How To Use ChatGPT To Write a Resume

ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that can assist with resume writing. It's a large language model (LLM) built using machine learning techniques that allow it to generate resumes that applicant tracking systems (ATS) can read and that will catch employers' and potential clients' attention. This AI tool can also save you time during your job search and help you stand out from other job applicants. 

In this article, we provide a step-by-step guide on using ChatGPT to create the perfect resume for your needs.

Updating an existing resume with ChatGPT

Updating your existing resume ensures it reflects your current skills and experiences, allowing you to quickly reflect the best version of yourself when a new position opens up.

From reviewing your current resume to proofreading and editing, this section covers how ChatGPT can help with optimizing your existing resume. We'll provide ChatGPT resume prompts using the resume of someone looking for work as a software developer.

1. Review your current resume

A good resume should have a logical structure, highlighting common components like educational qualifications, work experience, a skills section, and certifications. ChatGPT can check for all these things. 

Upload your current resume to ChatGPT and use it for a comprehensive critique. ChatGPT can focus on your strengths and identify areas needing improvement. It can also further assess your work history, skills, and overall resume format and compare it with the job description of your desired position.

To illustrate, we uploaded a resume onto ChatGPT and asked, "Can you analyze my resume and provide feedback on its structure, content, and relevance for a software development role?"

ChatGPT found that the resume had a clear structure, relevant skills, and experiences for a technical writer role. It also provided guidance the user can implement in editing their resume, which would be helpful to have on hand throughout the following steps.

However, please note that ChatGPT could collect your personal details and use them for training purposes. It's a good idea to leave out identifying information like contact details while uploading your resume to ChatGPT.

2. Align the resume with job market trends

A good resume should align with changing market trends. ChatGPT can help you find information about the latest trends for your industry or role. As a result, you can ensure your resume stays current and competitive.

A prompt template you can use to assess job market trends is: "Analyze current job market trends for [INSERT ROLE] in the U.S. Include data on their demand, average salary ranges, most sought-after skills, and any notable shifts or emerging trends in this career field."

Here's ChatGPT's analysis of the job market trends for software developers in the U.S.:

To align a software developer resume with job market trends based on this ChatGPT response, you could:

• Highlight your skills or experience in web development, data engineering, AI, machine learning, or cloud computing, as these are high-growth areas.
• Emphasize your proficiency in cybersecurity, AI/ML, cloud computing, and data management, as these are listed as the most sought-after skills.
• If applicable, showcase your full-stack development capabilities, which are noted as being in high demand.
• Quantify your impact in previous roles, potentially using salary figures as benchmarks to demonstrate your value in the competitive tech job market.

Mission-critical information should always be verified from independent sources. 

OpenAI has a disclaimer that ChatGPT can produce inaccurate and misleading information. It can also use outdated data to inform its findings. The chatbot output offers a convenient first step, but it's usually not a great source to rely on for important information.

In this case, you could follow up with information about software developers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

3. Update the professional summary

A professional summary allows employers to get to know you quickly. This section summarizes your skills, experiences, and personal qualities. A professional resume should have an engaging professional summary that's relevant to your desired job positions.

ChatGPT can help you revise your current professional summary to make it more appealing. It can also ensure the summary highlights your recent achievements and career aspirations.

For example, a prompt like "Help me revise my professional summary to reflect my five years of experience in [INSERT ROLE]" will get you tips to improve your resume:

Be sure to fact-check the output against your own skills and experience and fix any errors before including them in your resume. 

4. Revise the work experience section

A work experience section showcases your employment history and accomplishments, allowing recruiters to make sense of your skills and abilities.

ChatGPT can help restructure your work experience section, ensuring it focuses on recent experiences and relevant job responsibilities. It can also generate concise and impactful resume bullet points, highlighting your best values. Be sure to update relevant resume sections with specific metrics for your industry.

For instance, we used the "Assist me in updating my work experience section to showcase my skills in software development" prompt in ChatGPT.‍ You can also offer ChatGPT additional instruction, such as using action verbs.

To revise the work experience section of your resume using this ChatGPT response, you could:

• Follow the provided structure to organize each job entry, including the job title, company name, and duration of employment.
• Use the bullet points as a template to describe your responsibilities and achievements, replacing the bracketed text with specific details from your own work experience.
• Edit each bullet point to highlight a concrete accomplishment or skill, using action verbs and quantifiable results where possible.
• Tailor the language and emphasis of each point to match the requirements of the software development role you're applying for, showcasing relevant technologies and projects.

5. Enhance skills and certification

The technical or soft skills and certifications you list on a resume should match the requirements of the job you're applying to. ChatGPT can suggest current and in-demand skills and certifications to include on your resume.

To illustrate, we used the "Provide a current list of skills and certifications that are most sought after for a software developer position" prompt to generate the following outputs:

To enhance the skills and certifications section of your resume using this ChatGPT response, you could:

• Add or highlight any skills you have related to AI integration, machine learning, cybersecurity, data science, and cloud computing, as these are identified as highly sought-after.
• If you lack experience in these areas, consider pursuing online courses or certifications to gain knowledge in these in-demand fields.
• Mention proficiency with cloud platforms like AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud if you have experience with them.
• Organize your skills section to prominently feature these high-demand areas, even if you're still developing expertise in them, to show your awareness of industry trends and commitment to growth.

6. Optimize for applicant tracking systems (ATS)

Applicant tracking systems (ATS) help recruiters collect, sort, and rank job applications. Making your resume ATS-friendly increases the chance that the resume-screening machines will recognize you as a good match for the position and pass your resume to the employers' next steps. Information in ATS-friendly resumes can also be easily extracted to give recruiters the details they need.

To help with this, ChatGPT can suggest keywords and formatting tips that align with common ATS algorithms, enhancing your resume's visibility.

To illustrate, we used the resume prompt: "How can I optimize my resume for applicant traction systems in the software development sector?"

These resume tips can help you improve your resume so ATS algorithms can read it. It will also help employers quickly find the information they need—which is important since they only spend an average of six to seven seconds looking at each resume.

7. Proofread and edit for clarity

A good resume should be free of grammar and spelling errors. You can save time and improve the quality of your resume by using ChatGPT for proofreading and editing.

For example, you can use a prompt like "Proofread my resume for grammar and clarity." Here's how ChatGPT responded to this command:‍

Always check the output to make sure it reflects accurate information before implementing it into your resume.

Create a new resume using ChatGPT

Are you looking to create a new resume? We show how ChatGPT can help you get started. We also provide ChatGPT prompts that you can customize to fit your desired job title and role.

1. Define your career objectives

To create a good resume, you should have clear career goals. ChatGPT can assist in defining and articulating your career objectives.

An example of a prompt you can use is, "Highlight clear career goals a person looking for a/an [INSERT ROLE] position should have."

The following career goals for a software developer are AI-generated using ChatGPT:

To define your career objectives using this ChatGPT response, you could:

• Reflect on which of the goals above align with your personal interests and current skill level, then prioritize them accordingly in your resume and cover letter.
• Use the language provided to craft specific, measurable objectives demonstrating your commitment to growth.
• Tailor these objectives to each job you're applying for, emphasizing the goals that best match the company's or client's needs and the position's requirements.
• Consider how you can demonstrate progress towards these goals through your current activities or future plans, and include that information in your application materials (such as your cover letter).

2. Generate a professional summary

While creating a resume, you should include an engaging professional summary that captures your qualifications, values, and career goals. Once again, ChatGPT can provide suggestions for wording and structuring the professional summary section.

For instance, the prompt "Create a professional summary for a recent graduate looking for junior roles in the software industry" resulted in the following ChatGPT output:

To generate a professional summary using this ChatGPT response, you could use the provided example as a template, adapting it to reflect your own educational background, internship experiences, and specific skills.

3. Build up the work experience section

A detailed work experience section highlights your achievements and practical skills. Employers use this section to assess your past experiences when determining if you'd fit the role. Always include a work experience section on your resume, even if you're just starting.

If you're a recent graduate, ChatGPT can act as a career coach and help you frame internships, volunteer and freelance work, or personal projects as valuable experiences.

To illustrate, you can submit a prompt like "How do I present my personal software projects as experience effectively in my resume?" In our case, ChatGPT recommended creating a dedicated section titled "Personal Projects." You can then highlight the different projects you've worked on and provide links for confirmation.

Other ChatGPT tips included:

You can use this output as a guide for this resume section, inserting your own work history and experience where indicated.

4. List education and skills

A good resume should clearly list your educational qualifications and relevant skills to convince employers you're well-prepared for the role. ChatGPT has been trained on vast data sets, including those touching on recruitment processes. As a result, it can provide advice on how you can highlight your educational achievements and align your skills with job requirements.

A simple prompt like "List educational qualifications and skills that are essential for a junior software developer role" can help you tailor your resume more effectively.

Incorporate any of the tips above that apply to you when listing your education and skills on your resume. For instance, if you don't have a formal degree in computer science, highlight relevant coursework or personal projects that demonstrate your knowledge of key concepts like algorithms, data structures, and programming languages.

5. Customize for specific job applications

If you're working on multiple job applications, you should tailor your resume for each role. This ensures you're including skills, qualifications, and experiences that are relevant to a specific position. Tailoring your resume also gives it a better chance of passing through ATS systems and reaching hiring managers.

An example of a ChatGPT prompt you can use to customize your resume is, "Adapt my resume for an application to a software development role focusing on technical writing." 

In this case, give the chatbot your resume as well as the text from the job listing you want to apply for.

Insert your own information as you incorporate these suggested additions into your resume. 

6. Create a cover letter

Once you've created a resume, you should also draft a cover letter that complements it. A cover letter introduces you to potential employers and demonstrates your interest in a specific role.

ChatGPT can assist you in creating a cover letter that complements your resume and appeals to potential employers. The AI tool can also generate a resume summary to guide you when writing a cover letter.

An example of a ChatGPT prompt to use in this situation is, "Create a cover letter that highlights my strengths in software development."

This output provides a helpful framework to plug your work history and experience into.

7. Review and finalize the resume

Once you're done writing your resume, consider using ChatGPT for a review. The AI chatbot can quickly analyze your resume, focusing on important aspects like clarity, coherence, and conciseness. ChatGPT can then provide suggestions to make your resume more appealing.

You can use a simple prompt like, "Review my resume for clarity and conciseness, ensuring it's tailored for a software developer role."

Review the content to ensure it fits your desired role, then make any necessary edits.

Put your resume to work on Upwork

A well-written resume helps potential employers identify your educational qualifications, experiences, and skills. You can use AI to achieve this and create a clear, well-structured resume that shows hiring managers what you bring to the table. Next, all that's left is to nail the job interview.

Do you need help creating a professional resume? Upwork can connect you with resume-writing experts to create compelling resumes and engaging cover letters to increase your chances of landing your dream job.

If you're an expert looking for work, Upwork can help you find different freelance jobs to grow your portfolio. You can also offer your resume writing services on Upwork to earn extra income.

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Upwork does not control, operate, or sponsor the tools or services discussed in this article, which are only provided as potential options. Each reader and company should take the time to adequately analyze and determine the tools or services that would best fit their specific needs and situation.