Generative AI is genuinely useful for a resume or cover letter — as an editor, not an author. The distinction matters more than it sounds like it should, because the failure mode of letting AI author the whole thing isn't that it produces something obviously wrong. It's that it produces something plausible, fluent, and generic: the kind of resume that could belong to anyone, which is the opposite of what a resume is for.
What AI is genuinely good for
- Brainstorming alternate phrasings for a bullet you already know the facts of.
- Extracting the specific keywords and terms a job posting is emphasizing.
- Suggesting a stronger, more precise action verb for a specific kind of accomplishment.
- Proofreading: grammar, spelling, awkward phrasing.
- Giving feedback on a draft you've already written — a second opinion, not a first draft.
What it shouldn't do
Serve as the primary author of your resume or cover letter, or replace an authentic account of your own experience. Every claim on your resume has to survive being asked about directly in an interview — if you can't speak to a line without having to remember what the AI meant by it, it shouldn't be on the page. Adjust anything AI-generated until it's accurate and actually sounds like you, and read it critically instead of accepting a suggestion just because it reads smoothly.
Don't paste in more than the tool needs
Be careful what you share with a generative AI tool while using it to work on application materials — avoid pasting personal or proprietary information you don't need to. A general-purpose chat tool has no obligation to protect what you type into it the way a purpose-built resume tool does.
Check before you submit
Some employers have explicit rules about whether AI can be used in preparing application materials — read the posting's instructions, and when in doubt, verify against the employer's own guidelines before submitting.
How this shows up in ResumeReady
This is also, plainly, the design principle behind every AI feature in this app: nothing here writes a resume from a blank page with invented experience. The bullet generator drafts plausible, generic starting points only from your actual job title and company, and says so — you're expected to personalize them before use. Tailoring and rewriting tools only ever rephrase or reframe facts you've already provided; they're built to refuse to invent a number, an employer, or an achievement that wasn't already there. AI does the drafting and editing. You're still the one who has to be able to stand behind every line.
Generative AI should not be the primary author of your resume and cover letters, as the writing will likely be very generic. Use it to brainstorm revisions and incorporate keywords, adjust the language to fit your needs, and ensure the final product is accurate and authentic — you should be able to speak to every line of your resume if asked about it in an interview.Harvard FAS Mignone Center for Career Success, Using Generative AI for Resumes and Cover Letters