Using AI to write and tailor your CV

AI tools (Claude, ChatGPT, and dedicated CV tools like Kickresume, Resume.io, and Teal) can significantly reduce the time required to write and tailor your CV for specific roles. The most effective approach: start with a master CV containing all your experience, achievements, and skills in detail. Then for each application, paste the job description into an AI tool alongside your master CV and ask it to produce a tailored version that highlights the most relevant experience and uses language from the job description. Review the output critically: AI tools often remove important detail, use generic language, and miss the nuances of your specific experience. Edit heavily. A strong AI-assisted CV still sounds like you.

Key check: ATS compatibility. AI-generated CVs sometimes use formatting that ATS software struggles with (tables, text boxes, unusual fonts). Stick to clean, text-based formatting. Test your CV through an ATS checker tool (Jobscan, Resume Worded) before submitting to large organisations that definitely use ATS screening.

Using AI to prepare for interviews

AI tools are genuinely useful for interview preparation in several ways. Research: ask Claude or ChatGPT to summarise the company, its recent news, its competitive position, and its likely interview focus areas. Question preparation: ask for the most likely interview questions for the specific role and company, with guidance on how to structure strong answers. Practice: conduct mock interviews by asking an AI to play the interviewer and give feedback on your answers. Live Interview Help (liveinterviewhelp.com) goes further by listening to the interview in real time and surfacing relevant answers based on your specific CV and the job description — a tool specifically built for live interview support rather than preparation. STAR answer drafting: provide an AI with bullet points about an experience and ask it to help you structure it as a STAR answer (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

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Frequently asked questions

Can AI help me decide which jobs to apply for?
Yes, with caveats. AI tools can help you assess whether your skills match a job description, identify gaps in your profile for a particular role, and suggest alternative roles you might not have considered. Tools like LinkedIn AI features and dedicated job matching platforms use AI to surface relevant opportunities. However, AI job matching works best when the jobs you are looking for are clearly defined and when your experience is well-represented in text. For career pivots, unusual career paths, or roles where your value is hard to summarise in a CV, human judgment and networking remain more reliable than AI matching.