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How to use AI for your resume and cover letter

Try it now: fill in four boxes and get a resume or cover letter question that tells the AI to use only your real facts.

Try it now: the free prompt builder turns four plain boxes into a ready question for ChatGPT.

Yes, AI can help with a resume and a cover letter, and the free versions are enough. Use it to make your own words clearer, not to invent new ones. Give it your real job history, ask for a tidier version, and check every line before you send it.

What AI is good at here

It can turn a messy list of duties into clear sentences, suggest which parts of your past work matter for a job advert, and write a first draft of a cover letter so you are not staring at a blank page. It also catches typos and awkward wording.

The one rule: it must not invent anything

AI likes to please. Left alone it may add a skill you do not have, round a number up or make a job sound bigger. Everything on your resume can be checked by an employer, and it is your name on it. Delete any line you cannot back up with a real example.

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How to ask

Paste your current resume text and the job advert, then say: "Rewrite my bullet points so they fit this job. Use only the facts in my text. Do not add skills, numbers or jobs that are not there. If something is unclear, ask me a question first." That last sentence stops most of the made-up detail.

What to leave out before you paste

Take out your home address, date of birth, ID or social security number and the contact details of your referees. Put them back in your own document afterwards. The page on whether it is safe to put personal information into AI explains the replace-before-you-paste habit.

Check it before you send it

Read it out loud. Check every date, job title and number against what you know. Keep the layout plain, with simple headings and no tables or pictures, because many employers use software that reads plain text best. Then ask a friend to read the cover letter once, since it should still sound like you.

A calm way to start tonight

Pick one job advert. Paste your resume and the advert into one AI chat, use the sentence above, and compare the result with your own version. Keep what is true and clearer, and throw away the rest.

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