Don’t let AI ruin your résumé
Many job seekers hope AI can help their résumés get noticed. But sometimes that can backfire, experts say.
When used correctly, artificial intelligence technology like ChatGPT can drastically improve a résumé and expedite the CV-writing process. But when used incorrectly, the tech can lead folks into several traps.
Fortunately, experts offered several ways job seekers can avoid these pitfalls.
“When it comes to the résumé… leveraging [AI] certainly has some benefits. But it also has some drawbacks,” Amanda Augustine, a career expert from TopResume, a professional résumé writing service, told Yahoo Finance. “And I think it's really important to understand what it can do well, and what it can't do so well, and how to manage those to ensure that what you can come up with at the end of the day, is actually an effective document.”
Here’s what to know.
ChatGPT is only as good as the information you provide it
While AI is a powerful tool for drafting a résumé, the tech is ultimately only as good as the information it is given.
Chat-GPT, like any computer, will do exactly what you tell it,” said Marc Cenedella, the CEO and founder of the AI-based resume writing company Leet Resumés. “The issue is if you don't know the right thing to tell it, the end result will not be successful.”
He added that ChatGPT is unaware of the strategies résumé writers use to attract prospective employers. For instance, he often tells clients to use as many numbers as possible on their résumé to track accomplishments in a job, so a sales director may include the number of new clients he landed over the last quarter.
"There’s some ins and outs to what you’ve got to do on résumé… how to do a résumé that appeals to the computer software that companies use, that appeals to the HR manager, that appeals to the résumé screening, or that appeals to the hiring manager,” he said. “You don't know how to write that in your prompt and we do.”
AI isn’t better at being you than you are
Augustine also warned that AI can prevent a job seeker’s true voice from coming through in their résumé and put them at risk of sounding inauthentic. A TopResume survey last year found that after skills and experience, employers prioritized personality over potential, education, and experience.
Rue Dooley, HR Knowledge Advisor for Society for Human Resource Management, agreed with Augustine. He recommended that people adapt the format and language to match their personal style, which might include their smarts, age, and sense of humor. Dooley recommended advisors look for the sweet spot between too much personality and too little.
"You need the AI. It's as smart and much faster than we can ever be," he said. "But it's not all-knowing and sometimes you have to have that human element."
Make sure the information is accurate
Augustine said people should be wary of so-called AI "hallucinations," or when the technology makes something up in response to a query.
"I like to say that AI is the ultimate people pleaser," she said. "Because if it doesn't know the answer, it's going to make something up."
Besides editing their résumé and fact-checking their work, Augustine recommended that job hunters try accounting for hallucinations in their AI query. For example, while using ChatGPT, she said folks could write something like "If you do not have this information that you don't know or if you do not know the answers, say you don't know" to prevent made-up "facts."
"Otherwise, it is going to just create something because it never comes up empty. It never says 'I have no information.' It will give you some sort of answer,” she said.
Keep an eye out for grammar, punctuation, and language errors
Dooley said that the technology is not above making grammar and punctuation mistakes. He advised résumé writers to be on the lookout for such flaws.
"The language it uses is not locked from error," he said.
Augustine added that AI users should also monitor their résumés for awkward language to ensure the CV reads well.
ChatGPT is not yet a substitute for a human writer
Augustine warned that job seekers should be careful not to over-rely on AI for their résumés. Instead, she said, folks should use it as a way to jumpstart the writing process, and then edit the document rigorously.
"It does not replace the entire writing and editing process. It doesn't necessarily replace working with a résumé writer. It will help you get that initial draft and get the creative juices flowing," she said. "It's great when you're trying to get some initial content to then review and edit and tweak. I think it's incredibly helpful."
When editing, Augustine advised folks to pass their résumé to a friend – ideally, she said, one that knows little about the job the seeker is applying for.
"Give them 20 to 30 seconds and then take it away and say 'what kind of role am I applying for?'" she said. "See if it truly captures your top strengths, your top selling points when it comes to the role that you're actively targeting."
Dylan Croll is a Yahoo Finance reporter.
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