What should you give ChatGPT before asking for a resume?

Prepare a factual work history before requesting polished prose. Use rough notes if necessary. Separate your own responsibilities from work completed by colleagues.

• Your target role and the full job description.
• Employer names, actual job titles and confirmed dates.
• Tasks you personally completed in each position.
• Tools you used and what you used them for.
• Education, completed training and relevant projects.
• Results you can substantiate, without estimated improvements.
• The requested application language and submission instructions.

For the drafting copy, replace contact details with placeholders. Remove customer information and confidential business material. Add your contact details yourself when preparing the final document.

1. Find the missing information

Help me prepare a resume for [role]. Here are my work notes: [notes]. Do not draft the resume yet. Ask five questions about missing responsibilities, dates, tools or evidence. Do not infer skills from my job title. If I cannot confirm something, leave it unresolved. Distinguish my individual contribution from the team's work.

If your notes involve independent projects, label them clearly. The prompts for freelancers can help you describe that work. Keep client approval and confidentiality in mind when choosing examples.

Returning after time away? Decide what you want to disclose before drafting. Use the career break planning guide to prepare your explanation, and keep dates accurate.

How do you turn rough notes into a usable draft?

Ask for plain text first. Review the content before spending time on formatting. Start with a clear section order and tell ChatGPT where unresolved questions should go.

2. Build the first version

Draft a resume for [role] using only these confirmed facts: [facts]. Use sections for a short summary, experience, skills, education and relevant projects. Put the most recent role first. Keep the summary specific and brief. Do not invent qualifications, results or software knowledge. Put questions about missing details after the draft, outside the resume itself.

Read the summary separately. Delete any description that sounds impressive but has no supporting example. If you would not introduce yourself that way in a conversation, rewrite it in your own words.

3. Rewrite experience as clear bullet points

Turn these notes into concise resume bullet points: [notes]. State what I did and what I worked on. Include an outcome only when my notes support it. Do not add numbers or upgrade “assisted” to “led.” Under each proposed bullet, identify the note supporting it. Flag ambiguous wording for my review.

Which prompt should you use to match a job posting?

Request a comparison before requesting a rewrite. Check whether each requirement has supporting evidence in your experience. Leave genuine gaps visible.

4. Compare requirements with evidence

My resume: [text]. Job posting: [text]. Make a table with three columns: requirement, supporting fact from my resume, and missing information. Then suggest which existing bullets to move, shorten or clarify. Preserve my titles, dates and skill levels. Do not insert unsupported requirements. Explain each proposed change briefly without assigning a match score.

Hypothetical example: a marketing assistant has prepared newsletters but never managed a mailing platform. Keep the writing experience. Do not add platform administration simply because the posting requests it.

LinkedIn's Resume Tips compares an uploaded resume with a job description and suggests changes. Its documentation identifies it as a Premium feature available on desktop and in English. Check the official feature description before deciding whether it fits your application.

Choose the vacancy before adapting the document. If you are still collecting options, use the job search planning guide to select applications worth preparing carefully.

How should you prepare LinkedIn text and a cover letter?

Use the same confirmed facts across your application materials. Give each piece a separate purpose: introduce yourself on your profile and explain your interest in the particular vacancy in your letter.

5. Check your LinkedIn profile against your resume

Compare this resume [text] with my LinkedIn profile text [text]. Flag inconsistent dates, job titles, responsibilities and skill levels. Ask which version is correct instead of guessing. After I confirm the facts, suggest a short profile introduction in a straightforward tone. Add no new accomplishments or claims about my reputation.

Review titles carefully. If an internal title needs explanation, write a short description of the work rather than silently replacing it with a more senior title.

6. Draft a specific cover letter

Write a cover letter of no more than 180 words for [job posting]. Use these verified examples: [examples]. My actual reason for applying is [reason]. Connect two examples to the role. Avoid generic praise, invented company facts and claims about lifelong passion. Finish with a polite invitation to discuss my experience.

For the email accompanying your application, adapt the email writing prompts. Keep the subject, attachment name and role consistent.

If someone requests a reference, prepare factual notes for the person recommending you. Follow the recommendation letter guide and obtain their approval before presenting anything as their endorsement.

How do you check whether the resume is ready to send?

Review it against your original notes, then against the application instructions. LinkedIn explicitly warns that its AI suggestions may contain inaccuracies and recommends checking them before use. See its accuracy guidance.

7. Audit facts before editing style

Original work notes: [notes]. Resume draft: [draft]. Flag every statement that lacks support in the notes. Check dates, numbers, qualifications, tools and ownership of results. Then list vague wording and repetition separately. Do not repair missing facts by guessing. Give me a short list of questions to resolve before producing another version.

Use this as an additional review, then perform your own checks. Read each bullet aloud and describe one real example behind it. Remove or correct anything you cannot explain.

• Compare dates and qualifications with your records.
• Check that every number has an identifiable basis.
• Confirm that team achievements reflect your actual contribution.
• Remove placeholders and confidential details.
• Check your contact information and attachment.
• Open the final file and inspect its layout.
• Follow any employer instructions about AI assistance.

Separate accuracy from privacy when deciding whether to send it. A truthful document still needs a sharing check. The cited sources do not establish universal employer acceptance or a privacy guarantee.

What can you finish this week?

Complete one carefully checked application before preparing a batch. Use three work sessions and save the confirmed facts separately from the tailored draft.

1. Gather: choose the vacancy, confirm dates and answer the missing information questions.
2. Draft: write the resume, compare it with the posting and prepare the supporting letter.
3. Review: check the final file and practise explaining the experience you have included.

OpenAI Academy's resume session covers organizing experience and practising interview questions alongside resume refinement. Its session description provides the scope. For your own practice, choose one bullet and answer: what did I do, and what was my responsibility?

After an interview, use the thank you email guide to prepare a message grounded in the actual conversation.