Why Using AI To Write Your Resume Is A Big Mistake

Robin Ryan

ChatGPT has become an AI tool that many people use today. They are also using Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, and CoPilot. Using these tools to help create a better resume has become much more commonplace than it ever was before. But is that a good idea?

My career counseling client, Dylan, was surprised when I reviewed his resume and recognized that he had used AI to create it. The conversation went like this.

“Dylan, let’s go through some of your resume and review your listed duties and accomplishments. Tell me about this one.” His response was hesitant, saying, “I haven’t done that.” And I replied, “Your resume says you did.”

“Dylan, ChatGPT wrote this resume for you, didn’t it?” He admitted that yes, it had. He replied, “I gave it my old resume along with the description of the job I was applying for. I thought the AI-created resume looked pretty good.” Well, not when it listed a lie. He wondered how that had happened. Tech people refer to these AI mistakes as a “hallucination,” or in other words, it just made something up.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Never assume an AI-generated resume is accurate. AI can add skills, accomplishments, or information that you did not actually do, creating a serious credibility problem with recruiters.
Your resume needs results, not just responsibilities. Employers want proof of what you accomplished, contributed, improved, created, saved, or generated.
You have to identify your accomplishments before AI can help communicate them. AI only works with the information you provide and cannot know the results you achieved during your career.
Quantify your impact whenever possible. Numbers, percentages, dollar amounts, team size, scope, and before-and-after comparisons make accomplishments more convincing.
Lead with your strongest accomplishments. Put the most important resume bullet first and order the remaining bullets according to what matters most for the job you are targeting.

Avoid a major mistake when using AI

Since Dylan actually lacked that skill, imagine what it would have been like if it hadn’t been me, but a recruiter, who was talking to him about a job. He would have had to admit it was something that he hadn’t done. That he had misrepresented himself and lied. That would torpedo that job opportunity, and he would have missed out on a job that he really wanted. Also, consider the frustration the recruiter would have felt realizing she had wasted her time.

It isn’t just Gen Z that seems to be making this mistake. Many people are trying to enhance their resumes by using AI to write it. But instead of it being better, what they usually get has become too generic, which a recruiter can spot, even if the resume manages to make it through the initial screening. The AI-created resume lacks the one thing employers care the most about: your results

What AI is missing

Artificial Intelligence does not think. It will not ask the right questions. It won’t know any of the results you achieved. It works from what it reads, based on what you tell it. So, if you don’t have the accomplishment clearly outlined, it won’t appear on an AI-generated resume.

What impresses employers most is when you highlight key outcomes, such as delivering cost savings, creating something new, generating revenue, or increasing productivity. Depending on AI to do this will leave out the most influential things your resume must state—the results you achieved.

Best way to improve your resume

Most people write weak resume bullets because they focus on duties and what they were responsible for, rather than on what they delivered. Hiring managers don’t want a job description. They want proof you performed, contributed, and produced results.

The fastest way to uncover strong bullet content is to step back and analyze your work experience like an employer would. Ask yourself these questions and write down the answers:

What was my most important accomplishment performing this job?
What changed because I did this?
Did I create something new?
Any innovation? Automation?
What did I improve and how did that help the company?
Did I deliver any cost savings?
Did I make money or add revenue to the bottom line?
Did I create any improvements that saved time or improved efficiency?
What problem did I solve and what happened because I solved it?
Did I lead, influence, or drive something to happen?
Did I improve customer satisfaction, retention, or service results?

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Quantify your results

Next, prove your impact by adding numbers whenever possible. Use statistics: numbers, dollar amounts, and percentages. The exact figure doesn’t have to come from an Excel spreadsheet—it can be your best honest estimate of the savings, money gained, improvement, or contribution you made. Often, using a percentage is easier to recall and just as powerful. Define the scope, noting how large it was, how many, or provide a before-and-after comparison.

For example:

Created and implemented a new process that increased productivity by 22%
Led a global cross-functional team of 20 managers and engineers
Designed an improved tool that reduced plant installation work. Results saved over 200 hours annually.
Led the new product development and assisted with the product launch into 5 countries
Opened the markets in seven states within eight months, driving rapid expansion
Led the innovation, automation, and implementation of a new enterprise system. Results increased productivity by 40% and saved $175K.
Directed multiple cross-functional teams that delivered end-to-end business transformation solutions for the client

If your work involves sales, it’s essential to demonstrate your impact with statistics. Here is a sample of how to highlight this.

Led the sales team with 6 reps in an underperforming territory and grew revenues from $45M to $96M in 18 months, making the territory number 1 in sales for the company

Not everything can be quantified, but your goal is to quantify results whenever you can.

The most important resume rule is to put the best bullets first

When writing your resume bullets, always start with your most important accomplishment first, followed by the next most important. Put bullets in the right order based on what matters most to the employer for the job you’re applying for.

Outcomes impress an employer

Results are what you must stress to produce a more powerful resume. AI can’t do that for you; only you know that information. Clearly articulating outcomes and accomplishments is what will get the recruiter’s attention. Pointing those out is key to getting an interview and landing a new job.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

Can ChatGPT, or other AI chatbot, write my resume?

AI can help you write your resume, but letting an AI chatbot write it completely on its own is a huge mistake. You need to control what it writes.

AI can assist in improving your wording, organization of information, and communication of accomplishments. A big problem comes when job seekers assume everything AI produces is accurate. I tell clients to carefully review every line. If AI adds a skill, accomplishment, number, or responsibility that isn’t true, take it out.

Your resume has to accurately represent what you have done.

How do I use ChatGPT to write a better resume?

Start by giving AI the right information. It doesn’t know what you accomplished unless you tell it.

This is one of the biggest problems I see when people use AI to help them write a resume. They give it a job title and a few responsibilities and expect it to create powerful results.

It cannot know that you increased sales, improved a process, saved money, led a major project, or solved an important problem unless you provide those details. You have to do the thinking first. Then AI can help you communicate those accomplishments more effectively than you might on your own.

How do I make my resume stand out with and without AI?

Before even thinking about using AI, first focus on your accomplishments and results, not simply your job responsibilities.

Whenever possible, quantify your impacts. Look for numbers, percentages, dollar amounts, time saved, team size, project scope, or a before-and-after comparison.

In my work with clients, I spend a lot of time uncovering these details because they are often what turns an ordinary job description into a compelling resume.

AI cannot create these details and their impacts. You need to do this on your own.

AI chatbots like ChatGPT, or Gemini, or Claude, can help you better communicate your results once you have them by suggesting improvements to wording or organization.

How do I write strong resume bullet points with AI and without it?

Start by doing some analysis on your own, before using an AI chatbot.

Ask yourself: What actions did I take, and what were the results?

Use those answers to create strong bullet statements that show what you accomplished, not just what you were responsible for.

Lead with the accomplishment that best demonstrates your value for the job you are targeting and matters most to that employer. Order the remaining bullets based on their importance to the employer. Your strongest evidence should never be buried in the middle or at the bottom of the section.

If you use AI, use it to help improve your wording. Use your judgment to decide what to bullet to lead with and how to sequence the rest.

A version of this article was first published in Forbes.

Robin Ryan

A career counselor that helps clients land jobs, I offer Resume Writing, LinkedIn Profile Writing, Interview Coaching, AI Job Search Coaching, and Career Coaching for New College Graduates.

I’ve appeared on Oprah, Dr. Phil and over 3200 other TV and radio shows. A Wall Street Journal #1 bestselling author, I have written eight career books including: 60 Seconds & You’re Hired, Retirement Reinvention, Winning Resumes and Over 40 & You’re Hired. Currently I write a careers column for Forbes.com.

Helping people advance their careers and land a new job is my mission.

“America’s Top Career Expert” — LA Times ● New Grad Coach ● Resume Writer ● LinkedIn Writer ● Interview Coach ● AI Job Search ● Speaker ● Forbes Columnist ● Bestselling Author of “60 Seconds & You’re Hired”