AI Resumes Fall Short
Jan 31, 2024
In October last year I completed a comprehensive recruitment drive for a Project Management company.
Whilst sifting through an inbox full of potential candidates, across numerous roles, I noticed a huge shift in the quality of resumes that were coming through.
Upon reflection, I can put them into two categories:
- AI Supported Resumes, yep, they look pretty attractive, have less spelling mistakes and are somewhat compelling (although obvious they’ve used AI), and;
- Everyone else’s; mostly average in comparison.
BUT, there were three stand out resumes; so let’s make a third category; resumes that totally nailed it and had me excited to call them straight away.
I’m going to tell you what made those resumes so special, but first…
…let me take you through the pros and cons of AI Supported Resumes, as you’re probably on your way to updating yours using ChatGPT.
Let me be clear…
The more people who adopt AI, and the more AI develops, the harder it will be for recruiters and HR Managers (like me) to find the stand out candidates.
Everyone will look just as compelling.
AI has levelled the playing field - so you need to find the edge.
The AI trend is becoming the norm 
People are using AI to be more efficient in their jobs, so of course that means using it to improve their resumes.
As women, the numbers are not in our favour.
54% of AI adopters are men (compared to women at 35%). Additionally, the vast majority are under 35 years old.
What does this mean?
If you're not using AI, your resume probably won't look as good, or sounds as compelling as others, and getting a job is going to be much harder.
It’s as simple as that.
AI Benefits
The primary benefits of using AI tools to help create your resume is that it a.) saves you time, and b.) helps those who aren’t great at “selling themselves” on paper.
Find it hard to list your skills? No problem! Ask ChatGPT to list out skills for your role.
Can’t think of a compelling way to write a key achievement? Ask AI to re-write it for you.
P.S. You’re not the only one who finds self promotion difficult - it’s the norm.
It's hard to sell ourselves because our brains don't easily identify our strengths... Self doubt plays a bigger role than self awareness.
But, with AI, it’s done quickly.
The tricky part…
It’s just so damn hard to set yourself apart from the rest.
AI has levelled the playing field so much so that your skills and experience alone may not get you through to an interview.
An example:
If 100 people apply for one job, and 30% use AI, then the recruiter has a much harder job narrowing down the 30 applications.
If you are one of 30, then you only have a 3% chance of getting the job. Better than a 1% chance, but you’d want better odds right?
Here’s the thing…
AI doesn't solve what recruiters really care about.
That takes me to the third category, where I identified 3 standout resumes I talked about earlier - the ones that really stood out to me, and I was excited to call them to discuss the role.
Not only were they set out and designed well, were grammatically correct and had the right skills for the job listed…
I felt a connection to the human that wrote it.
Their desire and passion for the role shone through and I could tell straight away they’d be a great fit for the organisation I was recruiting for.
The way they wrote it gave me incredible confidence they were more than capable for the job.
I had to call them.
I firmly believe using a combination of AI (for efficiency) PLUS the secret sauce of “connection”, “desire” and "capability" will propel you to being that top candidate.
Part of the puzzle is having you realise just how capable you are, and how that translates into the role you want.
AI can't figure that out for you.
The way you structure your sentences and write about yourself will make or break your application - Seriously!