As a college senior, job applications have been all I’ve been thinking about lately. In order to feel confident about myself and my job hunt, it feels crucial that my resume — one of the first impressions an applicant can make on a recruiter — stands out. To do so, I created my resume with the help of a career advisor at my university. However, that’s not a resource available to everyone, which is why a lot of new-to-the-workforce job seekers are turning to AI to help make their resume the best it can be.
With the growing discourse around AI and the way it is becoming popular within the higher education space, workforce, and everyday life, it may feel like a no-brainer to utilize an AI resume builder when working on job applications. In fact, in Her Campus’s most recent survey surrounding AI, 58% of respondents said they take advantage of AI resume builders in their job search, while 48% said they use AI for interview prep help or cover letter creation.
While the convenience of having AI write your cover letter or create your resume may be tempting, there are certain elements to AI-created materials you should be aware of. We spoke with Matthew Warzel — President of MJW Careers, who has over 15 years of experience in the hiring/recruitment space and is more than familiar with standout resumes — to help spotlight the ways an AI-created resume could fall short when applying for jobs by providing a resume generated by the AI software Resume.io.
Here’s what Warzel said you should know about using AI tools for resumes.
Be Aware Of Formatting.
Warzel is quick to call out that the format of an AI-generated resume may not be as natural as a human-designed resume. “I’d suggest a format that forces readers to exercise left-to-right/top-to-bottom eye movement,” he says.
He also notes that AI resumes can lack proper formatting to remain compliant with Applicant Tracking Software (ATS). “The column templates [seen in AI resumes] will likely be jumbled on the backend of the ATS or not clear through at all.”
Don’t Lose Specifics.
As an applicant, you want your resume to convey why you are not only the right candidate for the job but how your skill set can help your potential employer. However, AI-generated resumes can lose some of the specific examples you as the applicant can provide yourself for a hiring manager. Warzel tells Her Campus that you want to “provide hard examples of accomplishments, contributions, production, reduction, time savings, etc.” in your resume, while adding texture. “Insert colorful adverbs and adjectives where possible,” he says.
Stand Out Among Others.
When it comes to resumes, Warzel encourages applicants to be bold and stand out, which could be hard with an AI-enhanced resume. “In the end, employers need to know, convincingly, that you are ready to push play. Leave them with zero doubt that you are deserving of a promotion or transition into a new industry. Most [AI-generated] resumes fail at connecting the dots,” he says.
Use The PAR Approach.
If you’re making a resume for the first time, Warzel suggests starting off with solid action verbs to “formulate a PAR for each sentence.” This is “your problem, action, and results.”
PAR is a great solution to enhance the experiences section of your resume, but if you are using AI, you won’t be able to follow this format. While you can work with the AI-enhanced material you have been given and reshape it to follow the PAR format, it’s still not going to be as customizable and consistent with a PAR format you, the candidate, could create.
Ultimately, Warzel discourages people from using AI for resume writing because you need a customized resume to truly stand out. “Your resume is like a Lego set. Every build is different from the other sets,” he says. “You are using the same blocks and colors as other sets, but each set comes with its own instructions, amounts of Lego block types, and free reign as to how you want to tackle the build. Your resume is the same way. Your Lego blocks are the same colors as other people’s Lego blocks. Those are your skills.”