Should You Use AI to Write Your Resume and Cover Letter?
Credit: Xavier Lorenzo / Moment / Getty Images- More people, including college seniors graduating into the workforce, are using AI to help write their resumes and cover letters.
- AI tools like ChatGPT can help students draft resumes or cover letters, tailor the documents to a specific job, and check for spelling and grammar errors.
- However, students should not wholly rely on AI to write their cover letters or resumes.
Applying for jobs can be time-consuming and often disheartening, requiring hundreds of applications for a single interview. However, some college seniors are adopting a new approach to simplify the job hunt: artificial intelligence (AI).
Hiring managers disagree on the merits of AI-written resumes and cover letters. Some say it’s a massive red flag, while others use AI themselves to assess the resumes applicants send in.
Additionally, a 2023 BestColleges survey found that over 50% of students believed utilizing AI tools on job applications would give some candidates an unfair advantage. Only 36% of respondents considered using AI for writing resumes acceptable, while 35% found it acceptable for cover letters.
But two years later, as job searches become harder for recent graduates, AI might ease some of the burden. There are some right — and wrong — ways to use AI for your resumes and cover letters.
Hiring Managers Split on Whether AI Is Acceptable
Hiring managers have mixed reviews on AI-generated resumes and cover letters — some approve of using the technology, and others see it as a red flag.
A January 2024 survey from Resume Genius found that 53% of hiring managers said AI-generated resumes made them less likely to hire a candidate, with 20% believing it was a “critical issue” that could prevent a candidate from being hired.
In contrast, a poll conducted by Zety, a career service tool, found that most human resources professionals approved of job candidates using AI for “essential job search tasks,” with 66% of respondents supporting using AI for creating resumes and cover letters.
Additionally, 38% of respondents said they were more likely to interview candidates who use AI to enhance their applications.
While opinions on job candidates using AI in the job search vary, many companies are incorporating AI in their hiring processes.
An October 2024 survey from Resume Builder found that just over 50% of companies surveyed use AI in their hiring processes. The most popular way to use AI was to review resumes, with 82% of surveyed companies reporting using AI.
Want to learn about AI and higher education? Read more:
How AI Can Help With Your Resume and Cover Letter
AI tools such as ChatGPT can enhance your job application, but you should not exclusively rely on the technology to write your resume and cover letter.
Create a Draft
You can use AI to help outline or draft your resume or cover letter, but you should be prepared to make extensive edits before submitting it to a hiring manager.
For a more accurate and personalized response, provide details about your work experience and the job description of the position you are applying for in your search query, rather than just asking ChatGPT to “write a resume.”
In your search query, you can include any page length or word limits, tone specifications, and keywords you’d like to highlight in your resume or cover letter.
Example of prompts to create a draft resume or cover letter:
- Create a resume based on this job description and my past work experience.
- Write an executive summary for my resume under 100 words tailored to this job description.
- Write resume bullet points based on my prior work experiences relevant to this specific position.
- Write a cover letter based on this job description and my resume, and include these achievements.
- Create a template for an engaging, persuasive, and formal cover letter for this specific job. Keep the letter to around 300 words and use short paragraphs.
Proofread Your Existing Documents
You can also use AI to edit your current resume and cover letter, either to tailor it to the specific position you are applying to or to review the documents for spelling and grammar mistakes.
Examples of prompts you can use to edit your current resume and cover letter:
- Here is my current cover letter/resume. Based on this job description, can you suggest ways to improve it?
- Are there unnecessary details that I should remove to improve my resume/cover letter?
- Review my resume to ensure that the spelling and grammar are correct.
- Suggest keywords to add to my resume/cover letter based on this job description.
- Review my resume/cover letter as a hiring manager and suggest edits based on this job description.
Common Mistakes Using AI
While AI can offer numerous benefits in your job search, the technology is prone to producing errors that can potentially harm your job applications.
You should thoroughly review any documents created with AI assistance, including checking for grammatical and spelling errors, inaccurate claims about your achievements and qualifications, overly generic templates, and formatting issues.
Ensure that the document you submit represents your personality, work experience, and why you are the best candidate for the job.