How to Use ChatGPT to Write Your Resume

ChatGPT is a natural language processing (NPL) tool that has garnered significant attention because of its remarkable ability to generate human-like text responses. As such, users now turn to ChatGPT for all sorts of writing, including resumes. 

When you’re applying for jobs, ChatGPT can be a useful resource for:

• Drafting an entirely new resume

• Strengthening resume sections you’ve already written

• Conducting important keyword research

In this article, we’ll go over how to use ChatGPT when you’re working on your resume as well as best practices to follow with this newer technology. If you'd like to learn more about prompt engineering from industry professionals, you might also consider enrolling in Vanderbilt University's Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT course.

Read more: What Is Generative AI? Definition, Applications, and Impact

Writing your resume with ChatGPT

The average job posting receives 118 applications—and only 20 percent of those will be invited to interview [1]. Given the volume and the challenges of getting past an applicant tracking system (ATS), it can be useful to tailor your resume to fit each job description. 

But depending on the number of jobs you apply to, that can amount to a lot of work over time. Because of its heightened natural language processing, ChatGPT can help you tailor your resume for multiple job applications faster. It operates as a conversation through prompting. You’ll prompt the chatbot to do something pertaining to your resume, and you can keep refining your requests until you’re satisfied with the results. Here’s an example: 

Now that you have an idea about what it takes to use ChatGPT for your resume, let’s review specific prompts for two particular use cases:

• Writing a new resume from scratch

• Strengthening the resume you already have

Learn more about prompts in this lecture from Vanderbilt University's Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT course:

How to prompt ChatGPT to write a brand new resume

You can use ChatGPT to write a brand new resume, but first, you’ll need to find a template. ChatGPT can only generate text, so while it will lightly format that text, you will still need to finalize the formatting yourself. 

Start by figuring out what type of resume works best for your needs. Chronological resumes are more common because an ATS can easily scan them, but functional resumes are a popular option when you want to emphasize your skills. You’ll also want to determine the length of your resume, which often correlates with the amount of experience you have.  

Once you have your template, begin asking ChatGPT to generate full resumes or to focus on certain resume sections, such as your job history or certifications. In either case, you’ll want to share as much personal information as you can in your prompt so that the system can deliver results specific to you. It also helps if you can share the full job description for each role you intend to apply to.  

Use the prompts below to begin working with ChatGPT on your resume: 

• Prompt #1: I’m going to give you information about myself. [Name, location, education, a brief overview of experience, major impacts, and any career goals.] Please use this information to write a one-page resume for a [job title] with [X] years of experience. Emphasize the following skills in the skills section: [list of skills]. 

• Prompt #2: I’ve spent the last [X] years working as a [job title] and now I’m interested in pivoting to [job title or industry]. I’ve got a lot of transferable skills such as [skill #1, skill #2, skill #3] and I recently completed a [Professional Certificate on Coursera]. Please use this information and the following job description I will supply to write a one-page resume that emphasizes skills like [workplace skill example] and [technical skill example]. 

• Prompt #3: I’m a recent graduate who attended [university name], earned a degree in [subject], graduated with a [X] GPA, and interned at [company X]. I’m applying for an entry-level [job title] role. Here’s the job description: [copy + paste job description]. Using all of the information I’ve provided, please write a one-page resume that emphasizes accomplishments and metrics. 

How to prompt ChatGPT to strengthen your existing resume

If you already have a resume, it’s a good idea to copy and paste it into ChatGPT, and then begin asking the chatbot to strengthen specific sections, such as your resume summary or past experience. Once again, you’ll likely want to include the job description in the prompt so that it can use keywords and other information from the posting to augment your resume.

• Prompt #1: I’m going to give you my current resume and a job description that I’m particularly excited about. Can you please strengthen my resume summary so that it aligns more closely with the job description and emphasizes [skill #1] and [skill #2]? 

• Prompt #2: I’m going to be applying for [job title at Company X]. Here’s the job description and my current resume. Can you please suggest four resume achievements I can incorporate into my most recent experience based on the responsibilities included in the job description? I’d like you to focus on integrating [major accomplishment]. 

• Prompt #3: I’m going to feed you my current resume and a description of a job that I intend to apply for. Can you please make five suggestions about how I can strengthen my existing resume to better align with the role? 

• Prompt #4: Hi ChatGPT, I’m getting ready to apply for [job title]. Here’s the job description and my current resume. Can you suggest any sections and specific keywords or industry jargon that you’d recommend adding to make me stand out as a candidate? 

Consider the prompts above as starting points. If you want to begin shaping your own, think about your goals in using ChatGPT to work on your resume and search for language that will help you elicit the best response. When you want to revise your resume, words like “strengthen,” “tailor,” and “revise” will help you develop prompts for this purpose.

Read more: How To Write ChatGPT Prompts: Your 2024 Guide

Explore text-to-text prompt techniques in this lecture from IBM's Generative AI: Prompt Engineering Basics course:

Tips for using ChatGPT to work on your resume

Before you begin using ChatGPT to work on your resume, review the strategies below to get the most out of the tool:  

• Craft specific prompts: Specificity will lead to better results. While more general prompts, such as “Please write a one-page resume for an entry-level UX designer” will still generate a response, you may find that you have to go back and do a lot of tweaking to personalize it. When you’re as specific as possible, ChatGPT has more information to work with and can get closer to an outcome that works for you. 

• Keep asking for what you need: Because ChatGPT is an NPL tool, the conversation you have can be ongoing. You can ask it to refine what it generates, such as, “I really like the resume summary you produced, but can you make it more impactful by focusing on metrics?” or combine multiple prompts to elicit the kind of text you most need. 

• Feed it as much information as possible: If you have an existing resume, you’ll definitely want to copy and paste that into the tool. Same with the job description for the role you’re applying to. The more information you can give ChatGPT, the better and more useful its responses will be. 

• Review what ChatGPT gives you: You’ll want to read, verify, and edit the responses ChatGPT delivers, and make sure to personalize them, especially when it comes to resume prompting. As always, it’s important to submit a resume that’s truthful. ChatGPT may suggest things about you that aren’t true. In that case, it’s best to adjust its suggestion so that your resume accurately reflects your past experience and skills. 

Additional tools for your job search

As you leverage ChatGPT capabilities to write your resume, be mindful of other components of a successful job search, like researching companies you'd like to work for and preparing for an interview. We've compiled a few resources for your job search to boost your confidence and move you closer to your career goals:

• 11 Interviewing Skills to Benefit Your Career

• CV Cover Letter Template Examples and Guidance

• 30 Career-Focused Questions to Ask in an Interview

• How to Create a Striking LinkedIn Profile: Guide + Tips

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Continue your career journey with Coursera

ChatGPT skills can be useful in a variety of career paths and industries. Sign up for Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT from Vanderbilt University to learn more about how to use this tool for a variety of projects, personal and professional.

To build broader skills for the whole of your career journey, consider Macquarie University's Adapting: Career Development Specialization. Inside, you'll learn strategies for envisioning a career that aligns with your interests and personality, as well as build leadership skills.