AI For Resume Bullets

Let’s be honest, writing resume bullets can feel like pulling teeth. You sit there, staring at your screen, trying to think of a way to say “managed a team” without sounding like every other person who’s ever managed a team. It’s frustrating, and if you’re like most people, you probably overthink the whole process, second-guessing every word choice and worrying about whether you’re using enough action verbs.

So here's the thing: AI can actually help with this. And no, I’m not talking about letting AI write your entire resume. Please don’t do that. But AI can be a great tool for brainstorming and tweaking your resume bullets so they stand out without sounding like you’re trying too hard.

How AI Can Help You Get Unstuck

If you’ve ever sat there trying to come up with a way to phrase your accomplishments, AI can save you hours of banging your head against the wall. For example, you could type something super basic into an AI tool like “I led a project that increased sales” and see what it suggests. Sometimes it’ll spit out something like, “Spearheaded a sales optimization project, resulting in a 20% revenue increase. ”

It’s not that the AI gets it perfect, honestly, sometimes the suggestions sound a bit robotic, but it can give you a starting point. You can tweak the phrasing so it sounds more like you and less like a corporate buzzword generator. The trick is not blindly copying what the AI gives you but using it as a nudge in the right direction.

Don’t Forget the Numbers

One of the biggest mistakes people make on resumes is forgetting to include measurable results. Instead of “supervised a team, ” you should be aiming for something like “Supervised a team of eight, increasing productivity by 15%. ” The good news? AI tools are pretty good at reminding you to include those metrics.

Even if you don’t have hard numbers for everything, you can still think about impact. Did you save time? Cut costs? Improve client satisfaction? AI can help you brainstorm ways to phrase these accomplishments, but you’ll need to provide the context. It’s not going to know your work history, only you do.

Be Careful With Generic Suggestions

Here’s a word of caution: AI tools tend to rely on the same pool of action verbs and phrases, so if you’re not careful, your resume could end up sounding pretty generic. Words like “streamlined” and “optimized” come up a lot (which is why I banned them in this blog). To avoid sounding like every other applicant, take the AI’s suggestion and make it more specific. Add details about what you actually did and how it helped your company or team.

Also, don’t feel pressured to use fancy words if they don’t fit your style. Your resume isn’t a vocabulary contest; it’s about showing impact in a clear way. Sometimes “trained new hires” works better than “facilitated onboarding initiatives. ” It’s okay to keep it simple.

Use AI As a Tool, Not a Crutch

At the end of the day, your resume has to sound like you. AI is great for brainstorming and giving you ideas, but it shouldn’t replace your voice or your judgment. If a suggestion feels off or doesn’t match what you actually did, skip it.

When used correctly, AI can be a game-changer for those moments when you’re stuck staring at the screen with no idea what to write. But you should still put the effort into making your resume uniquely yours. Employers want to see you, the real person behind the bullet points, not a cookie-cutter template churned out by AI.

So play around with it. Test out different tools and see what works for you. But don’t over-rely on it. Your resume is your story, and no AI can tell it better than you can.