Struggling to tailor your CV to a job description? Here are 5 ChatGPT prompts to get noticed

A good CV can make the difference between getting a recruiter’s attention and being overlooked. But writing one that clearly highlights your experience, skills and achievements can be difficult, especially when you are applying for multiple jobs.

AI tools like ChatGPT can help you improve your CV, provided you give it the right instructions and enough information about your experience. From writing a sharper professional summary to tailoring your CV for a specific job, these five prompts can help you build a stronger application.

Also Read | How will the world look in 2070? 7 ChatGPT prompts to imagine the future

Prompt 1:

“Act as an expert CV writer and recruiter. Based on the professional experience, skills and achievements I provide below, write a compelling 3–4 line professional summary for my CV. Make it specific, concise and achievement-focused. Avoid generic phrases such as ‘hardworking’, ‘passionate’ and ‘results-driven’. Highlight my strongest skills and the value I can bring to an employer.

Here is my experience: [PASTE YOUR EXPERIENCE]”

Prompt 2:

“Rewrite the following work experience for my CV. Instead of simply listing my responsibilities, turn them into achievement-oriented bullet points. Start each bullet with a strong action verb and highlight measurable impact wherever the information is available. Do not invent numbers, achievements or responsibilities that I have not provided. Keep each bullet concise and suitable for an ATS-friendly CV.

My current CV bullets are: [PASTE YOUR BULLETS]”

Also Read | 1980s AI Photo Trend: 5 ChatGPT prompts to create Bollywood hero, heroine looks, movie posters

Prompt 3:

“Act as a recruiter hiring for the role of [JOB TITLE]. Compare my CV with the job description below. Identify the skills, experience, keywords and qualifications that the employer is looking for and show me which ones are already reflected in my CV and which ones are missing. Then suggest specific, truthful changes I can make to my CV to better match the role without exaggerating my experience.

Job description: [PASTE JD]

My CV: [PASTE CV]”

Prompt 4:

“Review my CV for Applicant Tracking System (ATS) compatibility. Check the structure, headings, formatting, keywords, readability and use of job-specific terminology. Identify anything that could prevent an ATS from correctly reading or ranking my CV. Then give me a revised version that is clean, professional, ATS-friendly and easy for a recruiter to scan. Do not add qualifications or experience that I do not have.

Here is my CV: [PASTE CV]”

Also Read | Obsessed with 1980s AI photo trend? 5 more viral ChatGPT styles to try and prompts to use

Prompt 5:

“Act as a recruiter with 10 years of experience hiring for [INDUSTRY/ROLE]. Review my CV as if I had just applied for a [JOB TITLE] position. Tell me what would make you shortlist me, what could make you reject me, which parts are too generic or weak, and what information is missing. Then give me the five most important changes I should make to improve my chances of getting an interview. Be direct and specific rather than polite or generic.

My CV: [PASTE CV]”

The prompts work better when you give ChatGPT the actual job description and your real experience rather than simply asking, “Make my CV better".