How to Use ChatGPT to Write a Resume: Simple, Fast, Effective

Everyone on the internet seems to be talking about artificial intelligence (AI) lately—and especially a tool called ChatGPT.

But what's ChatGPT exactly? And can you use a chatbot to as a resume writer? Here's everything you need to know about how the platform works and how you can write a ChatGPT resume or CV.

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What is ChatGPT and how does it work?

You may be more familiar with artificial intelligence than you think.

If you've ever used a chatbot or AI-enabled assistants like Siri and Alexa, where you can ask questions and get an immediate response in return, you've experienced firsthand how artificial intelligence can integrate with your day-to-day life to provide real-time answers.

Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer—ChatGPT for short—is a powerful new artificial intelligence tool developed by OpenAI, one of the world’s most ambitious AI labs, that uses natural language processing (NLP) technology to help people communicate with computers more naturally and intuitively. The latest model as of July 2024 is ChatGPT-4o.

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ChatGPT pricing

OpenAI offers a few different pricing options depending on your needs:

• Free: Access to the basic GPT-3.5 model with limited features and slower response times.
• ChatGPT Plus: For $20/month, users can upgrade to ChatGPT-4.0, offering faster response times, priority access during high demand, and access to the latest features and improvements.

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Can I use ChatGPT to write a resume?

Now that you’ve gained some insight into ChatGPT, let’s talk about using AI tools like ChatGPT to write your resume. But the question isn't just 'Can you use ChatGPT to write a resume?'—it's also, 'Should you use ChatGPT to write a resume?'

Yes, you can absolutely use AI tools to help you speed up the resume-writing process, and in many cases, you should. Below are the pros and cons of using ChatGPT to build your resume:

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ChatGPT resume pros

Creating a resume requires a lot of effort; AI tools like ChatGPT make this easier by…

• Saving time: Quickly generate the content of your resume based on the prompts and information you provide.
• Customizing your resume: Match the details to the job you're applying for by providing prompts and context.
• Identifying strengths: Suggest skills or experiences that you may have overlooked but are relevant to the job.
• Increasing your chances of success: Create a well-written, accurate, and amazing resume that showcases your skills and experience in the best light.

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ChatGPT resume cons:

While ChatGPT can assist in many areas, there are some limitations to be aware of:

• Lack of personalization: Without detailed prompts and your career history, your resume may come out generic—not truly reflecting your unique experience.
• Limited context: ChatGPT might not fully grasp the nuances of specific industries or roles, which could result in missing important job-specific keywords (unless you provide them).
• Risk of incorrect details: While ChatGPT is effective, it may misinterpret certain details or generate errors. AI-generated content should always be manually reviewed.
• Potential for error: When building a resume in ChatGPT, you still have to copy and paste the details into a separate resume template or program, increasing the risk of errors or missing important information.

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Pro Tip: Teal's AI Resume Builder is integrated with GPT technology. Use it to write your resume with AI using custom prompts, keywords, and specific job descriptions. No more toggling between programs or risking lost information.

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How to use ChatGPT to write a resume

So you've decided to try out artificial intelligence to help speed up your process. When it comes to AI and ChatGPT, the use cases are seemingly endless, but here are four ways to start to leverage ChatGPT for your resume.

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1. Use ChatGPT to write resume achievements

Your resume achievements show your experience and impact in previous roles. In addition to using Teal's ChatGPT-integrated Resume Builder, try leveraging ChatGPT for this part of the process.

How to use ChatGPT for resume achievements

1. Log into Teal and go to "Job Matching" in your Resume Builder, then select one of the jobs from your Job Application Tracker to focus on.
2. Go to the "Job Description" tab and scroll to the "Responsibilities" section.
3. Copy the responsibilities and paste job description details into ChatGPT. Enter this prompt: "Write resume achievements with metrics based on these job responsibilities."
4. Watch the magic happen!
5. Copy the output from ChatGPT and, one at a time, paste them into your Teal Resume Builder as achievements.
6. Make sure to carefully proofread and edit the resume bullet points, tweaking it as needed using the Bullet Assistant tool. Remember: AI tools are intelligent, but they're not foolproof. You want to ensure you actually have the experience that AI says you do, and you want to double-check for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and clarity.
7. Turn on and off the resume bullet points that make sense for the job you're applying to.

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Use Teal's new AI functionality to create tailored achievements

Alternatively, you can skip these steps and just use Teal's AI functionality to create custom resume bullet points that highlight your achievements.

Not only will these assets be created quickly and easily to speed up your resume workflow, but they’ll also be crafted using your previous work experience and the job description of the target role, to make your bullet points increasingly relevant.

Pro-tip: Teal's AI Resume Builder provides the option to include custom prompts as you generate with AI, allowing you to do customize effectively, all-in-one platform.

Try it yourself for free.

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2. Use ChatGPT to write a professional summary

Professional summaries are another hot topic. Some recruiters and hiring managers say they're helpful as they speak to a candidate's career in aggregate and highlight their key accomplishments. Others argue it's a waste of space and job seekers should dive right into their skills and achievements.

We're fans of the resume summary, especially if you have multiple years of work experience or are pivoting to a new career or industry.

Here's how to use ChatGPT to write a resume summary:

1. Once you've created your resume in the Teal AI Resume Builder, copy the text.
2. For the ChatGPT prompt, ask ChatGPT: "Write a professional summary using my resume."
3. Press "Shift" + "Enter."
4. Copy and paste your resume template into ChatGPT.
5. When you get your result, click "try again" to generate two more versions.
6. Pull your favorite phrases from each option and create a cohesive, reflective, customized, and eye-catching resume summary.
7. Copy and paste the final summary into the tailored resume you plan to use, making sure you adjust any necessary sentence formatting to ensure it reads clearly.

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ChatGPT can write a resume summary in seconds, as can Teal's AI Resume Builder.

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Write your resume summary with AI

Again, you can use Teal's AI functionality to handle this for you and create professional summaries in seconds. And with the combo of Teal's Resume Builder and Job Application Tracker, it's easy to save all your job search assets in one place. This eliminates the need to keep multiple documents and go back and forth between ChatGPT, job descriptions, and your resume. 

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3. Use ChatGPT to tailor your resume to the job description

Because no two job descriptions are exactly the same, you should always tailor your resume to each role using the job title and unique job description.

Whether you do this in GPT section by section or as one document, optimizing your content ensures recruiters can find you when they search applicant tracking systems for the specific skills and experiences that match the job. And beyond the ATS, tailoring your content shows your qualifications align with exactly what the employer is looking for.

How to use ChatGPT to tailor your resume to a job description:

1. Head to ChatGPT and enter this prompt: "Tailor my resume for this [job title] at [company] using the job description and my existing resume as a reference. Weave in the most important keywords for this specific job naturally throughout my resume bullet points." 
2. Press "Shift" + "Enter."
3. Pull up your base resume in Teal, then copy and paste it below the prompt. Then, you'll want to copy and paste the job description below your resume content.
4. When you get your results, copy and paste them into Teal and save. You can also choose to give suggestions, then prompt GPT to “try again." (Just remember to save ChatGPT’s response each time.)
5. Sort through the suggestions, pull what you like from each generated version, and make sure it accurately reflects your experience and aligns with the job description you're applying for.

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4. Use ChatGPT to update and improve your existing resume

In addition to using ChatGPT to create or write your resume from scratch, another powerful use case is leveraging it for suggestions or to make key revisions to your existing resume.

How to improve your resume with ChatGPT

Here are four examples of how you can utilize ChatGPT to receive suggestions for improving your resume:

1. Rewriting your work experience with more impactful language: One effective way you can enhance your resume with ChatGPT is by asking it to help you incorporate fresh language, power words into your work experience to better articulate your successes and make your achievements stand out.
2. Personalize your professional summary for a specific job title: It can't be understated how crucial it is to align your resume with the particular role that you're applying for. Use ChatGPT to modify your existing summary so that it's more aligned with the responsibilities and requirements of the position. For every new job you apply for, ChatGPT can help you make the necessary formatting adjustments to your resume to ensure you position yourself as an ideal candidate to employers and hiring managers.
3. Provide relevant content ideas for your skills, experiences, and achievements: When you're hitting a wall on a resume refresh, ChatGPT can be an excellent writer and resource to improve or revamp the existing information in your work experience or skills sections. To ensure you get the best suggestions from ChatGPT, be sure to share both the text from your resume, and from the job description to help ChatGPT identify gaps or improvements.
4. Review your resume for punctuation and grammar errors: Another recommended use of ChatGPT is to have it review your professional resume for any grammar mistakes, typos, or awkward sentences you might miss in your proofreading, before it's read by hiring managers.

‍Looking for more inspiration for your resume? Check out 1,200+ resume examples for various job titles, experience levels, and get cover letter templates for each role.

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5. Use ChatGPT to write a cover letter

And now, the most controversial topic: cover letters.

Spend five minutes on LinkedIn or TikTok and you'll see heated debates over the value and importance of cover letters, whether recruiters, hiring managers and employers even read them, and whether they're an outdated part of the job search in 2024.

But still, many jobs you apply for may request a customized cover letter that speaks specifically to the company and position.

Much like tailored resumes, cover letters should highlight what you’ve accomplished relevant to the role while persuading hiring managers that you’re the best fit for the job. It might sound complicated, but it doesn’t have to be—ChatGPT can help you write your cover letter seamlessly.

How to do it:

1. Once you've used "Job Matching" to create a resume tailored to a particular role in your Teal Job Application Tracker, go ahead and copy the text from that resume and paste it into ChatGPT.
2. Head back to your Job Application Tracker and go to the job description for this role. Copy and paste the requirements and responsibilities into ChatGPT alongside your resume.
3. For the prompt, write, "Write a cover letter using my resume and a job description. Focus on using my resume bullet points and skills in [example: leadership skills, tech, or tools]."
4. Edit your new cover letter in Google Docs as needed before saving and sending it.

Cover letters are another area where the Resume Builder can help you skip the middle man, quickly generating a cover letter relevant to the role you're applying for and your work history. 

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The best ChatGPT resume prompts for resume writing

Since we’ve been using ChatGPT for resume writing, cover letters, LinkedIn content, and more, we’ve come across some tips that we’d love to share—and we've rounded up a list of over 20 ChatGPT resume prompts for resume building here.

First, we suggest including a tone or style of writing. This could be “conversational,” but it could also be a framework like Storybrand. This will allow ChatGPT to write in a way that feels natural and close to your style.

Additionally, we suggest including a word or page count and asking ChatGPT to review additional materials that are pasted below the prompt. Give GPT as much detail as possible for the best output.

The prompts below follow this specific structure. 

1. Write four resume achievements with metrics based on the job responsibilities below.
2. Draft five persuasive resume achievements based on my resume and job history below.
3. Create a compelling professional summary for a job application using my resume and the job description below as a reference in 150 words or less. 
4. Write an executive-level professional summary using my resume and the job description below as a reference in 150 words or less. 
5. Using my professional resume and job description below, please showcase eight relevant skills I should highlight.
6. Using the job description and my resume, please provide the top 5 resume bullet points that I should discuss in the interview. 

With Teal's AI Resume Builder, all of this information will be stored in your account, which makes AI resume creation effective.

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5 ChatGPT resume best practices

Can ChatGPT really help with your resume? Yes, it absolutely can. However, successfully using ChatGPT as a job seeker requires more than a simple command, you'll need to use your best judgement and be thoughtful about the prompts that you provide, to ensure a quality output.

To help you leverage it most effectively, here are five best practices to keep in mind:

1. Be specific and provide detailed prompts to ChatGPT. Some may argue that the AI space is oversaturated and that everyone will get the same outputs if they enter the same inputs. Although your AI-generated response may not be 100% unique, it can be modified once the foundation's in place. Writing effective prompts is the key to getting the most out of ChatGPT's capabilities.
2. Provide relevant assets to help ensure personalization. In each section above, we asked ChatGPT to review a specific job description, and/or a resume to help it craft a more personalized answer. We highly suggest when using ChatGPT that you provide it with all the resources it needs to create an answer that's crafted specifically for you. Some key resources you'll want to provide include: your skills, existing resume bullet points, a job title, the job description, and clear prompts to provide direction.
3. Review and edit the output from ChatGPT to ensure it's accurate and professional. Again, we don't condone lying about your experience (with or without AI!) Use in this capacity is meant to assist job seekers, not to fabricate career histories that can't be backed up with truthful examples.
4. Proofread and double-check for errors before sending any materials generated by ChatGPT. Though artificial intelligence is sophisticated, it's not always 100% spot-on. (And neither are we as humans.) We always like to recommend a tool like Grammarly for a grammar and spell check.
5. Ask for human feedback before submitting. Whether you ask a mentor, friend, or career coach for input before submitting, it's a good idea to get a second set of eyes on your resume before submitting it to keep a human eye out for any potential problems.
6. Ask for GPT to review your resume. If you're unsure how well your resume stands up to applicant tracking systems, ask ChatGPT for suggestions on how well your resume matches the job description.

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Start leveraging ChatGPT to write a more effective resume

Your resume is more than just a list of your qualifications and experiences; it's the ticket to your dream job. With the help of tools like ChatGPT, a job seeker like you can create a well-written, targeted, and accurate professional resume that showcases your strengths and experience in the best possible light to recruiters and potential employers.

Using the steps above, you can leverage the power of AI to take your resume to the next level, but Teal can streamline this process even further, helping you work smarter and more efficiently.

Teal's AI Resume Builder is already integrated with ChatGPT, offering a range of tools to create and optimize a professional resume, including summary and bullet point generation, cover letter composition, resume templates, and more—without toggling between screens and programs. Say goodbye to tedious manual work and hello to quick and easy resume building.

Ready to take control of your career?

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More ChatGPT resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn tips:

• 21 Great ChatGPT Prompts for Your Resume
• How to Use ChatGPT to Write Your Cover Letter
• The Ultimate Guide to Using AI & ChatGPT for Job Applications‍
• 4 Ways to Use ChatGPT to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile (with Prompts)
• 7 Ways to Use ChatGPT to Prepare for a Job Interview