One of the most important steps in tailoring your résumé is figuring out what the employer is actually looking for.
But let’s be real, most job postings are long, repetitive, and packed with corporate jargon that makes it tough to know what really matters.
The good news? AI can help.
Use ChatGPT to Decode the Job Posting
Next time you’re reading a job description, try this quick prompt:
🗣️ Paste this into ChatGPT:
“Hi ChatGPT, please look at this job posting and list all the core competencies and skills this employer is seeking for this role. Please give it to me in a list of one- or two-word phrases, and provide them in the order that they appear in the job posting. Thank you!”
In seconds, you’ll get back a clean, focused list of keywords, perfect for comparing against your résumé and making sure you’re mirroring the language the employer is using.
This is a fast, effective way to spot what really matters in the role, without the buzzword overload.
But Don’t Stop There 👀
AI is a great tool, but it’s not perfect.
After you get your list, do a quick visual scan of the job posting yourself. Why?
Because some qualifications are implied or scattered in ways that AI might miss. A 30-second review with your own eyes can catch critical gaps.
Let’s Talk About the ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems)
Yes, keywords are important.
Yes, you should include them. But we often over-focus on “beating the bots” and forget about the human reading your résumé.
📌 Reminder: A recruiter doesn’t have time to dig into page 2, paragraph 3, bullet 4. They need to see that you’re qualified right away.
That’s why it’s critical to not just include the keywords, but to make your résumé clear, direct, and human-friendly.
Write for the Real Decision Maker
When your résumé clearly shows that you meet the requirements of the role, you make the recruiter’s job easier.
And that’s how you move forward.
✨ So next time, use ChatGPT to decode the job posting, but follow it up with:
✅ Your own eyes
✅ Your own judgment
✅ A résumé that speaks clearly to the person on the other end
You’ve got this 👊