Why using AI is not recommended to write your CV or Cover letter

Many times, I get asked, why can’t I just get AI to do my CV? I often respond saying the following – Your CV is a snapshot of who you are, your skills, work experience, education, and interests; attributes that make you different from the sea of many other applicants! Spending 1 hour working on it, making sure there are no spelling mistakes, spacing looks good, and bullet points are added to your work history are all really important.

As it makes your CV much easier to read, and stands out to Hiring Managers. If you used AI to write it for you, will you be aware of certain words they use in there? And will you be able to answer any questions about your CV in a job interview? You don’t want to be caught out, you didn’t actually write your CV.

I actually did a little experiment myself, and asked both Chat GBT and Co Pilot, can you write a CV from scratch? What information do you need from me? What I noticed was both required you to still put in the relevant information before they could create a CV for you. Also, Co-Pilot didn’t offer to write a profile/summary for you. (I think this is vital), as it shows a snapshot of your career, in your own words.

Also, both Chat GBT and Co Pilot didn’t ask for my interests? I think this is important too, as it shows your human side, and it’s not just all about your skills and work experience. Most employers will want to see your good culture fit with in team, and that you can easily work in well with their existing team.

I recently had a meeting with a Director of a Recruitment Agency, who said he noticed an applicant had used AI to write their CV, and Cover letter. When he called them for a phone interview, they couldn’t speak English properly, and politely quickly ended the phone conversation. Saying to me they were unsuitable for the role.

Most Hiring Managers and Recruiters can pick up when you are using AI to write your CV.

Are you aware most ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems), picks up key words in your CV also? For example, if your CV had key words saying you were an Accountant in your last 3-4 jobs, and you were applying for roles that said ‘Finance Manager’- you are highly unlikely to get a call back regarding Finance Manager roles.

In saying that ensure your CV key words aligns to the roles you are applying for in various jobs sites, as the ATS won’t flag up your application as a good match. When I was a Recruiter, screening CVs, I use to put in pre-screening questions. Like, “Do you have minimum of 2 years work experience in this role?’, and ‘Do you have a related degree in this position’. etc.

When I began receiving the applications, the ATS would tell me what percentage of a match the applicant was. And if it was above 75%, I could work with this. For those who didn’t understand the reason why we looked for people with related work experience, it’s because we needed the candidates to be able to hit the ground running in their roles. And be able to work autonomously, without a lot of supervision.

I set up my own business as a job search coach 6 years ago, as I felt there was a gap in the market to help job seekers with the tools and resources to feel confident when attending job interviews. With the mission statement – ‘Empowerment Inside and Out’. Lastly, please also remember; when attending job interviews, it’s a 2-way street – you also are interviewing them to see if this is a job you want to be in! Good luck.