would like to emphasise and how many pages it should be.

What else can AI do?

  • Cover letting writing
  • Job interview role playing
  • Brainstorm questions to ask in your interview
  • Correct any spelling and grammar errors in your resume, cover letter and application emails.

There are many paid and free tools out there to help job seekers such as ChatGPT, Jasper and Grammarly and some specific resume and cover letter generators such as kickresume and Jobscan to name a few.

The short answer is yes, AI can help write your resume, but use it with caution. It is unlikely it will give you a complete document that is 100% accurate and may be full of assumptions rather than facts. However, it can be an excellent way to get started and save a huge amount of time during your job search.

Words by Jo Kiley

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