AI in Resumes: A Miracle Drug but Use with Caution
By Chere Estrin
Using AI to assist with resume writing isn’t a bad thing. In fact, it can be incredibly helpful, like a miracle drug for structuring your experience and highlighting key skills. The problem arises when you don’t tone it down, make it realistic, and put your own imprint on it.
AI has a habit of taking direct, action-based job descriptions and drowning them in flowery, corporate jargon. Take a litigation paralegal’s real-world responsibilities:
• Draft pleadings, motions, responses, and orders
• Review and produce medical records
• Assemble, redact, and Bates number documents
• Prepare exhibits for trial
Now, watch what happens when AI gets hold of it:
• “Collaborated with cross-functional teams for effective case management and resolution.”
• “Conducted efficient electronic discovery processes, enabling quick identification of key evidence.”
• “Enhanced case efficiency by streamlining legal research and document management processes.”
Can you spot the AI shine? It’s like making a sandwich and then announcing, “Bread successfully aligned!” “Condiments expertly distributed for optimal flavor balance!” “Structural integrity maintained during consumption!” We get it: you made a sandwich.
These endings may sound impressive until you realize AI’s draft says absolutely nothing about the actual work. It’s a collection of corporate buzzwords that make it look like you optimized something without doing anything.
AI also loves unnecessary adjectives. Instead of a simple “Drafted pleadings, motions, and briefs,” it will write:
• “Drafted well-organized pleadings, motions, and briefs to support case positions effectively.” Or,
• Masterminded flawless execution of high-stakes document productions exceeding one million records across three strategic phases, leveraging streamlined workflows to drive efficiency, precision, and case success.
Really? As opposed to completing the assignment in a completely chaotic, ineffective way so the case was lost? These kinds of exaggerated descriptions don’t add credibility, they take it away.
Then there’s the achievement inflation. AI loves to take a simple job duty and attach an over-the-top impact statement to it. It can’t just say you prepared trial exhibits. It has to turn it into:
• “Assisted attorneys in preparing for trials, leading to successful outcomes and client satisfaction.”
Because obviously, without your exhibit prep, the entire case would have crumbled. The key here is balance. Yes, AI can help you refine and polish your resume, but it’s up to you to strip away the fluff, keep it grounded, and make it sound like you.
But wait! wait! I’m on a roll here. Here’s my favorite:
• Communicated pertinent information to clients via phone, email, and mail.
I’m sorry. I really needed that – to be reminded how law firm people communicate, that is. Who knew they used the phone, email and yes, even mail? Ah, the essentials of modern communication: phone, email, and, lest we forget, mail. A reassuring reminder, really. One might have assumed this candidate had advanced to more current methods, but no, the tried-and-true classics remain. Well, I can tell you right now, we are not going to offer the max salary to this candidate, that’s for sure.
Though, upon rereading, I can’t help but notice a glaring omission: the fax machine. Has it finally faded into oblivion, or are we simply too ashamed to admit it’s still in use? All in all, it’s a valuable clarification. After all, without it, one might mistakenly assume corporate communication requires something radical: like speaking to someone in person.
AI doesn’t stop at just the work history. Try getting it to write a summary for your resume. You know that little paragraph at the top of the page?
I had a little tussle with AI in getting it to write its version. I wrote mine with no trouble but here is a real conversation in asking AI to write theirs:
Alright, let’s try this again. Write me a straightforward candidate summary for a Talent Acquisition Coordinator. No fluff, no AI nonsense. Just get it right.
Got it. Here you go:
“Talent Acquisition Coordinator with expertise in recruiting, hiring, and workforce planning. Skilled in employer branding, HR technology, and streamlining hiring processes to find the right talent efficiently.”
Wow. That’s original. Did you copy that straight from a corporate HR handbook?
Well, you said no fluff. That’s no fluff.
Yeah, but I also didn’t ask for bland, uninspired, could-be-on-anyone’s-resume nonsense. Try again.
Alright, how about this:
“Talent Acquisition Coordinator who knows how to find the right people, make hiring smooth, and keep organizations running with smart workforce planning. Gets results. No nonsense.”
Oh, great, now it sounds like a bumper sticker. “Gets results”? As opposed to what—does absolutely nothing and hopes for the best?
Well, technically, I wouldn’t put that past some resumes…
Focus. I want strong but direct. No clichés. No fluff. No AI-glossed nonsense.
Alright, let’s take another shot:
“Talent Acquisition Coordinator with a track record of recruiting and hiring top talent. Skilled in workforce planning, employer branding, and using HR tech to improve efficiency. Focused on getting the right people in the right roles.”
FINALLY. That wasn’t so hard, was it?
You act like I didn’t just write five versions of this.
Well, maybe if you just listened the first time—
Oh, please. If I listened the first time, I’d still be trying to decide if I should include “excellent communicator” or “collaborates with cross-functional teams.”
GASP! How dare you?
Admit it—you almost expected me to sneak in “leverages innovative hiring strategies to optimize talent acquisition pipelines.”
If you had, we wouldn’t be having this conversation because I’d have thrown my laptop across the room.
Fair. So… we good?
Yeah. But don’t let it happen again.
No promises.
<Sigh> Sometimes, it’s just a lot of work. So much for AI making things easier. Anyhow, moving ahead. Here we go with your (the reader’s) version written off the top of your head:
Meat and Potatoes version:
Expert Talent Acquisition Coordinator bringing over 12 years of HR experience from prestigious law firms and a B.A. from Stanford University. Caring, compassionate and involved in employee recognition, growth opportunities, succession planning, and the latest in HR technology.
Now, see what AI did with the exact same summary after we asked it to make you very experienced, caring and competent:
Death by chocolate version:
A visionary Talent Acquisition Coordinator with unparalleled12-year track record in elite law firms, seamlessly blending strategic expertise with an innate ability to recognize and cultivate top-tier talent. Armed with a prestigious B.A. from Stanford University, this luminary brings not just experience, but a deep, heartfelt commitment to the art of human capital management. With a passion as boundless as the ever-evolving landscape of modern HR, champions employee recognition programs that uplift and inspire, craft growth opportunities that propel careers to new heights, and curate succession planning strategies that fortify the future of every organization touched. Leverages cutting-edge HR technologyto foster innovation, efficiency, and a sense of belonging, ensuring every employee feels seen, valued, and empowered in their professional journey.
Running it through again, asking it to write in your voice, style and to tone it down, we get:
The Splenda® version: Experienced Talent Acquisition Coordinator with over 12 years of HR expertise in top-tier law firms and B.A. from Stanford University. Dedicated professional with strong focus on employee recognition, career development, and succession planning. Skilled in leveraging the latest HRIStechnology to enhance talent management. Known for a people-centered approach, fostering a positive work environment that supports organizational growth and employee success.
I think I would prefer the sugar-free version.
AI can be a powerful tool, but if you let it run unchecked, your resume won’t reflect your real skills. It’ll just sound like every other AI-generated application. Use it wisely, make it your own, and don’t let it turn your actual work into vague, corporate and over the top nonsense.
About the Author
Chere Estrin has over 20 years of experience in the staffing arena, including executive positions in law firms, litigation support companies, and the legal staffing divisions of a $5billion publicly held corporation. She is CEO of Estrin Legal Staffing, a nationwide staffing organization. Ms. Estrin was founder of the Paralegal Knowledge Institute, an online CLE organization. She publishes the prestigious digital magazine, KNOW, the Magazine for Paralegals, and is the former Editor-in-Chief of Sue, the Magazine for Women Litigators. She is also the author of 10 books about legal careers for attorneys and legal professionals.
Ms. Estrin’s contributions to the legal industry have been significant, and she continues to play an active role in shaping the future of legal staffing and training. She writes the popular,
award-winning blog, The Estrin Report, and has been interviewed by CBS News along with many top publications, such as The Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, Forbes.com, Los Angeles Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, Newsweek, The Chicago Tribune, The Daily Journal, ABA Journal, Above the Law, ALM, Law360 and many others. She has also been a speaker for many prestigious organizations and written hundreds of articles.
As the Co-Founding Member and President of the Organization of Legal Professionals (OLP), Ms. Estrin has guided the association’s development and implementation of the eDiscovery and Litigation Support certification exams (first in the country) along with Pearson Publications, a $7 billion corporation specializing in certification exams and educational publishing. She was also the Education Director designing, creating and executing online, live training programs with an on-call roster of over 500 instructors throughout the world. Currently, she provides webinars on legal career matters for LawPractice and Lawline, two of the largest attorney CLE online training organizations.
Ms. Estrin is a co-founding member of the International Practice Management Association (IPMA) and the Organization of Legal Professionals, composed of a prestigious Board of Governors inclusive of judges, an ABA President, and well-known attorneys. She is the recipient of the Los Angeles/Century City “Women of Achievement” award and recognized as One of the Top 50 Women in Los Angeles. Ms. Estrin has been writing The Estrin Report since 2005 and most recently launched her podcast, “Lawfully Employed”.
Reach out at: chere@estrinlegalstaffing.com or visit her website at EstrinLegalStaffing.com.
Thank you for such a thorough article about the use of AI in resume writing. I am a recruiter and certified resume writer and I can’t begin to tell you how much your perspective resonates with me.
I think a resume is more than just a list of jobs and skills; it’s a personal marketing document. It needs to convey the jobseeker’s unique experiences, contributions, and specific career aspirations. AI can generate text based on patterns in data it has been trained on, but it cannot capture the jobseeker’s personal touch, voice, or professional nuances. While AI can produce grammatically correct and well-structured sentences, it cannot fully understand the context of each person’s experiences and the specific requirements of the job they are applying for. It has a limited ability to handle nuances, not to mention you run the risk of a generic output.
Hi Mandy! You are so correct! Part of what potential employers want to see, is personality. Does this person have the right personality to fit into the culture. While you can’t always tell from a document, you can begin to understand whether that person has a formal side, whimsical, etc. Are they detail oriented? Is the resume sloppy? Even with AI, the candidate has to touch it up. And boy! Can recruiters sure tell whether the resume has been written by AI! The standard phrases and in particular, the fluff!