How to Tailor Your Resume to a Job Description with ChatGPT

What Is Resume Tailoring?

Resume tailoring involves customizing your resume for each specific job application. 

Instead of sending the same basic version of your resume to every job opening you find, you adjust your resume to highlight the skills, experiences, and achievements most relevant to the position you're applying for.

When you tailor your resume, you're essentially speaking the employer's language.

You show them exactly how you fit their criteria and make it easier for them to see you as the ideal candidate. This might involve reorganizing your work history, adjusting your skills section, or rewriting your resume summary to align with the job ad.

And, luckily, ChatGPT can be a powerful tool you can use during this process.

The AI chatbot can help you analyze job descriptions, suggest relevant keywords, and even help you rephrase your experiences to better match what employers are looking for. So, tailoring your resume doesn’t have to take up much time at all.

How to Use ChatGPT to Tailor Your Resume in 7 Steps

ChatGPT can streamline the resume-tailoring process while ensuring your resume is fine-tuned for each application.

But how exactly can you use ChatGPT to tailor your resume?

Not to worry! We’ve split the process into simple steps so you can follow along while reading our article:

#1. Identify Keywords

One of the most crucial steps in tailoring your resume is identifying the right keywords from the job description. These keywords are often specific skills, qualifications, or experiences the employer seeks in an ideal candidate.

For starters, just copy and paste the job description into ChatGPT and ask it to extract and list the most important keywords from the text.

These can be related to skills, qualifications, and experiences, so we recommend also asking ChatGPT to categorize the keywords to navigate them more easily. The categories can vary among technical skills, soft skills, qualifications, etc.

For example, you might prompt ChatGPT like this:

Once you have that list, review it to ensure it aligns with how you understand the job. Then you can use any keywords that apply to you throughout your resume, especially in your skills section, work experience descriptions, and resume summary.

This way, ChatGPT can help you save time when analyzing the job advertisement and guarantee you’re not overlooking anything that could make your resume stand out.

Here’s what this looks like in practice:

#2. Expand on Work Experience

When tailoring your resume, it's important to highlight the most relevant aspects of your work experience.

This means you need to expand on your work experience in a way that aligns with the job you're applying for. This is another thing ChatGPT can help you with.

Start by providing ChatGPT with a brief description of your previous job and the job you're applying for now.

You can, for example, ask ChatGPT to suggest ways to emphasize the most relevant responsibilities and skills from your past role or highlight any transferable skills.

For example:

Let’s look at what ChatGPT might suggest from putting this prompt into action:

ChatGPT can also help you rephrase your job responsibilities to better match the language used in the job ad you’re applying to. It can even suggest industry-specific terminology and phrases that might make your experience sound more relevant and impressive.

For example, you could ask ChatGPT to suggest action verbs and power words to describe your achievements. Using the right language can make your resume more dynamic and impactful.

And here’s how you can turn ChatGPT’s output into usable bullet points for your resume: 

Expanding on your work experience this way means you're not just listing what you did; you’re showing how your past roles have prepared you for the position you're applying for now. 

Just remember that while ChatGPT can provide valuable suggestions, it's up to you to make sure that all the information remains truthful and accurate. Use ChatGPT’s suggestions as a starting point, then refine and personalize the content to truly reflect your experience.

#3. Describe Achievements in Detail

If you’re applying for a similar position to the one you had before, simply describing your day-to-day responsibilities won’t impress the hiring manager. It’s likely they already know exactly what you did in your previous role.

That’s why you have to focus on your achievements instead.

Your professional achievements can make you stand out because they don’t just show the hiring manager what you did; they show them how you did it and the impact you had at your previous company. This is your ticket to proving that you can be a great asset to their company, too.

Just look at how these responsibilities compare to achievements for the same job:

Responsibilities:

• Generated leads through cold-email outreach.
• Helped manage new company clients.

Achievements:

• Exceeded sales team KPIs by 25%+ for 4 months.
• Generated an average of over $13,000 in sales per month for 2 years.

This is another thing ChatGPT can help you with.

You can use the chatbot to describe your accomplishments in detail.

Start with your basic job responsibilities and any metrics or successes you can remember.

Then, ask ChatGPT to help transform these into achievements listed in bullet points. For example:

You can also use ChatGPT to brainstorm quantifiable achievements you might have overlooked. You can use prompts like "What are some typical achievements for a [your job title] I can add to my resume?" and single out achievements that could apply to you.

#4. Write a Resume Headline

One of the most important aspects of a well-tailored resume is having a relevant resume headline.

Hiring managers spend an average of six seconds looking at a resume before they decide if it’s worth reading.

So, you have a very brief window to make a good first impression. This is where your resume headline comes in.

This brief paragraph at the top of your resume can determine whether a hiring manager reads your resume in more detail or moves on to the next applicant.

And, when done right, your resume headline tells employers why you're the ideal candidate for the job.

To write your resume headline with ChatGPT, we recommend using the same chat to tailor every other aspect of your resume first.

Then, in the end, you can ask ChatGPT to help craft a resume headline based on the job you’re applying for and on the professional information it already has about you.

Once you’re ready to write that resume headline, there are two approaches you can take:

• Resume Summary. This paragraph summarizes your years of experience, relevant skills, and impressive achievements in two or three sentences. We recommend this if you already have some work experience.
• Resume Objective. This paragraph focuses on your best skills and most relevant qualifications, as well as your career goals and how they align with the company. This is a better choice if you’re new to the field.

You can copy and paste our description of either type of resume headline and give it to ChatGPT.

Then, ask it to generate several options highlighting how you align with the job requirements.

Choose the paragraph that best captures your needs and edit it to make sure it reflects who you are as a candidate in your voice.

Here’s a prompt you can use to write a great resume summary tailored for the job:

And here’s what this would look like in practice for a video game animator:

#5. Match Skills and Qualifications

Whether you get called for an interview hinges on how well your skills and qualifications match what the employer seeks.

So, tailoring your resume is all about showing the hiring manager that you're the ideal candidate for the specific role.

First, you can ask ChatGPT to help you pinpoint the skills and qualifications in the job ad. Usually, job postings list these in bullet points but there can also be implied qualifications you might miss if you’re not careful.

Once ChatGPT has the job ad, give it a list of your skills and experiences. Ask it to compare these with the job requirements and highlight the matches.

If you’re not sure you have some of the skills the employer is looking for, ask ChatGPT to suggest how you might have developed these skills based on your experience.

Say, for example, that the job requires experience as a customer service representative and you lack that experience. But if you’ve worked in other customer-facing jobs, that might mean you have the customer service skills they’re looking for anyway.

Alternatively, if there are skills you're less confident about, you can also ask ChatGPT to suggest related skills or experiences that could still be relevant to the job.

Let's say a marketing job requires "SEO expertise," but you have limited experience in that. You could ask ChatGPT to suggest skills related to SEO based on what it knows about your work history.

Here’s what that might look like:

And here’s the prompt, so you can try it out yourself:

#6. Optimize for Applicant Tracking Systems

If you’re wondering whether it’s ok that you’re using an AI chatbot to help tailor your resume, know that most hiring managers have a robot assistant of their own - the Applicant Tracking System (ATS).

ATS are automated HR helpers that scan through hundreds of resumes and only let the ones that meet certain requirements pass through.

These requirements can include keywords from the job ad, certain skills, qualifications, or even section titles and formatting on a given resume.

The goal, however, isn't to stuff your resume with keywords but to naturally incorporate them where they accurately reflect your abilities and experiences. This way, you can pass the ATS and show the hiring manager that you're a great fit for the role.

You can use ChatGPT to help you optimize your resume for the ATS without compromising its readability.

Just ask ChatGPT to analyze the job description and identify the likely keywords. Then, ask it to suggest how to incorporate these keywords into your resume as naturally as possible. For example:

Here are the keywords ChatGPT gives for a job ad for a professional photographer:

And the advice on how to integrate them:

#7. Use a Professional Resume Template

ChatGPT is great for tailoring your resume content, but it can't handle the visual aspects, which are just as important. Creating a well-formatted, visually appealing resume requires time.

You have to set the page margins, tweak the line spacing, and choose a good font, all while making sure your resume sticks to one page.

But if you need a shortcut, this is where our free resume builder comes in handy.

Novorésumé offers a range of professionally designed templates that let you quickly personalize your job application.

Each resume template is created with input from HR experts, ensuring your resume looks stylish while meeting all industry standards. Just input the content you've written with ChatGPT's help into our user-friendly interface and you’ll be done in minutes.

Just look at how one of our resume templates compares to a basic black-and-white text editor resume:

9 Mistakes to Avoid When Using ChatGPT

Now that you have a general idea of how to use ChatGPT to tailor your resume to the job ad, you should also learn how not to use it.

Here are a few common mistakes to watch out for:

1. Believing Everything It Says. ChatGPT can make mistakes. Always double-check the information it gives you, especially when it comes to your own experiences.
2. Using Unclear Instructions. If you're not specific, ChatGPT won’t be as helpful in its answers. Be clear about the job you’re applying for and your exact professional background.
3. Forgetting to Proofread. Sometimes, ChatGPT phrases things awkwardly. Always read the generated text thoroughly and fix any mistakes you find.
4. Letting AI Do All the Work. If you use AI-written content too often, your resume might sound robotic and impersonal. Always mix in your own words so the text flows naturally.
5. Ignoring Formatting. ChatGPT only helps with words, not visuals. Your resume needs to be visually appealing, so don’t forget to perfect the resume format and customize it.
6. Making Things Up. It might be tempting to exaggerate so you impress the hiring manager, but you should always stick to the truth when it comes to your skills and experience.
7. Missing Industry-Specific Details. ChatGPT might give you a generic output if it doesn’t have information about the specifics of your field. Make sure your resume fits the norms of your industry and includes the field’s jargon.
8. Giving Up Too Soon. Don't expect that the first thing ChatGPT gives you is going to be perfect. Keep asking it to improve and refine its output until you get what you need.
9. Losing Your Personal Touch. While AI can help, your resume should still sound like you. Make sure your personality and unique qualities shine through in your text.

9 Example Prompts to Help Tailor Your Resume with ChatGPT

Wondering where to get started with ChatGPT to tailor your resume? We’ve curated a list of potential prompts you can try out!

Check them out:

1. Please analyze this job description and give me a full list of the keywords you can find. List them by importance and categorize them as technical skills, soft skills, qualifications, and whatever other categories you see fit. [paste job description after this prompt]
2. I’m applying for a position as a [role]. Based on my previous job in [role/industry], how can I expand on my work experience to highlight relevant skills and responsibilities?
3. In my previous job, I did [X], [Y], and [Z]. Can you help rephrase this as an achievement?
4. What are some typical achievements for a [your job title]? Please provide a list in bullet points with brief explanations.
5. How can I describe [work responsibility] in a way that makes me look good on my resume?
6. I’m applying for this job. [paste job ad] Based on my work experience, skills, and other qualifications, can you create a brief resume summary that’s tailored to the job? [paste your work experience, skills, and other qualifications]
7. I've worked as a [role] for [x amount of time] but now I’m applying for a job as a [role]. How might I have developed [y industry-specific skills] in my role that could be applied to this job?
8. I’m applying for a job that requires [x skills] that I don’t have. I’ve done [y job/project/experience]. What related skills could I highlight?
9. Based on this job description, what are the top ten keywords an ATS might look for, and how can I integrate them seamlessly into my resume? [paste job description]

Key Takeaways

Now you know how to use ChatGPT to tailor your resume for a job ad. The world of job hunting is your oyster!

But before you go, let’s just recap the main points:

• ChatGPT can be a great tool for resume tailoring, so long as you always review and edit its suggestions to make sure the content is accurate and authentic.
• Use ChatGPT to identify keywords from job descriptions to make your resume more relevant and ATS-friendly.
• You can use ChatGPT to expand on your work experience and describe your achievements in detail. This way, you can show the hiring manager the impact you can make, not just that you can follow instructions well.
• ChatGPT can help you write a compelling resume summary or resume objective, so you can catch the hiring manager’s attention right off the bat.
• While ChatGPT can tailor the contents of your resume, it can’t do everything. Remember to use a professional, ATS-friendly resume template to make sure your job application is perfect.