In today’s rapidly evolving job market, technology is reshaping every aspect of the hiring process. Did you know that 42% of companies are now using AI to assess job applications? This staggering statistic highlights the growing influence of artificial intelligence in determining who gets hired.

But what does this mean for job seekers? How do these AI systems evaluate resumes, and what are they really looking for? To shed light on this increasingly important topic, we decided to turn the tables and let AI analyse some sample resumes.

We wanted to help humans understand what AI really thinks when it looks at a CV. So, we used an advanced resume chatbot to review three different quality levels of resumes: moderate, very good, and perfect.

General Tips

Format

When you submit your resume, the first thing an AI notices is its format. Clean, well-structured documents are easier for AI to parse and understand. Think of it as making a good first impression, but with pixels instead of a handshake.

AI Perspective: A well-formatted document allows efficient extraction and categorisation information. Inconsistent formatting or unconventional layouts can lead to errors in my interpretation, potentially causing me to misclassify or overlook important details. I appreciate resumes that use standard headings, consistent font sizes, and clear delineation between sections.

Content

While humans might skim a resume, AI systems can analyze every word in microseconds. They’re typically programmed to look for specific keywords related to the job description, as well as indicators of experience and skills.

Objective statements:

Generic objective statements are the bane of both human and AI recruiters. An AI system is likely to give more weight to objectives that closely match the job description and company values.

AIs love quantifiable achievements:

That shouldn’t come as a surprise, given the underlying technology behind LLMs operates via statistics. Instead of saying you “improved sales,” stating that you “increased sales by 30% over six months” gives the AI concrete data to work with.

For example, when a resume states ‘Led a team of 15 and reduced project delivery time by 25%,’ it provides the AI with clear, measurable indicators of success. This allows it to more accurately assess a candidate’s potential impact. Vague statements like ‘Responsible for team leadership’ are less informative.

General tips for crafting an AI-friendly resume:

• Use a clean, standard format that’s easy for AI to parse.
• Include relevant keywords from the job description, but don’t overdo it.
• Quantify your achievements wherever possible.
• Ensure your skills and certifications clearly match the job requirements.
• Be specific in your objective statement and tailor it to each application.

Analysing CVs

We’ve presented the AI with three different CVs. First, we’ll give you the AI’s analysis, before giving you a human recruiter’s perspective on that analysis.

PERSON 1

CV

AI Analysis:

John Doe’s CV presents several issues that hinder its effectiveness:

• The objective statement is vague and generic. It doesn’t provide any specific information about John’s career goals or unique value proposition. This makes it difficult to assess his suitability for any particular role.
• The experience section lacks depth. While it outlines basic responsibilities, there are no quantifiable achievements or specific examples of impact. This absence of concrete data makes it challenging to evaluate John’s actual contributions in his previous roles.
• The skills listed are too general. “Strong communication” and “interpersonal skills” are positive attributes, but without context or evidence, they don’t carry much weight. The mention of proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite is helpful, but it’s a basic expectation for most office jobs.
• The certifications don’t align strongly with a career in sales or customer service. While a Customer Service Excellence Certificate is relevant, the CPR certification, while valuable, doesn’t directly enhance his professional profile for most office-based roles.
• The formatting is basic and doesn’t guide the eye to key information efficiently. This could lead to important details being overlooked during a quick scan.

Overall, this CV doesn’t provide enough specific, relevant information to make a strong case for John’s candidacy for most professional roles.

Human analysis:

The AI’s assessment of John Doe’s CV is generally accurate but perhaps overly harsh. While our human recruiter would likely agree with many of the points raised, they might also:

• Recognize that for entry-level positions, less detailed CVs are common and somewhat expected.
• Appreciate the chronological layout, which clearly shows John’s career progression.
• Note potential in John’s background, even if it’s not explicitly quantified.

However, the AI correctly identifies the lack of specificity as a major weakness. We would indeed prefer more concrete examples of achievements and relevant skills.

The AI’s focus on formatting is interesting. While humans do appreciate well-formatted CVs, they’re generally more forgiving of basic layouts, especially for junior positions.

PERSON 2

CV

AI Analysis

Jane Smith’s CV shows significant improvements:

• The professional summary is focused and informative. It immediately establishes Jane’s experience level, area of expertise, and career objectives. The mention of “innovative campaigns” and “strategic planning” provides insight into her capabilities.
• The experience section is much stronger. It includes specific, quantifiable achievements like increasing website traffic by 30% and growing social media followers by 20%. These metrics provide clear evidence of Jane’s impact in her roles.
• The skills listed are specific and relevant to digital marketing. This allows for easy matching against job requirements in this field.
• The certifications (Google Analytics and HubSpot Inbound Marketing) are directly relevant to her career in digital marketing, adding credibility to her skill set.
• The formatting is clean and professional, with clear section demarcations that facilitate quick information extraction.

This CV effectively communicates Jane’s qualifications and achievements in digital marketing. It provides enough specific information to make a strong case for her candidacy in related roles.

Human analysis:

The AI’s positive reception of Jane Smith’s CV aligns closely with how our human recruiter would perceive it. The analysis correctly highlights:

• The value of a focused professional summary
• The importance of quantifiable achievements
• The relevance of listed skills and certifications

We agree with all these points. However, a human might also:

• Infer soft skills from the description of Jane’s collaborative work, something the AI doesn’t mention.
• Appreciate the career progression from Coordinator to Specialist, which the AI doesn’t explicitly note.

The AI’s appreciation for clear formatting mirrors human preferences, though a human might not consciously analyse this aspect as thoroughly.

PERSON 3

CV

AI Analysis:

Michael Johnson’s CV exemplifies an optimal presentation of professional qualifications:

• The professional summary is comprehensive and targeted. It establishes Michael’s experience level, areas of expertise, and career focus. Key phrases like “Agile methodologies,” “risk management,” and “process optimization” are highly relevant to project management roles.
• The education section goes beyond basics, including GPA and thesis title. This provides insight into Michael’s academic performance and research interests, both relevant to his career path.
• The experience section is outstanding. Each role is described with specific, quantifiable achievements. Phrases like “reduced project delivery time by 25%” and “mitigated project risks by 30%” provide clear, impressive metrics of performance.
• The skills listed are highly specific to project management, allowing for precise matching against job requirements.
• The certifications (PMP, PMI-ACP, Lean Six Sigma) are highly valued in project management, adding significant credibility to Michael’s profile.
• The inclusion of specific projects with measurable outcomes (e.g., “40% increase in sales”) provides additional concrete evidence of Michael’s capabilities.
• The awards and honors section adds another layer of credibility and performance indication.
• The formatting is logical and consistent, optimizing information extraction efficiency.

This CV provides comprehensive, relevant, and quantifiable information about Michael’s qualifications and achievements. It makes a very strong case for his candidacy in project management roles, providing multiple data points to assess his potential performance.

Human analysis:

The AI’s glowing review of Michael Johnson’s CV is largely in line with how a senior human recruiter would evaluate it. The analysis correctly emphasises:

• The comprehensive and relevant professional summary
• The impressive, quantifiable achievements
• The alignment of skills, certifications, and experience

We would likely be equally impressed. However, there are a few nuances a human recruiter might consider that the AI doesn’t mention:

• The potential for this candidate to be overqualified for some positions, which could be a concern.
• The personality and soft skills that might be inferred from phrases like “passionate about driving innovation.”

The AI’s methodical breakdown of each section is more systematic than a typical human review, which might focus more on overall impression and standout elements.

Final thoughts

Our analysis reveals some key insights into how AI evaluates CVs compared to human recruiters:

AI systems prioritise quantifiable achievements and specific information, while also placing high importance on formatting and structure. They offer consistent, thorough analysis across all applications, but may miss nuances that humans pick up on, especially for less experienced candidates.

Human recruiters, on the other hand, often read between the lines and consider factors like cultural fit and personality. They may be more forgiving of less polished CVs, particularly from junior applicants.

For job seekers, the challenge lies in crafting a CV that appeals to both AI and human reviewers. This means highlighting specific achievements and skills while also conveying personality and potential cultural fit.