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If you asked most people how they wrote resumes several years ago, they'd most likely have a similar response: "I copy information from my job description into a Word document." And most people kept that same document going from job to job. They'd pour over the keyboard trying to figure out how to format to fit as much as possible on the pages.
In today's job market, the process of crafting a compelling resume is undergoing a transformation – the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution. That's probably not surprising to you. You may have even played around with uploading your resume into ChatGPT.
AI can optimize your resume for content, particularly when you align prompts to a targeted focus (like a job description).
But your resume needs a human narrative, focused on persuasion. And it needs to be reviewed by a human before it gets read by a human hiring manager.
That's why I advocate that everyone who uses Chat-GPT (or any AI-powered resume writing) for their resume, should also have human readers give feedback and propose edits.
The Evolution of Resumes: From the days of hand-typed CVs to the era of LinkedIn, resumes and professional branding has evolved. People used to print out resumes, mail them to employers, and wait for the phone to ring. Now, you can apply to hundreds of jobs at once (and even use AI to automate your applications) and applicant tracking systems use natural language processing and algorithms to read resumes and determine qualifications.
The Rise of AI in Resume Writing: Platforms like ChatGPT and various AI-enhanced tools are stepping into the limelight. These platforms can craft, refine, and optimize a resume in seconds. The ability of AI to utilize vast data sets allows for a resume to be tailor-made for specific industries, roles, or even companies. And, like most AI- it does a decent job that will improve the more it trains and learns from data.
Why AI-Optimized Resumes Still Need a Human Review: While AI tools are immensely powerful, there are crucial aspects they might overlook:
Context: AI might choose a skill or experience based on keyword frequency, but it might not fully understand its significance or relevance in the context of a specific job application.
Emotion and Authenticity: A resume is not merely a statement of facts or bullet points. It's a persuasive and compelling branding tool that tells your success story. AI may help with the facts and organization, but it lacks the smoothness needed to create effective narrative.
Subtleties and Nuances: Language is intricate. Phrases that work in one cultural or professional context might not resonate in another. We rely on our 20+ years of experience reviewing resumes and knowledge gained from helping hundreds of professionals to understand nuance of role.
The secret sauce is reviewing your resume with someone who has a depth of experience working with leaders on hiring, managing recruiting processes, configuring applicant tracking systems, and interviewing.
The most compelling resumes are those that resonate on a personal and emotional level with the human reader on the other side of the applicant tracking system...the hiring manager scanning through resumes. While AI can provide a solid foundation, the finishing touches – the nuances, the context, the story – are best left in human hands.
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