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Although generative AI has been around for years, its prevalence in daily life has increased since the explosive growth of tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Dall-E, and others in the last year. If you aren't familiar, generative AI tools have been trained on extensive amounts of data, much collected directly from the internet. Through exploring this data, it is capable of detecting patterns and relationships within the information, and uses that to generate new content, at the request of a user. Everyday people, creative professionals, and small business owners are exploring the potential of this powerful new tool, simultaneously amazed at its capabilities and increasingly wary of its effect on careers, lives, and our global future.

Its impact on humanity-as-we-know-it aside, we do see AI as a valuable tool for making certain tasks a little more effective and efficient. Exhibit A: the resume update.

Nowadays, hiring at 90% of large companies involves an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), which processes applications from the hundreds (or sometimes thousands) of people that apply for each open position. Hiring managers and HR departments are using these systems to review stacks of resumes, eliminating "unqualified" candidates who don't meet certain qualifications or use specific keywords they have required. AI tools like chatbots can be useful to ensure your resume includes all relevant keywords and explains your qualifications as effectively as possible.

Cater your resume to a specific job description:

How to do it:

Gather your current resume and the desired job description. 

Ask a chatbot to rewrite your entire resume, with this prompt: 

"Rewrite my resume to tailor it to this job description. Here is my resume [paste your resume text here]. Here is the job description: [paste your job description here]."

After a rewritten resume is generated, you can request follow-up changes, like condensing it to one page, or emphasizing certain skills over other skills.

Write interesting bullet points that sufficiently reflect your work experience:

How to do it:

Paste a bullet point or paragraph from your resume into the chatbot.

Ask it to rewrite the bullet point, but pasting an existing bullet point, and then adding this prompt:

"Rewrite this bullet point [or paragraph] to be less than 20 words, including keywords from the job description, use compelling language, and include details from my resume. Here is my resume: [paste your resume here]. Here is the job description: [paste the job description here]."

After new bullet points are generated, you can request that it creates more than one version of that same bullet point. Pick your favorite, and repeat for other bullet points on your resume. 

Identify important terms to use

Suspicious of AI, or just don't want to turn your entire resume over? Have it dig  a little deeper into the job you're applying for, by asking it to review the job description and isolate key terms for your industry.

Try this prompt: "Review this job description and identify industry specific keywords. Job description: [paste job description here]"

Then, ensure you use those terms in your resume and/or cover letter.

Write a stellar professional summary

Your intro statement / resume headline / objective is your first impression. Have a chatbot review your resume and craft a compelling and creative professional summary.

Try this prompt: "Review my resume and write a professional summary for me. Resume: [paste your resume]"

Some tips for using AI to improve your resume:

• include metrics on your inputted resume, and request that metrics be a part of the chatbot's output (prompt example: "... and include metric-based achievements")
• review all results for accuracy - in many cases, if there's a lack of information provided, a chatbot may add in skills and responsibilities that you may not have but are typical in the job you are doing
• don't be afraid to refine a bit's responses with direct requests (example: please rewrite this paragraph but do not talk about [responsibility that was not yours])
• consider its responses to be a starting point and not finished work - expand on its framework with your own personality and wording

The best part about chatbots like ChatGPT  is that they are conversational. If you're unsure of what information it may need to assist you, you can just ask, with this prompt: "I'm a [insert your current role] that wants to work in [insert your desired field] in [city]. I want you to rewrite my resume. What information do you need from me to do this?"

AI tools can be an excellent starting point when tweaking your resume for a specific position. Try these ideas out, have some fun with it, and let us know how it goes!