Is It Bad to Use ChatGPT for Your Resume?

Is It Bad to Use ChatGPT to Write Your Resume?

No, there’s nothing inherently bad about using ChatGPT to write your resume.

In fact, ChatGPT can be a great tool for your job hunt. You just need to know how to use it.

Don’t expect to have a perfect resume on your first try with the chatbot. Sure, ChatGPT can help you, but it won’t work as a magic resume writer for any occasion.

If you want to use ChatGPT to write your resume, you need to think of it as a brainstorming buddy or as a tool for the first drafts of your resume.

A huge mistake many ChatGPT users make is taking the exact content it generates and pasting that directly into their resume. See, the thing is, AI doesn't know your specific experiences or the nuances of your career. All it can do is draw from general patterns rather than your professional journey.

So long as you avoid a few of these major ChatGPT mistakes, you can use it to help you make a flawless resume.

5 ChatGPT Mistakes to Avoid

1. Copying and pasting everything. Dumping ChatGPT's output directly into your resume without any edits is a bad idea. It can lead to generic, impersonal content that doesn't truly represent you and even contains repetitive phrases that show that you didn’t write it yourself.
2. Not fact-checking. Always double-check the information ChatGPT gives you. The chatbot can make mistakes or otherwise generate false information about your career.
3. Using a one-size-fits-all approach. Don’t use the same AI-generated content for every job application. Each resume should be tailored to the specific role you're applying for.
4. Ignoring formatting. ChatGPT is great for figuring out your resume’s contents but it might not consider the visual aspect and layout. You need a well-structured, easy-to-read resume, so we recommend using a professional resume builder alongside ChatGPT for the best results.
5. Losing your voice. Your resume should always sound like you, not like a robot. Make sure to edit ChatGPT’s output to inject your personality and unique experiences into the output it gives you.

7 Ways to Use ChatGPT to Write Your Resume

Now that you know what to avoid when using ChatGPT, let’s talk about the different ways you can use it to help you write your resume.

To make things easier for you, we’ve split them into steps, starting with:

#1. List Responsibilities and Achievements

The hardest part about writing your resume usually involves figuring out how to describe your previous work experience.

Ideally, you want to list five to six bullet points with achievements and responsibilities from your most recent job and two or three bullet points for older jobs. 

Well, ChatGPT can be a great tool for recalling your past job responsibilities and achievements and expressing them in a way that grabs the hiring manager’s attention.

Start by telling the chatbox your job title and industry. Then, ask it to provide a list of common responsibilities and potential achievements for that role.

For example, if you most recently worked as a manager, you could prompt ChatGPT as follows:

Now, let’s take a look at what ChatGPT might answer this prompt with:

As you can see in the picture, ChatGPT will generate some responsibilities and achievements, which you can use as a springboard to see which apply to you. Just remember to use ChatGPT's suggestions as inspiration, not as ready-made content for your resume.

Basically, take the AI-generated ideas and personalize them with your unique experiences. Add specific details and quantify your achievements whenever possible.

Say, for example, if one of the achievements ChatGPT suggests is "increased social media engagement," then you could expand on this to reflect exactly what you achieved, such as "boosted Instagram followers by 50% in 6 months, increasing customer engagement by 30%."

#2. Tailor Your Resume to the Job Ad

One of the most important steps to writing your resume is tailoring it to the job you’re applying for, and this is one of the main things ChatGPT can help you streamline.

Start by copying the job description into your chat with ChatGPT. Ask the AI to analyze the text and highlight keywords, qualifications, and requirements the employer is looking for.

ChatGPT will provide a breakdown of the most important requirements from the job ad you posted, and you can use this information to adjust your resume and make sure you're emphasizing what the employer wants to see.

For example, if ChatGPT points out that the job requires strong project management skills, make sure to highlight your relevant experiences in this area or, even better, your achievements in project management. 

Here are the prompts you might use:

• Please analyze this job ad: [copy and paste the job ad]. Can you highlight the key skills, qualifications, and requirements that this employer is looking for?
• I just showed you my resume. Based on the job description provided, which areas of my resume should I emphasize to align with the employer's requirements? [paste job ad]
• Can you analyze this job description and provide a list of the most important keywords and phrases that I should include in my resume? This is the job ad: [paste job ad]
• Given the qualifications and skills listed in the job description I showed you, how should I adjust my resume to better match them?

Let’s try it out with a job ad for a professional nanny:

The job ad is pretty long! Keep in mind that the more details you give ChatGPT, the better, so paste the entire job ad into your chat.
Here’s the rest of it:

That’s a great starting point for ChatGPT to help you tailor your resume!

Now, let’s look at what it suggests changing:

ChatGPT can help you identify what to focus on, but you’re the only one who can do the actual tailoring. Use your own words and experiences to address the key points the AI identifies so your resume remains authentic while still being highly relevant to the job you're applying for.

Now, let’s look at how ChatGPT can help you tailor some of the responsibilities and achievements from your resume to the job ad:

Normal Responsibilities & Achievements

• Supervised daily activities, ensuring the safety and well-being of children.
• Organized engaging weekly arts and crafts sessions that enhanced children's creativity.

Tailored Responsibilities & Achievements

• Managed the daily schedules of three active children, including driving them to extracurricular activities and appointments.
• Reduced passive entertainment by 2 hours per day through the introduction of creative and educational alternatives.

#3. Polish Your Writing

Sometimes, your writing just doesn’t flow the way you want it to. Maybe you already have all the information you need for your resume, but you just can’t make it sound right.

This is another thing ChatGPT can help with. Once you've drafted your content, you can use the AI tool to refine your language. Just paste your resume sections into ChatGPT and ask for suggestions on making your writing more impactful.

Use the following prompts:

• I’m looking to enhance the impact of my resume bullet points. Can you suggest ways to rewrite them to highlight my achievements and responsibilities better? Also, offer suggestions for stronger action verbs and more dynamic phrasing. [paste information from resume]
• I have a draft of my resume, but it lacks flow and professionalism. Can you help me refine the language, improve word choice, and make the content more concise and engaging? I want to ensure that my skills and accomplishments are communicated clearly and effectively. [paste resume]
• I’ve written my resume, but it doesn’t feel polished or tailored enough for the job I’m applying for. Can you provide suggestions to elevate the overall tone, ensure consistency in style, and make sure the key points align with the job description? I’d also appreciate advice on how to make my achievements stand out more. Here is the job ad: [paste job ad]

ChatGPT might offer alternatives for overused words, suggest more dynamic phrasing, or help you articulate your achievements more clearly. For example, it could transform a basic statement into something that really drives the point home:

Again - don't directly copy and paste the AI's suggestions - use them as a starting point to spark your ideas. Adjust the language until it matches your style and accurately reflects your experiences.

This way, you can elevate your writing while maintaining your authentic voice. The goal here is to present your qualifications in the best possible light, not to sound like a robot.

So, use ChatGPT as a writing assistant, not a ghostwriter. It’s the best way to create a polished, professional resume that still sounds like you.

#4. Brainstorm Relevant Skills

You might have trouble figuring out your concrete skills and that’s perfectly normal. It can be difficult to articulate what you’re good at in a way that fits into a resume.

This is another thing that ChatGPT can help you with. By describing your work history and responsibilities to the chatbot, you can get a fresh perspective on the skills you've acquired over time.

Ask the AI to suggest skills that are typically associated with your role or industry. You will be surprised by some of the suggestions. There might be skills that you use regularly but haven't thought to include on your resume.

For example, if you've worked in customer service, ChatGPT might point out more specific skills, like conflict resolution or multicultural sensitivity.

Try out the following prompts:

• I’m having trouble identifying concrete skills for my resume based on my work history. I will provide you with a description of my past roles and responsibilities—can you suggest specific skills typically associated with these duties? I’m looking for both technical and soft skills that I might have overlooked. [paste resume]
• I’ve worked in [specific industry/role], but I’m not sure which skills are most relevant to highlight on my resume. Can you help me identify key skills that employers in this field value? I’d like suggestions that align with my experience but also give me new insights into my strengths.

Let's take a look at the output:

ChatGPT is probably going to provide general suggestions based on typical job roles. If you want more specific suggestions, you need to tell it more about your professional life and filter the suggestions it gives you through your personal experience.

So, don't list a skill just because ChatGPT suggested it. Use the AI's output as a prompt to reflect on what you can actually do.

#5. Find Appropriate Action Verbs

Words like "helped," "managed," or "was responsible for" can fall flat and make your experiences sound passive. Here’s where ChatGPT can help you find more dynamic alternatives that make your achievements really pop.

Ask the AI to suggest power words and action verbs related to your industry or specific job roles. For example, instead of "helped," some words ChatGPT might suggest include "facilitated," "directed," or "spearheaded."

You might use the following prompts:

• I want to replace passive words in my resume with stronger action verbs. Here are a few of my job responsibilities—can you suggest more powerful alternatives that make my contributions stand out?
• Can you suggest action verbs that are specific to [role/field/industry]? I want my resume to look more dynamic and proactive through my achievements.
• I'm looking to make my resume more engaging through power words. Based on these tasks I’ve listed, can you recommend verbs that would better showcase my [skill/quality] and impact at work?

And here’s the output:

Such verbs can make your resume more engaging and paint a clearer picture of your contributions. When you compare them side by side, "Implemented a new filing system" sounds more proactive and impressive than "Responsible for improving organization."

Just make sure you provide context about your role and achievements so ChatGPT can then offer tailored suggestions that reflect your experiences.

#6. Create a Resume Headline

Based on the ten-second resume rule, we recommend adding a resume headline to grab a recruiter's attention and quickly show off what makes you an ideal candidate at a glance.

But while your resume headline is going to be at the top of your resume, you don’t have to write it first. In fact, leave this as the cherry on top of your resume, once you’ve already written and polished everything else.

Your resume headline can be one of two things:

• Resume Summary. This is a two-to-three-sentence paragraph summarizing your years of experience, most relevant skills, and a couple of impressive achievements. It’s ideal for job seekers with some experience.
• Resume Objective. This paragraph conveys your top-selling skills, qualifications, and career intent in two to four sentences. If you don’t have work experience in the field you’re aiming for, you should stick with this.

To write either one, provide ChatGPT with key information about your experience, skills, and the type of role you're targeting. Ask it to generate several options based on this input.

Since the resume summary and resume objective are a bit specific, the easiest way to get ChatGPT to write a good one is by providing it with great templates.

Such as:

Or, if a resume objective is more suitable for you:

Then, using the following prompts:

• I’m applying for a job as [role]. Can you please create three different versions of a resume [summary/objective] for me based on my resume? Follow this template to write the resume [summary/objective]: [paste template] [paste resume]
• I need help writing a strong paragraph for the top of my resume that captures my top skills, experience, and career goals. Can you suggest a few different options that would resonate with the employer behind this job ad? [paste job ad]
• Can you create several versions of a resume [summary/objective] based on my key achievements and the role I’m applying for? [paste achievements] [paste job ad] You can use this template as a reference: [paste template]

Here’s how it works out in practice:

We’ve cropped the command since the resume is very long, but you get the idea.

Then, here’s what ChatGPT’s output was:

Pick the version that resonates most with you and then refine it to truly reflect your unique professional brand. The AI might even come up with catchy phrases or industry-specific terminology you hadn't considered.

Just remember, while ChatGPT can provide creative ideas, the final resume summary or objective should represent you. Don't use a catchy headline just because it sounds impressive – it needs to align with your experience and the job you're applying for.

#7. Use a Professional Resume Template

While ChatGPT is great for generating content, it can't really handle the visual aspects of your resume.

If you ask, ChatGPT can make an okay basic text editor document with the data you give it. But creating a well-formatted, one-page resume from scratch takes a lot more effort than that.

You need to consider the page margins, choose an appropriate font, design an eye-catching layout, and ensure everything fits perfectly on a single page.

Alternatively, you can just use our free resume builder and save yourself the hassle!

Novorésumé offers a wide range of professionally designed templates that let you quickly personalize your resume and finish it in minutes.

Each of our templates was created in collaboration with leading HR experts so that your resume looks stylish while meeting industry standards.

Using a resume template and the help of ChatGPT lets you perfect your job application in no time, so you can land that dream job faster!

Just look at how a resume with one of our templates compares to a standard text editor resume:

Should You Admit to Using ChatGPT?

There’s no reason for you to outright say you used ChatGPT to help you with your resume.

At the end of the day, you were the person who did the writing, editing, and presentation for your entire job application.

Besides, businesses have been using AI for ages.

Most companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to scan through hundreds of candidates before they make it to a hiring manager, and hiring managers are picking up on AI to write job ads, too.

So, it's only fair that you also get to use AI as a job applicant.

Just make sure that if the interviewer directly asks if you used AI, don't lie. Explain that you used ChatGPT to get your ideas flowing on how to present yourself but that everything in your resume is 100% true and reflects your real experiences and skills.

Using ChatGPT isn't something to be ashamed of. If anything, it shows you're tech-savvy and resourceful. Just make sure you're using it to showcase the real you, not to create a fake version of yourself.

Key Takeaways

And there you have it!

Now you know everything you need about whether you should use ChatGPT to write your resume and how to do it.

But before we let you go on your way, let's recap the main points we've covered so far:

• ChatGPT can be a powerful tool for resume writing so long as you don’t take it at face value. You should fact-check and edit everything it gives you so the content in your resume accurately reflects your professional journey.
• AI tools like ChatGPT are great for brainstorming ideas, polishing your writing, and identifying key skills you might not realize you have. But at the end of the day, the finished product should be uniquely yours.
• You can leverage ChatGPT to easily tailor your resume for specific job ads and make your application more relevant to each position you’re interested in.
• ChatGPT is useful but it can’t do everything. Make sure you have an ATS-friendly resume template on hand so you can quickly create a document that reflects your skills, experience, and professionalism.