Can AI Write My Resume: What Are Pros and Cons?

Looking for the best ways to write a job-winning resume and maximize your job security? Then you might be thinking of using ChatGPT to save time and money. But that’s not the best choice. AI-generated resumes aren’t nearly as good as those written by actual humans. So here’s everything you need to know before you decide how to create a perfect resume.

What Is an AI Resume?

ChatGPT has recently become the hottest topic; it’s in insane demand. It’s proven itself as an excellent technology for research, idea generation, and writing only content. So it’s only natural that many job seekers wonder if it’s a good idea to use ChatGPT (or any other AI chatbot) for resume writing and cover letters to apply for jobs. The short answer is no, not really, and here’s why.

It Generates a Resume Automatically

An AI chatbot or ChatGPT can’t be used as an AI resume builder because it doesn’t know you and your career accomplishments. It can’t adequately describe your professional qualification and work experiences unless you specifically instruct it to do so. ChatGPT generates content automatically, which leads to an overly generic resume incapable of impressing any recruiter.

An AI-Generated Resume Is Basically the Arithmetic Mean of All Resumes Found Online

An AI resume builder works in the following way: it analyzes countless resume samples for the same job as yours and then uses the information it collects to generate the content for your resume.

As a result, you end up with a resume that is the arithmetic mean of all somewhat resumes found online. In most cases, it doesn’t reflect who you are as an employee and won’t help you land your dream job.

Can AI Write My Resume?

So, simply put, while AI can write your resume, you shouldn’t let it. The result will not be what you’re hoping for. Even more so if you’re applying for middle and senior positions and have many accomplishments to show off.

The number one thing employers value in candidates’ resumes is specificity, which is exactly what ChatGPT or any other AI chatbot can’t deliver. So by using such tools to write your resume and submitting it without thorough editing, you’re robbing yourself of job opportunities and potentially hurting your career.

Can AI Write My Resume If I Edit It Well?

That being said, if you’re confident in your resume writing skills, you can use AI or ChatGPT for resume writing to write a rough draft that you’ll need to edit later. You’ll still have to research the job market for relevant job descriptions and helpful resume examples. And then you’ll also spend a lot of time editing. So whether or not it makes sense to use AI chatbots in the first place is a big question.

Why Job Seekers Want to Use Chat GPT for an AI Resume

Job seekers’ desire to use an AI resume builder is perfectly understandable. Writing one’s resume, not to mention a cover letter for each position an applicant is interested in, can be a daunting chore. Having an online tool do all the work for you is very tempting. And it’s free, which appeals to many people without job security.

You Shouldn’t Entrust ChatGPT with Write an AI Resume for You

That being said, if you’re wondering, “can AI write my resume?” it means that you’re in doubt, which is a good thing. It would be much worse to mindlessly use the AI resume that ChatGPT has generated for you and hope for the better. But this would likely lead to no (or very few) interview invites.

It’s Better to Hire a Professional

Professional resume writers are the only people in the world who can write your resume better than you. If you’re in doubt—trust fellow job seekers. For example, Havajkamaxn on Reddit shares a story about how they struggled to hear back from recruiters for months before they finally decided to invest in resume writing services. Once they did, they landed a great job within weeks.

It’s more affordable than most people think. The price that a professional resume writing service charges varies between about $150 and $1000. But it’s not much money to pay, seeing as a professionally written resume increases one’s chances of getting the job one wants by about 30%. Look at it as an investment into your future and a chance to boost your salary by a few thousand.

You Can Also Use Resume Infographic Examples

But if money is so tight that you’re sure you can’t afford a resume help service, writing applications yourself is still better than relying on ChatGPT. The thing is, recruiters and hiring managers love to see a professional resume with a personal touch. No AI can do that; only a human writer can.

Why It’s a Bad Idea to Use Apply for Jobs With an AI-Generated Resume

Using an AI-generated resume won’t help your career growth. One day, automation might take over writers’ jobs entirely, but that day isn’t today. For now, we won’t recommend job seekers to use AI for their resumes because it generates generic content, can’t give justice to their unique skills and accomplishments, and isn’t the best at ATS optimization.

An AI-Generated Resume Is Very Generic

As discussed, an AI resume is guaranteed to be too generic. When checking ChatGPT’s abilities, our researchers got countless phrases like “a candidate with several years of experience” or “effectively utilized my leadership skills.”

Such phrases are guaranteed to harm the candidate’s chances of getting employed. The questions instantly pop into the recruiter’s mind are “how many years?” and “how exactly did they utilize their leadership skills?”. Only relevant real-life examples and numerical data can fix that, which a human writer can add, whereas an AI chatbot can’t.

It Fails to Highlight Your Unique Selling Points

Candidates’ training, key skills, previous duties, and, most importantly, major achievements are the things that determine their job search prospects. These unique selling points, which any resume writing guide always emphasizes, can’t be gathered from other resumes found online.

They need to be written by a person and backed up by relevant numbers. Without rigorous editing (which sometimes takes more time than from-scratch writing), an AI resume won’t include them.

It Might Not Be Properly ATS-Optimized

Finally, while ChatGPT does its best to ensure that a resume contains important keywords (based on other resumes and job descriptions), its ability to do so still leaves much to be desired. AI technology keeps getting better, but for now, it’s a work in progress.

Currently, AI chatbots still fail to include all the relevant keywords, thus putting the candidate’s job application at risk of being filtered out by Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Did you know that human recruiters don’t even see about 75% of all resumes? By relying on ChatGPT, you increase the chances of yours ending up among that 75%.

Can Resume Infographic Examples Help You Write a Resume?

A free (or very cheap) alternative to a professional resume writing service is using resume templates. Sure, you’ll need to spend time polishing your resume, including adding relevant numerical data. But good templates can at least help you avoid formatting errors, among the factors that lead to recruiters rejecting applications.

It’s Better to Write a Resume Yourself Than Use an AI-Generated One

When job seeker writes a resume themselves using resume templates, it might not be as great as the one written by experts, but it still beats an AI-generated one. This is a smart way to save a little and spend on a cover letter writing service instead. A customized and well-written cover letter is one of the best ways to ensure that your dream employer will hire you.

ChatGPT Resume Writing Summary

AI can be a helpful tool if you do not know resume formatting and proper organization. But resume templates are a much better option because they are regularly updated and, most importantly, customizable. As to resume writing, ChatGPT is a no-go.

The resumes it creates are too generic. They also fail to highlight your unique selling points and aren’t perfectly ATS-optimized. It’s safer to write your resume yourself or, better even, hire a professional. Skillhub’s writers will be happy to help you with resume creation.

FAQ

1. Will recruiters know that I used Chat GPT for my resume?

Recruiters might not realize you used ChatGPT or another AI chatbot to write your resume. But they’ll definitely see that your job application lacks specifics and numbers, which may cost you the job.

2. Is a professional resume by a competent writer expensive?

You can get a professionally written resume for as little as $100 or as much as $1000+. The price depends on your seniority level, requirements, and the service you decide to hire.

3. Is it ethical to use resume writing services?

Yes, hiring a professional writer for your resume is perfectly ethical. It’s nowhere near the same as buying a college essay written by someone else. In fact, recruiters are the first to recommend job seekers to get an expert to write their resumes.

Works Cited

Havajkamaxn. “Wht it’s tough to write a resume: My story.” Reddit, 29 Jun. 2022.

Indeed Editorial Team. “Factors to Consider When Hiring Resume Writing Services.” Indeed, 30 Nov. 2022.

Indeed Editorial Team. “How to Use Numbers in a Resume.” Indeed, 11 Mar. 2023.

Kolmar, Chris. “40+ Awesome Resume Statistics [2023]: What Job Seekers Need to Know.” Zippia, 2 Feb. 2023.

Pelta, Rachel, and Jenna Bellassai. “We Asked ChatGPT to Write Resumes and Cover Letters. Here's What It Got Right (and Wrong).” Forage, 8 Mar. 2023.