Free Self Help Guide with AI Prompts to overcome 3 Resume Writing challenges

Your resume is your ticket to the interview table. Yet there are 3 challenges to overcome, before you reach the interview table. Read on to learn from our Self Help Resume Writing Guide with AI Prompts!

Challenge 1: Offer a clear value proposition to reading recruiters within the first 6 to 10 seconds.

Challenge 2: Beat the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) that screens and filters resumes based on relevance.

Challenge 3: Beat hundreds of other candidates' resumes vying for the same job role.

To help you overcome these 3 challenges, we have put together a concise self-help guide with AI prompts included. Now the hardest thing to do is to set time aside to get your resume refined!

Step 1: Understand what recruiters are looking for

Recruiters screen resumes for relevance by looking for keywords and achievements.

Use the following AI prompt to analyse the important keywords and achievements within your desired job description. Remember to review the AI generated results and select, prioritise what you want to focus on for your resume.

PROMPT: Identify keywords and achievements from the attached job description that would catch the attention of the recruiters who are hiring for the job description. Prioritise the keywords and achievements based on their importance to the job

Create a new line in the prompt by pressing Shift+Enter at the same time.

Copy and paste the desired job description into the space below.

Step 2: Refine your resume content

Your resume has to integrate what recruiters are looking for. Besides including the desired keywords and achievements, it is a must to quantify and qualify your experiences to justify the keywords and achievements.

Use the following AI prompts to refine each section of your resume. It would be helpful to copy and paste your desired job description into a Word document file.

Summary Section

PROMPT: Review my resume and the desired job description. Propose a professional summary that fits my past working experience and the important keywords and achievements within the job description.

Upload your resume and desired job description files.

Skills Section

PROMPT:  Review my resume and the desired job description. Recommend transferable skills and experiences between my past working experience and the job description.

Upload your resume and desired job description files.

Experience Section

PROMPT:  Review the job experiences in my resume and compared it with desired job description. Suggest improvements to highlight the transferable experiences between my job history and the desired job description and make each of my job experiences start with action verbs and more action and results oriented.

Upload your resume and desired job description files.

Step 3: Refine your resume format

Your resume has to be optimised for speed reading and present a compelling value proposition to the recruiter reading it. Formatting is key to present important and relevant information quickly and coherently. Don't just trust the AI results. Review the results yourself, comparing between old and new versions of your resume. Rope in friends and family to help you review, for greater objectivity.

PROMPT: Convert this attached resume into a modern, ATS friendly format, using clear headings, bullets and consistent alignment.

Upload your resume file that has been refined from Step 1 and 2.

Step 4: Check the strength of your resume

Do self audit of your revised resume. Make sure that you meet these key points:

• Does your resume show relevance to the desired job description?

• Are there more task-based or more achievement-based descriptions of your past jobs?

• Have you placed the most relevant and important information placed at the top of your resume?

• Is the formatting cluttered or easy to read?

• Did you include any information that could be sensitive or discriminating to you? eg. Address, personal identification numbers, date of birth

You can also use AI to compare your resume and your desired job description.

PROMPT: Assess the attached resume against the attached desired job description. Generate a match rating on a 1 to 10 likert scale. Propose areas of strengths and areas of improvement.

Upload your resume and desired job description files.

Step 5: Don't just send your resume into a black box

While it is important to have a well written resume, it does not guarantee you a seat at the interview table. Sending off well written resumes into job portals may not pay off because you are still competing with so many resumes. If many of them are well crafted, it will be harder for your resume to stand out. So go beyond job applications! Leverage on your networks and work out referrals to your desired job. Find a way to let your resume land into the hands of the hiring manager or the HR recruiter.

Remember that AI is merely a tool to generate content, options and ideas for you. You should not blindly trust the validity and reliability of the information it generates. You have to use your discretion and your wisdom to build on top of what AI provides to you. You should individualise the information by checking and validating it with career services providers, trusted mentors, or industry expert professionals.