What are the pros and cons of AI for resume creation?

Jack's been job hunting for over 3 months and hasn't been hired. His friend Matt advised him to use AI to boost his resume. Jack is confused about using AI for resume creation. He starts his research on using AI and finds some pros and cons.

What's artificial intelligence (AI)?

AI is a computer program or a machine that can mimic human understanding. Some common AI productivity tools are ChatGPT, Bing, Grammarly, Jasper, etc.

What's AI resume writing?

It's using AI systems (like ChatGPT, Gemini, and resume.io) to create a job resume.

Job seekers use AI to customize and polish their resumes to look professional and fit various job roles.

Jack, in his research about using AI for resume writing, finds the following advantages:

1. Fast and efficient

AI tools generate resumes within minutes, saving time and energy. They're trained in a wide range of texts and have gained a command of the language. They quickly refine your resume for style, wording, grammar, and clarity.

2. Easy customization

AI customizes resumes based on job roles, industry, skills, and experiences. They can infuse keywords that get the attention of recruiters and help pass resumes through an Applicant Tracking System (ATS).

3. Consistency and feedback

AI ensures consistent format and offers insights based on widely accepted resume best practices, points out areas that require work, and makes suggestions for improvements.

4. Accessibility

AI tools are easy to use and don't require technical expertise. Most tools are free or offer low-cost services compared to hiring professional resume writers.

5. Personalization options

It provides tailored content recommendations depending on career objectives. It creates several resumes customized for various roles, potentially increasing the success rate of the applicant.

Jack is surprised that everyone isn't using AI-generated resumes to increase their chances of getting hired!

While AI tools offer many benefits, there are certain drawbacks, and they don't produce great results on their own.

Jack found some drawbacks to using AI for resume creation in his research:

1. Overlooks skills

AI tools like ChatGPT write resumes from prompts. They don't delve deep into the career and highlight transferable skills relevant to the job.

2. Lacks personality

AI-generated resumes look too artificial, with well-written bullet points that lack personal touches. The resume may not stand out, as other applicants would've used similar formats.

3. Loss of creativity

In some sectors, like the creative field, recruiters expect creativity and originality from candidates. Such recruiters can easily rule out candidates using AI-generated resumes.

4. Integrity issues

Since AI creates resumes from existing data, it could produce a plagiarized resume. Recruiters consider this an integrity issue and may reject the candidate.

Jack is confused about whether to use AI or not to create his resume, but his friend Matt explained that he should:

• Use AI tools sparingly — only when you lack inspiration or feel stuck on where to start.

• Format and review your resume using AI tools to spot inaccuracies and typos.

• Extract keywords from job descriptions using AI. Don't just fill your resume with keywords.

• Rewrite sentences created by AI to make them sound more personal and convey your passion for the job.

• Run your resume through plagiarism checkers to ensure originality.

Recruiters and hiring managers look for the little personal touches that show a candidate has spent time applying for the job. So, don't entirely depend on AI tools and lose your chance.

Photo by Kyle Glenn on Unsplash

While you can use AI tools to create an efficient resume, recruiters don't just shortlist candidates for their well-crafted resume. They look for creativity, skills, originality, and passion to do the job.

Further your knowledge with these suggestions for creating resumes from Rumie: