Artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionised the world, and its implications will only continue to grow. With so many ways to use AI, is writing your CV one of them?
The answer is mixed — while there are definite positives to using AI technology, there are drawbacks as well. One positive is increased efficiency. AI models like ChatGPT can generate text written like a human, informed by a bank of information the size of the entire internet.
However, ChatGPT is not, in fact, a person, which means it lacks the creativity inherent to humans. Using it to prompt creativity, though, can be a major benefit when drafting your CV.
This blog will explore how ChatGPT can be used to help you write a winning CV. We’ll cover the following:
- What is ChatGPT and how does it work?
- How can ChatGPT help with a CV?
- The risks of using ChatGPT for CV and job search writing
- Some example AI prompts.
What is ChatGPT and how does it work?
Per its parent company, OpenAI, ChatGPT is “a model [...] which interacts in a conversational way. The dialogue format makes it possible for ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests.”
Trained on the internet at large, ChatGPT holds a wealth of information, which it can share based on its training on language patterns.
When asked for a simple explanation of how it works, ChatGPT shared, “ChatGPT is like a super-smart text generator. It learned a lot from reading tons of internet text. When you ask it something, it uses what it learned to come up with a response. It doesn't know specifics, and sometimes it might not make perfect sense. It's like having a really smart chat buddy, but it has its limits.”
How can ChatGPT help with a CV?
If you think of ChatGPT as the really smart chat buddy it labelled itself, you can imagine that the opportunities to use it for CV writing are abundant.
Offering inspiration
When you’re stuck or out of ideas, why not turn to AI to get your creativity flowing? Of course, an AI bot won’t know the true depth of your career, but it can help you dig in and discover more yourself. Tell it what you’re struggling with and it may be able to provide some inspiration.
Rewording and rewriting
Most professionals need a CV, but that doesn’t mean everyone is a professional writer. Your CV should be written in your voice, but ChatGPT can be a great sounding board when you need to vary your verbiage or make a sentence sparkle. If you feel like too many of your CV bullet points sound similar, ask ChatGPT to change some of them around. You can even ask if anything is missing and see what it suggests.
Draft a summary that sells your skills
Sometimes the summary is the trickiest part of your CV. After all, it’s the most free-writing one does when creating their CV. It’s also the first thing the reader sees so it’s important to get it right.
ChatGPT can give you a few versions of a summary, and you can specify the content and any keywords you desire. If you don’t like the text it gives you, just tell it what you dislike and ask it to try again.
Help tailor your CV
It’s helpful to tailor your CV to each job you apply for, and ChatGPT can help you do that in a few ways.
First, you can ask ChatGPT to produce ideal CVs based on a job title. While you won’t typically have a way to access the CVs of competing candidates, ChatGPT can show you what a great CV looks like and you can update yours accordingly.
Moreover, you can use ChatGPT to actually tailor what you’ve written to a given job description. Just copy your CV and the job posting and ask the bot to make updates. Remember to look it over before submitting it anywhere, just to be sure it is a true reflection of your experience.
Risks of using ChatGPT for CV and job search writing
We’ve covered many of the benefits of using ChatGPT, but there are clear risks as well.
It’s not really “you”
First and foremost, using ChatGPT to write your CV means you’re handing off work that would ideally come directly from you. That’s why it’s important to review every CV or cover letter before using them. You want to avoid showing up to an interview and seeming like a different person than your CV reflected.
Lack of variety
You can tell ChatGPT to change its writing style or update its format, but chances are, much of what it produces will seem repetitive. It will likely draft idealised documents that are just like those it shares with all its users. Your CV should reflect your individuality, so make sure you’re not just using exactly what ChatGPT provides.
It can make mistakes
While ChatGPT is based on technology, that doesn’t mean it’s all-knowing. It’s still a technology in its infancy and with a lot of room to grow, so you can’t put full trust in everything it says. You’ll need to be critical and discerning as you decide what to keep and what to throw out.
AI can be detected
Some companies are cracking down on the use of AI, and there’s a lot of software that helps them do it. Using ChatGPT or other AI to brainstorm or help perfect your CV shouldn’t be a problem, but if your entire CV is AI-created, you risk losing out on opportunities.
6 ChatGPT prompts for your CV
Simply asking ChatGPT to help with your CV is too broad; you need to give it something more specific to work with. We’ve put together six prompts to get you started. Just type in the prompt, paste the information you want to work with, and see what happens.
- Create four bullet points based on the list of achievements provided below that best fit with the job description provided below.
- Draft a CV summary that fits the job description below, based on the following list of my career motivations, achievements, and personal traits.
- Share a list of quantifiable achievements that a hiring manager would expect based on the job description below. Pick achievements that only the top 10% of job seekers in this industry may have.
- Tell me the top ten skills that a hiring manager will be looking for based on this job description. Give me an example bullet point to showcase each skill within an industry-specific accomplishment.
- Rewrite the CV summary to include more action verbs in no more than 400 characters. Include at least four keywords from the job description.
- Imagine that you are a hiring manager in [insert industry]. Which of the following achievements should I mention on my CV for this job description? Justify your choices and tell me why they will impress the hiring manager.
If the first answers aren’t helpful, share what you like and dislike and ask for more suggestions. It’s a process of trial and error, so stick with it and be patient. And remember to edit the output so it doesn’t sound like AI wrote your CV.
Key takeaways
- With the explosion of AI, especially ChatGPT, more job seekers are using technology in their search than ever before. AI models can be a great help when writing your CV.
- ChatGPT can help by brainstorming, rewriting, generating text, and tailoring your CV.
- Risks of using ChatGPT include inauthenticity, lack of variety, chance of mistakes, and being uncovered by AI detection tools.
- Make sure to review your CV and other documents before submitting them — don’t just rely on AI.
