Using ChatGPT to Improve Resumes and Cover Letters - Best Strategies and Cautions

Sep 13, 2026

Upload by Liam

Practical guidance on using ChatGPT to strengthen job-search materials, with a focus on tailoring resumes and cover letters to specific roles. The document explains how to provide highly detailed inputs (education, projects, internships, experience, achievements, skills) and to use the same language as job postings. It also warns against sharing personally identifying information and emphasizes verifying AI suggestions, since ChatGPT can make unsupported assumptions or propose hypothetical metrics. Guidance includes ATS-friendly formatting tips and recruiter-oriented best practices.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResumes

FormatPDF

Pages1

AccessFree to download

Using ChatGPT to Improve Resumes and Cover Letters

ChatGPT needs something to work with

ChatGPT makes educated guesses about you

Don’t forget about resume best practices

Using ChatGPT to Improve Resumes and Cover Letters While ChatGPT can’t do all the work for you, it can help you customize your resume and cover letter content and make you stand out in your job search. Below are some strategies and cautions for using AI in your job search. | ChatGPT needs something to work with | | --- | | The more specific you can be, the better. Draft your resume with as much information as you can: education, including major(s) and minor(s); projects or research; co-ops or internships; work experience; volunteer experience; honors or awards; relevant skills; etc. ChatGPT does best when you ask it to improve your descriptions and details based on a specific job description, so this is not the time to be generalized. Your goal here is to customize your resume to align with a specific job role and increase your chances of getting an interview.
Be cautious about sharing personally identifying information with ChatGPT. Consider removing your name and contact information before sharing your resume.
Example prompts:
• Review my resume like an expert coach and let me know five specific changes I can make based on this job description. [insert resume] [insert job description]
• Are there specific buzzwords I should include in my resume to enhance my resume for applicant tracking systems (ATS) for this job? [insert job description]
• How can I improve my work experience descriptions to better align with this job? [insert job description]
• How can I rewrite this paragraph of my cover letter to better align with this job description? [insert portion of cover letter] [insert job description]
• I am a major at University. What parts of my educational experience do you think would be beneficial to include on my resume for roles?
• I’m seeking position. What are the 10 biggest buzzwords across all job postings for that role? | | ChatGPT makes educated guesses about you | | When you ask ChatGPT to improve the bullet points on your resume, it will make some guesses about your experience based on its vast data set. It might assume that if you held X role at X organization that you had X experiences. That might not be true.
Likewise, ChatGPT might suggest that you add numbers to create more impact in your job description statements. Employers like to see numbers that support your accomplishments and achievements , but ChatGPT might make hypothetical suggestions based on what it expects for your experience.
Use ChatGPT’s suggestions to give you ideas for how to quantify your experiences or incorporate important keywords from the job description, but never accept these changes without carefully reviewing them for accuracy. You should help recruiters see your qualifications, but you don’t want to overstate or fabricate your accomplishments. | | Don’t forget about resume best practices | Be aware of techniques that will make your resume ATS-friendly (to get through those tricky applicant tracking systems and online application portals): avoid photos, images, icons, and graphics; avoid two-column layouts; mirror the language of the job description when possible; include keywords mentioned in the job posting. Be aware of techniques that will make your resume stand out with recruiters: put the most relevant information on the top third of the first page; include relevant details and skills; share accomplishments and noteworthy moments; be consistent in formatting choices; use category headings that help you showcase what you have to offer ; quantify your experience by adding numbers. Keeping these best practices in mind when incorporating new ideas from AI could make all the difference in your job search! Have questions? Get resume feedback from Career Services! Make an appointment or email your resume to [resumehelp@nku.edu](resumehelp@nku.edu). Sample prompts borrowed from University of California, Irvine, Division of Career Pathways 5/2024 [NKU Career Services | UC 225 | 859-572

FAQs

How should I provide information to ChatGPT for resume improvements?

Provide as much specific detail as possible, including education (major/minor), projects or research, internships or co-ops, work and volunteer experience, honors/awards, and relevant skills. Use a specific job description so ChatGPT can help align your content to that role.

What are the main risks of accepting ChatGPT’s resume suggestions?

ChatGPT may make educated guesses and could assume experiences that you didn’t actually have, or suggest adding numbers based on expectations rather than facts. Review every change carefully for accuracy and avoid overstating or fabricating accomplishments.

What resume best practices are recommended for ATS and recruiters when using AI ideas?

For ATS, avoid photos, images, icons, and graphics; avoid two-column layouts; and mirror wording from the job description while including relevant keywords. For recruiters, place the most relevant information in the top third of the first page, highlight accomplishments and consistency in formatting, and quantify achievements when possible.

Sep 13, 2026

Upload by Liam