When I first met Amanda, she was on the verge of giving up. After months of applying for jobs and receiving nothing but automated rejection emails—or, worse, radio silence—she felt defeated. Her skills as a project manager were strong, her accomplishments impressive, and her determination unshakable. Yet, her resume told a different story.
“I don’t get it,” she said. “I’ve used three different AI resume builders. They gave me great layouts, lots of action verbs, and keywords. What am I doing wrong?”
Amanda wasn’t wrong to turn to AI. In today’s job market, technology can be a helpful tool for drafting a resume. But as her career coach, I quickly realized what was missing: her story.
AI had churned out generic phrases and polished formatting, but it couldn’t capture Amanda’s unique value. It didn’t articulate how she turned a chaotic workflow into a streamlined process that saved her team hours each week. It couldn’t highlight the human element—how she inspired trust and collaboration among her colleagues. And it certainly didn’t dig into the nuances of her career trajectory to frame her achievements in a way that resonated with her target audience.
This is where AI falls short, and why crafting a standout resume still requires a human touch.
The Limits of AI in Resume Writing
AI tools are great for optimizing the mechanics of a resume. They help with formatting, grammar checks, and inserting industry-specific keywords. They can even suggest strong action verbs to make your bullet points pop. But these tools are only as good as the information you give them.
Here’s what AI can’t do when it comes to writing your resume:
1. Understand Your Unique Career Journey
AI doesn’t know how to connect the dots between your seemingly unrelated experiences to show a clear, compelling narrative. If you’ve switched industries, taken a career break, or grown within an organization, only a human can analyze that trajectory and present it strategically.
2. Emphasize Your Personal Brand
Your personal brand is what sets you apart, and it’s built on more than just your technical skills. It includes your leadership style, work ethic, and the unique perspective you bring to your field. AI can’t uncover or express those intangible qualities that make you, you.
3. Customize for Specific Roles
While AI can suggest keywords based on job descriptions, it doesn’t have the context to determine which achievements matter most for a specific role. A skilled career coach or resume writer knows how to tailor your resume to showcase the qualifications that align most closely with your target job.
4. Tell a Story That Resonates
Hiring managers don’t just want to see what you’ve done; they want to understand how you’ve done it and why it matters. AI lacks the ability to craft nuanced, engaging narratives that communicate the impact of your work.
What a Human Can Do That AI Can’t
When Amanda and I revamped her resume, we focused on uncovering her story. Together, we pinpointed her proudest achievements, quantified her impact, and tied everything back to the roles she was targeting. We brought her leadership qualities to life, highlighted her ability to build strong teams, and demonstrated how her work had driven meaningful results.
The difference was night and day. Within weeks, Amanda started landing interviews, and her confidence grew with each conversation. Her resume wasn’t just a list of duties anymore—it was a powerful tool that reflected her value as a professional.
The Takeaway
AI is a helpful ally in the resume-writing process, but it’s no substitute for the human element. A great resume goes beyond keywords and formatting; it’s a marketing document that tells your story in a way that resonates with hiring managers.
If your resume isn’t generating the responses you want, it may be time to step back and ask: Does this reflect the best version of me? Is it telling my story effectively?
Like Amanda, you might just need a little help from someone who can see the bigger picture. And that’s something no AI tool can deliver.