Sunday, October 13, 2024

Using AI to write your resume? Think again

Technology has gradually but significantly penetrated one of the most crucial documents in your professional journey: the resume and cover letter.

The use of AI technology, also known as artificial intelligence, is promising huge advantages associated with convenience and efficiency for job seekers.

It seems great at first but more recruiters warn job seekers against fully trusting AI in creating their applications.

You simply enter a prompt into the text box and AI can deliver quality papers that are well structured, keyword optimized, and appear professional by merely taking up minutes. The promise lies in lifting off the weight of tedious checking, ordering of texts, as well as formatting that would give an opportunity to concentrate more on job searching activities.

Job seekers are using ChatGPT to completely automate the entire process.

Nevertheless, this newly discovered ease is becoming suspicious for experienced headhunters and employers. Even though AI tools have been effective in simplifying the filing process, some inbuilt drawbacks may undercut the genuineness and actual impact of important papers.

Why you should think again

At first glance, it seems like a contemporary way of overcoming the burden of job searching by leveraging AI, but it’s not so black and white. Job searchers are kicking themselves in the foot by making some of these common but detrimental mistakes.

Impersonal and lacking genuiness

Candidates attempt to differentiate themselves when making an entry into the job market.

The only way to gain this recognition is through the creation of a resume that clearly portrays your exclusive abilities, skills and personal attributes – you’re selling yourself to the employer.

AI falls short at this personalization point.

At the end of the day, artificial intelligence aims to copy human-like language and still lacks our personal touch.

Most of them are based on templates and have a fixed structure. Some recruiters can identify applicants for such positions since they write resumes using many identical words and expressions, often from one and the same pool of candidates.

Recruiters say adding personality is a must.

The result is a loss of individuality in which no one’s experience is distinctive. And that is a significant issue because every cover letter should be tailored to address a specific job or industry.

Every company has different needs and values which job seekers can intricately merge into their cover letter to stand out – it’s a definite eye-catcher.

A missed opportunity

Effective­ resumes have the ability to tell a captivating story.

They go beyond simply e­numerating qualifications and skillfully interweave­ them into a cohesive narrative­ that showcases the candidate’s personal growth, professional journey, and dee­p passion for their chosen field.

Unfortunately, AI often falls short in crafting such narratives and instead re­duces resumes to me­re lists of qualifications. And what about creating a connection with the recruiter or hiring manager on a personal level?

Cover letters are a chance to sell your personal side and certain industries appreciate this more than others.

You might get caught

Language discrepancy is a genuine problem when creating cover letters or resumes with AI.

Let’s assume you’ve been selected for an in-person interview. On one hand, there is a carefully chosen, structured and language optimized resume.

But when the candidate speaks, they notice the person sounds nothing like their AI-generated resume. The stark contrast between the language in their documents and verbal communication can be really jarring.

Hiring managers will quickly identify a drastic change in written and verbal communication.

Recruiters expect candidates to articulate their experiences and qualifications fluently and with confidence during interviews.

If a cover letter or resume generated by AI is overly polished or uses jargon that the candidate is not comfortable with, it can create a dissonance when they speak. And what follows afterward is an embarrassing interaction.

Should job seekers ditch AI?

AI is a tool, not a replacement.

Job seekers shouldn’t abandon AI altogether.

It is a powerful tool that can streamline the initial stages of document creation, help generate ideas, and offer suggestions for rephrasing. It’s your valuable personal assistant in your job-seeking journey, but it should never be seen as a direct copy-and-paste solution.

Don’t ditch AI and instead embrace it with a caveat. Job seekers need to do their due diligence by carefully proofreading and editing AI content. Without human intervention, applicants are left with a document without their personal reflection embedded in it.

Ultimately, think of it as a foundation and not the finished product.

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James Bennett

James Bennett

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