Prompts / Resumes & Job Applications

ChatGPT prompts to write a resume based on a job description

This prompt creates a tailored resume based on a specific role and your actual work history. Use it when you want stronger alignment without exaggerating qualifications.

PromptOpen ChatGPTOpen Claude
Tailor my resume for the job below using only my real experience. I need an ATS-readable, truthful resume that makes the most relevant evidence easy for a recruiter to find.

Job description:
[JOB DESCRIPTION]

My current resume or experience notes:
[CURRENT RESUME OR EXPERIENCE]

Target details:
[TARGET ROLE AND LOCATION]

Optional facts I can support with records:
[VERIFIED RESULTS AND CONTEXT]

Instructions:
1. First create a requirements map with the 8–12 most important hard skills, responsibilities, domain signals, and outcomes from the job description. For each, show the matching evidence from my materials, a gap if no evidence exists, and whether it belongs in the summary, skills, or a specific role.
2. Then write a one-page resume unless my source material clearly requires two pages. Use this order: name/contact placeholders, 2–3 line professional summary, core skills, professional experience in reverse chronology, education, and relevant certifications or projects.
3. Rewrite bullets using action, scope, method, and outcome where supported. Retain employer names, titles, dates, and chronology unless my source material says otherwise. Prioritize the most relevant 3–5 bullets for each recent role.
4. Use terminology from the posting only where it accurately describes my work. Do not copy long phrases, claim tools I have not used, inflate seniority, alter dates, or manufacture metrics.
5. End with a short “gaps and questions” list containing missing requirements and the exact evidence I would need to add them honestly.

Before answering, verify that every achievement, metric, credential, and tool is supported by my materials. Also check that the resume has no keyword stuffing, duplicate bullets, unexplained employment changes, or formatting that would break plain-text ATS parsing.

Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.

Fill in

PlaceholderWhat to enterExample
[JOB DESCRIPTION]Paste the complete job posting, including responsibilities and qualifications.Operations Analyst at Fernbrook Health: own weekly reporting, improve intake workflows, build SQL dashboards, and partner with clinic managers.
[CURRENT RESUME OR EXPERIENCE]Paste your current resume or detailed notes on your work history.Jordan Lee, Business Operations Coordinator at Northfield Care, 2022–present; maintained scheduling reports, trained 18 coordinators, used Excel and basic SQL.
[TARGET ROLE AND LOCATION]State the job title, employer if known, and location or remote status.Operations Analyst, Fernbrook Health, Boston hybrid.
[VERIFIED RESULTS AND CONTEXT]Provide any accurate metrics, project context, tools, or accomplishments you can substantiate.Reduced missing intake fields from 14% to 6% after redesigning a checklist; built a weekly Excel report used by four clinic leads.

How to use

  1. Paste the full posting, not only a list of preferred qualifications.
  2. Add your existing resume and any verifiable project results the resume leaves out.
  3. Compare the requirements map with the draft and correct any claim that is too broad or unsupported.
  4. Follow up with: “Create a targeted cover letter that uses two supported resume achievements and does not repeat the resume.”

Variations

Experience bullet rewrite

Use this when the resume structure is sound but one role needs stronger, truthful bullets.

Variation
Rewrite the experience bullets for my [ROLE] position to fit [TARGET JOB DESCRIPTION]. Here are my raw responsibilities and outcomes: [RAW NOTES]. Produce 4–6 ATS-readable bullets, each grounded in the notes and ordered by relevance. Use numbers only when I supplied them; mark missing outcome evidence in brackets instead of guessing. Preserve dates, title, employer, and seniority. Then provide a brief mapping from each bullet to a requirement in the job description. Check for duplicate claims and unsupported tools before answering.

Career-change resume

Use this when you are applying across fields and need to surface transferable evidence.

Variation
Create a truthful career-change resume for [TARGET ROLE] from my background in [CURRENT FIELD]. Job description: [JOB DESCRIPTION]. My experience: [EXPERIENCE NOTES]. Identify transferable skills through concrete tasks and outcomes, not personality labels. Write a summary, skills section, and reverse-chronological experience bullets that connect my work to the target role without implying direct experience I lack. Include a concise gaps section with realistic ways to address each gap. Check that the draft does not overstate technical knowledge, credentials, or industry experience.

ATS keyword check

Use this after drafting a resume and before submitting an application.

Variation
Compare my resume [RESUME TEXT] with this [JOB DESCRIPTION]. Return a table with essential requirements, exact supporting evidence in my resume, missing or weak evidence, and safe wording improvements. Separate hard requirements from preferred qualifications and flag any requirement that may be a genuine eligibility issue. Do not insert keywords unless they are supported by my experience. Then give the five highest-impact edits in priority order. Check that suggested edits retain readable sentences rather than keyword lists.

Tips

  • Treat the posting’s required qualifications as a triage list: absent evidence is a gap to address honestly, not a phrase to insert.
  • A strong bullet shows what you changed and in what setting; “improved reporting” is weaker than a supported description of the report, users, and outcome.
  • Keep your original date history intact. ATS alignment cannot repair a trust problem caused by altered titles, dates, or qualifications.
  • For a senior role, give context for scale: team size, budget, volume, system, or decision affected, but only where you can support it.

FAQ

Will tailoring my resume for ATS make it sound robotic?

Not if the keywords appear inside evidence-based bullets. The goal is recognizable terminology paired with real work, not a repeated keyword list.

Should I include every skill from the job description?

Only include skills you can defend in an interview. Put unsupported requirements in a gap list and decide whether relevant training or a project can address them.

Can AI change my job title to match the posting?

No. Keep your official title and use the bullet points or a parenthetical functional description to clarify relevant work when accurate.

Related prompts

All Resumes & Job Applications prompts →

Get a few prompts like this every week

Something Big is a free AI newsletter read by 50,000+ professionals. About three short emails a week with prompts and tools that work, plus what changed in AI and what to do about it.