Written by Joshua Lyon, Recruiter

AI tools like ChatGPT are changing how we work, write, and even apply for jobs. As a jobseeker, it’s tempting to use these tools to perfect your resume and stand out - but where is the line between helpful automation and losing your voice?

In this article, we’ll break down how three key players in the hiring process - recruiters, applicant tracking systems (ATS), and hiring managers - view AI-written resumes. By the end, you’ll have a clearer idea of how to use AI to your advantage without letting it do the talking for you.

Using AI Tools to Build Your Resume

Using AI tools can make you faster, more efficient, and less prone to human error. Large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT or Claude can review your resume based on a job description, suggest improvements, and tell you what experience you need to highlight in order to be a better candidate. It can help you distill five pages of experience to a clean and focused two. But, at what point do you lose your voice as a human? When does it become the AI applying for the job instead of you?

Recruiters

As recruiters, we love AI. We use it in a variety of ways and it’s made us more effective at our jobs because the AI can be working at the same time we are. And truthfully, we usually can’t tell if AI helped you write your resume.

But here’s the catch… AI often makes assumptions and can even exaggerate your experience, which will likely become obvious in the screening process.

We want you to succeed. We want our clients to be thrilled they hired you. So, use every tool that you can to show the value that you bring to an opportunity - but make sure your resume remains honest, accurate, and something you can confidently speak to.

Ask yourself:

• Can I clearly explain how I accomplished each bullet point on my resume?

• Can I share real examples of the skills I’ve listed?

• Would a colleague back me up on this experience if asked?

Applicant Tracking Systems

“Why can’t a human just read my resume?” It’s one of the most common frustrations we hear from candidates. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) have become the job seeker’s favorite villain - mysterious, automated, and often misunderstood.

The truth? Good recruiters don’t rely solely on their ATS. It’s a tool - like a wrench in a mechanic’s kit. When you have 300 applicants, the system helps us flag matches faster, but it doesn’t make final decisions. 

A good recruiter takes a human-centric approach to reviewing resumes while using the technology they have available to limit wasted time. Resumes that lack the required experience for the role (lack of relevant skills, no matching keywords, missing requirements) are quickly filtered out. If you truly want the job, take the time to assess what a company is looking for.

Here are a few ways to be smart about how you write your resume. 

• Mirror the language in the job description - use similar keywords, especially for required skills or tools.

• Create interchangeable resume sections you can swap depending on the role (summary, project highlights, etc.).

• Use AI tools to check alignment between your resume and the job posting, but don’t let them rewrite your experience.

• Lead with relevance - move the most job-specific experience higher on the page.

• Trim the fluff - clarity and brevity win over vague buzzwords.

Having the experience isn’t enough, you also need to know how to present it.

Hiring Managers

The final perspective to consider is the hiring manager - the person who will actually work with you if you’re hired. Some hiring managers have grown very wary of AI-generated resumes, saying they may be polished, but they lack depth, or that the candidate couldn’t back up what was on the page.

What’s important is that their concerns aren’t with the tools you use - it’s whether the resume reflects the real you. Can you do the job? Can you work with a team or independently? Can you show up and deliver on your promises? These are the things that matter most.

Whether you use AI or not, make sure that your resume reflects your experiences, strengths, and work style. It doesn’t do you any good to get in the door if you can’t get the job.

The Bottom Line

Should you use AI to help write your resume? That’s up to you, but the key word here is “help.”

The goal of this article is not to convince you one way or the other, but instead to give you insight into the different points of view of those involved in the hiring process. You make the ultimate decision on how to properly use AI tools in your job search, but hopefully this will give you some checks and balances around when and how to incorporate them into your process.