ChatGPT Resume Prompts: 15 Prompts to Improve Your Resume (and Cover Letter)

ChatGPT Resume Prompts: 15 Prompts to Improve Your Resume (and Cover Letter)

AI tools like ChatGPT can save a lot of time on your resume and cover letter. They're good at rewriting, shortening and matching your wording to a job post. They're not good at knowing what you actually did, so the facts must come from you.

Here are 15 prompts you can copy, plus tips for checking the results.

Before you start: protect your privacy

Remove your home address, phone number and any confidential company information before pasting your resume into an AI tool.

Prompts for tailoring your resume

1. "Here is a job description: [paste]. List the 10 most important skills, tools and requirements, in order of importance."
2. "Compare my resume [paste] with this job description [paste]. Which important skills or keywords are missing from my resume?"
3. "Rewrite my professional summary to target this role: [job title]. Use these key skills: [list]. Keep it under 60 words and don't add anything that isn't in my resume."
4. "Reorder these bullet points so the ones most relevant to this job description come first: [paste]."

For the manual version of this process, see how to tailor your resume to a job description.

Prompts for bullet points

1. "Rewrite these resume bullet points to start with strong action verbs and focus on results. Keep my facts and numbers exactly as they are: [paste]."
2. "For each bullet point, suggest which number or result I could add to make it stronger. Ask me questions instead of inventing figures: [paste]."
3. "Shorten each of these bullet points to one line without losing the main result: [paste]."
4. "Find vague words and buzzwords in my resume and suggest specific alternatives: [paste]."

More examples in our guide to resume bullet points with measurable results.

Prompts for your summary and skills

1. "Write three versions of a resume summary for a [role] with [X] years of experience in [field], based on this resume: [paste]."
2. "Group these skills into categories for a resume skills section: [list]."

Prompts for cover letters

1. "Write a cover letter of under 250 words for this job [paste], using only the experience in my resume [paste]. Mention why I'm interested in [company] because [reason]."
2. "Make this cover letter sound more natural and less formal, without changing the facts: [paste]."
3. "Write a strong opening sentence for a cover letter for [role] at [company], based on this achievement: [achievement]."

Prompts for interview prep

1. "Based on this job description, list 10 likely interview questions and what the interviewer wants to learn from each."
2. "Help me answer 'Tell me about yourself' for this role in under 90 seconds, using the present, past, future structure."

Our guide on how to answer "Tell me about yourself" explains that structure.

How to check AI-written content

• Check every fact. AI can invent numbers, tools or achievements. Remove anything that isn't true.
• Make it sound like you. Read it out loud and change phrases you'd never say.
• Watch for repetition and generic phrases like "dynamic professional".
• Keep the formatting simple so applicant tracking systems can read it. See 7 resume mistakes that get you auto-rejected by ATS.

Frequently asked questions

Can employers tell if I used ChatGPT?

Sometimes, when the text is generic. Editing it with your own words and specific details makes a big difference.

Is it okay to use AI for my resume?

Yes, as a writing assistant. You're still responsible for making sure everything is accurate.

Which is better, ChatGPT or a resume builder?

They work well together. Use AI for wording and a builder like the free JobStacky Resume Builder for a clean, ATS-friendly layout.

Turn AI drafts into a polished resume

Paste your improved content into the free JobStacky Resume Builder for a clean, ATS-friendly layout.