Improve Your Resume and Cover Letter with AI

You are preparing a job application, and you are not sure if your resume is clear enough or how to present your cover letter. An AI can help you proofread, rephrase, and practice for the interview. But it should never write a work history that is not yours.

Remove your personal data before pasting your resume

Before you send your resume to an AI, remove your contact details: address, phone number, email, and date of birth. The CNIL advises avoiding entering personal data into a generative AI as much as possible. You can add them back at the end.

Ask the AI to use placeholders in place of personal information:

Example request You’re going to help me improve my resume. Replace my address, phone number, email, and date of birth with [ADDRESS], [PHONE], [EMAIL], and [DATE OF BIRTH]. Don’t change anything else. Here is my resume: [PASTE THE TEXT OF YOUR RESUME HERE].

Never paste confidential information or sensitive data (health, opinions) into an AI. If you want to limit the reuse of your conversations to train these tools, the CNIL explains how to object.

Compare your resume to the job posting

Paste the job posting and your anonymized resume. Ask the AI what matches the posting and what is missing. This shows you which keywords to reuse and which skills to highlight.

Example request You’re my reviewer. Here is a job posting for an administrative assistant: [PASTE THE JOB POSTING]. Here is my resume: [PASTE THE ANONYMIZED RESUME]. Tell me in three lists: what matches, what is missing, and what is in my resume but not in the posting.

Rephrase your experience without making anything up

Ask the AI to make your experience clearer and more compelling. Add a strict rule: no new skills, experience, or degrees.

Example request Rephrase the following experience to make it clearer and more compelling. Do not add any skills, experience, degrees, or numbers that do not appear in my text. If a point seems unclear, ask me a question instead of filling it in. My experience: [PASTE YOUR EXPERIENCE].

AI can “embellish” a text, or even invent an answer that sounds plausible. Compare each rephrased sentence with your actual background. You are responsible for the accuracy of your resume.

Write a cover letter tailored to the job

Ask for a first draft of the letter, specifying the tone and length. Give it your real experience and the job posting.

Example request Write a cover letter of about [NUMBER] words for the administrative assistant position below. Tone: [FORMAL / WARM]. Use only the following experience: [PASTE YOUR EXPERIENCE]. Job posting: [PASTE THE JOB POSTING]. Do not include any personal information. I will add it myself.

Personalize your letter with your own words

Generic text is easy to spot. Then add what attracts you to this company, in your own words. You can ask the AI to help you rephrase, but keep your own voice.

Example request Here is my cover letter. I want to explain why I am applying to [COMPANY NAME], because [YOUR REASONS, IN A FEW WORDS]. Suggest two ways to include this idea in the second paragraph, without changing the rest. Letter: [PASTE THE LETTER].

If you don’t know the company well, check its official website before mentioning it in your letter. Don’t let the AI guess its values or projects.

Practice a job interview

Ask the AI to play the role of the recruiter. It asks the questions, you answer, and then it gives you advice. You can repeat as many times as you need.

Example request You’re going to play the role of a recruiter for an administrative assistant position at [COMPANY NAME]. Ask me one question at a time. Wait for my answer, then give me three short tips to improve it. After five questions, give me a summary.

Good habits

• Check every sentence: no skill, experience, or degree should have been added.
• Protect your data: anonymize your resume and don’t send any confidential information.
• Read everything aloud before sending it, so the text sounds like you.
• Personalize each letter with your own words and true facts about the company.
• Take final responsibility: you are the one who signs your application.