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.