Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Xavier Lorenzo
Topics: Technology, Life, Business, Artificial Intelligence
Emily Brown
Topics: Technology, Life, Business, Artificial Intelligence
A recruitment expert has warned against the temptation of using AI to spruce up your resume, explaining it might actually hinder your chances of landing a new role.
In an age where you can ask artificial intelligence to work out calculations, figure out recipes and plan your schedule for the day, it's easy to understand why people might be turning to the technology to try and increase their chances of getting a new job.
AI can help correct your grammar and even make mundane tasks in your last job sound like valuable, unmissable skills to a new employer - but Frances Li, Founder and Director of Biscuit Recruitment, has explained why AI-generated resumes actually aren't attractive at all.
While Li admitted that AI has likely played a part in the fact that companies are seeing 'an influx of CVs that look immaculate', she indicated that their perfect, structured approach is also the reason that many resumes now 'feel completely lifeless'.
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"When every applicant sounds the same, hiring managers struggle to see the person behind the paper," she explained. "Your individuality — not your formatting — is what gets you shortlisted.”
Li continued: “AI tools can be brilliant for structure and grammar, but if you copy and paste the output without editing, you’re stripping away what makes you memorable. Recruiters don’t want robotic professionalism — they want authenticity and clarity.”
Having seen many resumes that appear to have been created with AI, Li broke down some of the common mistakes that can give them away.
Sure, you want to avoid typos when applying for a job as a proofreader, but too much editing can also take away your personality from your resume.
Li said: "Candidates are polishing away all personality. The result? A CV that looks clean but feels cold. Employers can tell.”
“Share what motivates you, not just what you’ve done. Personality builds connection," she added.
It might have been a few years since you last applied for a new job, but that doesn't mean you can't keep your document up-to-date as you learn new skills, rather than chucking your latest talents into ChatGPT and hoping for the best.
"People wait until they’re desperate for a new job to update their CV — then panic. A great CV is always in progress, not a last-minute task," Li said. "Block 30 minutes every quarter to update your achievements and results. Future-you will thank you when opportunity knocks.”
If you don't know what a word really means, you don't need to use it - even if AI tells you to.
Li explained: “AI tools tend to overuse buzzwords like ‘dynamic’ or ‘results-driven’, but what recruiters actually want is evidence. Replace adjectives with outcomes."
"Start with your own words. Then use AI to refine, not replace," Li continued, adding: It’s about collaboration, not delegation.”
While it might feel like you're saving time by sending the same resume out to 20 companies, Li warned it's actually the opposite.
"The top candidates tailor, even slightly, every time," she said.