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Anyone in the job market knows that it’s tough out there, especially as AI plays a bigger role in sifting through resumes and even interviewing candidates. A good resume is crucial for potential applicants to get noticed, secure an interview and eventually land a job.
But if you’ve stared at an old resume wondering how it can be improved, you may have even asked yourself if the AI hoops you’re trying to jump through to get said job could actually help showcase your talents and expertise.
With Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, Claude and Google Gemini able to take on writing tasks, I just had to know if they could craft a polished, professional resume. I’ve pitted these three against each other in a job interview, but this time, I had to know which one takes the initial step the best.
To find out, I gave all three the exact same challenge: rewrite a mid-career marketing resume into a polished, ATS-friendly version that could land a job at a top company. Here’s what happened when I took the same fake candidate, the same real job description and the same prompt to shape up the resume. No human edits required.
The experiment
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Using an anonymous friend’s marketing resume and a real Sr. Marketing Manager job description, I uploaded both the resume and the job description into each chatbot and asked the chatbot to improve the resume to fit the role. Here’s the exact prompt I used:
Prompt: “I’m applying for the following job:
[Paste the full job description here]
Here’s my current resume:
[Paste your resume here]
Please rewrite my resume so that it:
Aligns closely with the job description and includes relevant keywords naturally.
Optimizes for ATS scanning while still sounding human.
Highlights my most relevant experience, achievements, and skills for this specific role.
Keeps the format clean, scannable, and one page if possible.
Uses strong action verbs and quantifiable results wherever possible”
Summary of each chatbot’s resume
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Claude used a clean, standard and scannable format with clear section headers (Core Competencies, Professional Experience, Education). This is ideal for both Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS, a software application that helps HR manage recruitment) and human recruiters. The skills are listed in a simple block format, making them easy to parse, unlike Gemini’s more segmented approach which might be less efficient for an ATS.
Along with achieving the best balance of ATS optimization, Claude also excelled at keyword integration and making the resume human-readable with impactful writing. It felt the most like a resume written by a professional human who understands the nuances of the job description.
ChatGPT exceled at delivering a compelling, story-driven narrative that would resonate highly in a human-led interview process. It slightly sacrifices some ATS-focused formatting for readability. It offered excellent narrative flow with action-oriented language. It used powerful verbs to convey leadership and initiative. The chatbot correctly identified and emphasized the most relevant experience and streamlined the older, less relevant experiences effectively
Gemini hyper-focused on mimicking the exact language of the job description, sometimes at the expense of natural flow. It’s effective for getting past screens but might feel less natural to a human reader. Approaching the the task by mirroring the job description as literally as possible, it acted like a highlighter, identifying key phrases from the job description and inserting them directly into the resume, often verbatim. This feels forced and unnatural.
Overall winner: Claude
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All three chatbots used strong verbs and quantifiable results to help the candidate stand out. However, Claude’s choices like “Led account-based marketing initiatives,” “Managed $1.2M annual marketing budget” and “Orchestrated cross-functional collaboration” are particularly strong and aligned with the leadership and strategic ownership the role requires.
While all three outputs are strong, Claude’s response is the most effectively optimized. It best translates the candidate’s experience into the specific language of the job description while remaining more human and structuring it for maximum ATS compatibility.
Claude presented the information in the most professional and scannable format; it sounded like a confident, senior-level marketer who is a perfect fit for the role. The other two were good, but if you’re looking for resume support, you might want to lean on Claude first.
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