A resume that sounds like you
AI is excellent at structure and wording — and terrible at knowing what you actually did. This guide keeps you honest while letting the machine handle polish.
Before anything else — these should never go into an AI chat:
- Social Security number or any government ID
- Passwords, PINs, security answers
- Full home address (city + state is enough)
- Bank or credit card numbers
Copy-paste this prompt
Act as a professional resume writer. Here's my rough background: [paste your messy notes]. The job I want: [paste the job posting]. Write a resume summary (2-3 sentences) and rewrite each of my bullet points so they start with an action verb and include numbers where I gave them. Keep my voice plain and direct — no corporate buzzwords like "synergies" or "go-getter."
Your messy notes can be as simple as: "did payroll for 12 yrs, trained 4 people, fixed the spreadsheet everyone hated, handled tax stuff." The AI turns that into clean bullets; you supply the truth.
Three edits that make it yours
- Read it out loud. If you'd never say a phrase to a coworker, cut it.
- Add one specific detail only you would know — the software name, the store location, the actual number.
- Cut adverbs. "Successfully managed" → "managed." AI loves padding; hiring managers hate it.
Many companies now use software (ATS) that scans resumes before humans do. Paste the job posting into your prompt — matching its exact words ("customer service" vs "client support") matters more than any fancy formatting. Save as a simple .docx or PDF unless told otherwise.