Hi, I’m Patrick, I write about the job search. After graduating from Cornell, I became a content lead at UBS where I helped professionals at Fortune 500 companies understand their stock options, salary, and benefits. When I’m not writing about the hiring process, I write novels for teens.
Everyone seems to be talking about ChatGPT taking jobs–but it can also help you find one. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using ChatGPT to write resumes and automate your job search. Getting an entry-level job in tech is fraught with competition. Successful candidates need to take advantage of every tool at their disposal to stay one step ahead.
Leveraging AI in the job search is catching on. According to a recent ResumeBuilder.com survey:
Here’s how you can too.
How do you use ChatGPT to write a resume?
We don’t recommend letting ChatGPT write your resume for you. At least not completely. Resumes are too important to be left entirely up to AI–Hiring managers judge you almost entirely by your CV when you apply. And nothing makes hiring managers cringe harder than seeing cover letters, emails, and resumes copied and pasted straight over from ChatGPT. Trust us, they can tell.
With that said, AI tools like TealHQ or ChatGPT are invaluable for creating resume outlines. You can use ChatGPT to write resume rough drafts and bullet points, empowering you to spend more time revising your resume and applying to jobs.
What are the best ChatGPT prompts for resumes?
ChatGPT is only as effective as your prompt. The key is a highly specific prompt that matches the job posting. To use ChatGPT to write a resume outline, try these prompts:
Review the bullet points or resume rough draft, pasting the most critical achievements into your final resume.
How do you use ChatGPT to optimize your resume?
Once you have an outline of your achievements with clear impact statements, you can write your resume with ChatGPT keyword research.
Employers like LinkedIn often use “Application Tracking System” (ATS) software to parse resumes and screen out less qualified candidates. Companies like Amazon have even started using AI in interviews. If employers use AI to find the best candidate, why can’t you use ChatGPT to write a resume optimized to land you interviews?
To bypass the ATS and optimize your resume with ChatGPT, try asking: “I am going to send you a job description. What are the keywords for [insert job title here] at [insert company name here]?” ChatGPT should provide a list of keywords. All you have to do is include the most relevant keywords in your resume–you can even add a “Skills” section where you simply list the keywords.
To further edit your resume with ChatGPT, try asking: “I am going to send you a job description and resume. Can you optimize my resume for this job?”
Writing blindness is real. No matter how good you might think you are at spotting typos, it’s inevitable that you’re going to miss something. To err is human. Fortunately, ChatGPT is anything but human. Outsource your final proofreading with ChatGPT to catch any last grammar mistakes or spelling errors.
How can you use ChatGPT to write a cover letter?
Cover letters can be a trap. We usually recommend that our fellows skip job applications that require a cover letter–the time it takes to write a custom cover letter is time that could be better spent applying to more jobs that don’t require cover letters. Many cover letters never get read at all.
According to Pathrise CEO Kevin Wu: “Of the 8% that did review cover letters, many of their job postings or application portals explicitly called out cover letters as an important part of their application process.” At best, your cover letter is briefly scanned by the hiring manager. At worst, the cover letter could disqualify you from the job, putting you in a worse position than if you had never written a cover letter at all.
But AI changes the value proposition. ChatGPT can write your cover letter for you, freeing you up to apply to more jobs and get more interviews. You can use ChatGPT to write a cover letter outline based on your experiences and the job posting.
What are the best ChatGPT prompts for cover letters?
You can use ChatGPT to write cover letters with an incredibly wide variety of voices, tones, and styles. While the default cover letters may sound stiff, you can request a specific tone of voice to make the resume feel more natural. For a clear cover letter tailored to the role, try these prompts:
We still don’t recommend copying and pasting a cover letter written by ChatGPT or any other AI. You know your work achievements, education history, and motivations better than anyone. A poorly written or off-target cover letter may disqualify you from further consideration. Although trained on an incredible 570 GB worth of information, ChatGPT still usually copies and pastes information directly from the job posting or relies on stiff language. While that might help you get past the initial screening, it’s not doing you any favors once you reach the interview stage. Instead, you can use ChatGPT to write cover letter rough drafts that you can further optimize.
How can you use ChatGPT to optimize a cover letter?
ChatGPT doesn’t stop at writing cover letters for you–it can edit the letters based on your feedback. If you want to highlight a specific aspect of your experience or skills, you can ask ChatGPT to write a new version with more focus on your chosen area. For example, after reviewing ChatGPT’s first draft, you may want to focus more on education. To create a new version, ask ChatGPT:
- “Write a cover letter for the job description, but please focus on my education”. [Copy and paste the job description and a summary of your education]
- “Based on my resume, write a cover letter for [the job title], but please focus on my education”. [Copy and paste resume and job description]
Specific requirements like word counts can make cover letters especially time consuming. Some jobs require specific word counts, topics. You can use ChatGPT to write a cover letter customized based on the specific requirements in the job posting. Since you already have a cover letter template, you can ask ChatGPT:
- “Make it under 300 words”
- “Can you add a section on overcoming adversity based on my [LinkedIn profile or CV].”
ChatGPT is just one tool that you can use to navigate your job search. For comprehensive assistance take advantage of the resources offered by Pathrise. Gain access to mentors with real-world experience in the tech industry. We teach the skills you didn’t learn in college.
From mock interviews to writing a resume that’ll knock your next recruiter’s socks off, we know what it takes to build a successful career in tech. Apply today!
Apply today.
Thanks for being a resource