As someone who writes executive resumes on a weekly basis and coaches in-house counsel on the executive job search process, I’ve quietly watched the boom in AI-generated resumes sweep across the job search market. It seemed obvious as to the glaring reasons why you shouldn’t use AI to write your executive (legal) resume or LinkedIn profile: ethical implications of inaccurate and already published information, low-level writing and boilerplate generalizations, and the repetitive and overused jargon that AI spits back out. Yet, it wasn’t until I recently encountered a situation of AI-crafted responses by an executive client that I realized it’s time to shed important light to readers of my column.
My executive clients typically haven’t job searched in a decade or two. Most are behind the times on marketing themselves strategically because they’ve continuously just updated that archaic resume template from their career services department in college or law school. These executives are often starting from ground zero in their job search with no factual data or a brag book of achievements kept throughout their executive career trajectory. Many experience brain fatigue when dialing back through their career history trying to remember specific facts and examples where they’ve shined.
A few weeks ago, I had an executive client who utilized AI to respond to a series of standard questions I provide clients as part of a personal inventory to obtain more details of their career trajectory and accomplishments. As I read through the responses, they seemed robotic and generic, yet not pointed directly to this client’s experience. It was clear the client relied on ChatGPT or a similar AI software to do the heavy lifting.
I also quickly realized that the conversation on our Zoom coaching call flowed differently than the words on paper, and the client’s experience didn’t exactly match what the responses detailed. The responses to the questions overlooked the more intricate pieces of this client’s executive-level experience which made him a truly stand-out candidate. In the coaching relationship, being transparent with clients is key.
I explained to the client the problem with relying on AI to provide accurate information in a career setting. I referred back to the examples of his career history that I was able to lift out of him by pressing further on questions (and follow-up questions) in that Zoom coaching call. AI never provided those tidbits of important information. Had I relied on those initial responses crafted by AI provided to me by this client, his story would have been a complete miss in both his resume and LinkedIn profile.
While I think AI can certainly give you organized packing lists for bucket list trips or plan out terrific trip itineraries for dream destinations, I do believe it can also provide a framework of ideas for brainstorming or help you craft the outline for correspondence when you’ve got writer’s block. However, relying solely on AI to write your executive resume/LinkedIn profile or respond to an executive search recruiter’s questions is going to sink your career faster than the Titanic. What we’re experiencing now is the same problematic situation that occurs when fluff, hyperbole, and the “keyword stuffing” section of 30-plus skills replaces actual facts and evidence in a client’s resume.
AI Is Not Human-Voice-Centric
When you pop a question into ChatGPT or another AI software, it’s culling information from the internet and utilizing it to provide a generic response, without fact-checking it. Since I’ve authored numerous articles on how to write a general counsel resume, AI culls some of that information when prompting it with a question regarding the skills of a general counsel. Yet, the information is basic and provides zero correlation to your own experience. Remember, your LinkedIn profile is public and forward-facing. As a result, and not surprisingly, AI also takes examples of general counsel LinkedIn profiles (many of which I’ve written for former clients) to provide that responsive information.
Thus, by relying solely on AI, you’re merely repurposing existing blanket information, not the kind that’s part of your authentic career story, personal brand, or true unique value. It’s not fact-centric. It’s giving baseline and rudimentary responses. AI is not showing up to your next general counsel interview, where you’ll be responding to very specific questions that request detailed scenarios from your personal first-hand experience (the kind that ChatGPT or an AI chatbot doesn’t know of).
AI Is No Match For The Discerning Executive
You simply cannot game the system by using AI-generated resumes to advance in the hiring process, especially at the executive level. Recruiters, CEOs, and boards can read between the lines. And, as we’re also well aware of, companies are using technology to see if AI wrote the resume, not you. AI will never replace the human voice that’s needed in the boardroom, standing on the front lines of the company crisis.
But here’s the bigger problem beyond the ethical implications of attempting to replace AI-generated resumes with human voice resumes: if you can’t answer the questions off the cuff in that interview, and you don’t match the person illustrated on paper (or LinkedIn), you’ve now just blacklisted yourself from future opportunities at these companies. So, why even go down that road? Why take the easy way out just for a quick first-pass?
For the companies, hiring teams, and executive search recruiters reading this article, continue to think about how to separate stand-out candidates in the sea of AI mishmash — a world that’s now combatting between the rote checklists of skills from the actual experiences and battlegrounds that define that next ideal general counsel or CEO.
Wendi Weiner is an attorney, career expert, and founder of The Writing Guru, an award-winning executive resume writing services company. Wendi creates powerful career and personal brands for attorneys, executives, and C-suite/Board leaders for their job search and digital footprint. She also writes for major publications about alternative careers for lawyers, personal branding, LinkedIn storytelling, career strategy, and the job search process. You can reach her by email at [email protected], connect with her on LinkedIn, and follow her on Twitter @thewritingguru.