AI Prompt Refinement in Your Job Search: SEO-Proof Your Resume for Online Job Applications Using ChatGPT

Guest Contributor: Jamie Walters, Career Transition Coach at Challenger, Gray & Christmas

I had an opportunity to partner with Jamie Walters of the renowned outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas (headquartered in Chicago), and I took the opportunity to invite Jamie to contribute a guest article to my blog. Jamie clearly knocked it out of the park with this piece and was kind enough to share her insights as a career transition coach into a particularly challenging area of the job search arena: SEO-proofing your resume to stand out (electronically) from your peers when applying online for a position. Jamie’s advice and insights below are golden and will surely help you in a quickly transitioning job search world. Thank you, Jamie, for taking the time to share your “insider secrets” and job search strategies with the rest of us. – Paul Falcone

Match Your Resume to an Online Job Posting Using ChatGPT's SEO Recommendations

Let’s face it, folks. . . Modern job seekers are up against a strange challenge in 2025. You’re not just writing a resume for a hiring manager anymore—you’re really writing for a robot. Specifically, an ATS (Applicant Tracking System), which acts like a digital gatekeeper sorting resumes before a human ever sees them. Gone are the days of humans checking out each and every resume that comes across their desk.

Sounds impersonal, right? It sure can feel that way.

But here’s the good news: you don’t have to choose between being “digitally optimized” and being “authentic.” With the right structure, keywords, and a little bit of charm, your resume can sail right on through any ATS and also still sound like you.

This article maps out how to create the perfect balance using ChatGPT. However, AI tools like Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and others can be used as well to make the online application process easier and way more fun and creative.

Applicant Tracking Systems

To start, most applicant tracking system (ATS) platforms scan resumes for job-specific keywords. If the language in your resume doesn’t match the language in the job posting, it might never make it to a real person. So, how do we fix this? Use job postings as your cheat sheet. Pull out the most-used terms and mirror them in the Summary, Core Skills, and Experience sections of your SEO-enhanced resume.

Here's how to do this in ChatGPT:

1.    Write the following prompt into ChatGPT:

“Help me identify the BEST SEO words from this job description and then help me reword my Summary, Core Skills, and Experience sections."

2.    Press Enter (i.e., the Up Arrow ↑)

ChatGPT will then respond as follows:

Sure! Please paste the job description you'd like me to review, and I'll:

• Identify the best SEO keywords and phrases to use.

• Help you rewrite your Summary, Core Skills, and Experience sections using those keywords to align with the job and improve your visibility to recruiters and applicant tracking systems (ATS). Go ahead and drop the job description when you're ready.

3.    Copy and paste the job posting into the ChatGPT prompt (open area) that follows. Then press Enter (↑) again.

ChatGPT will then provide the following:

• A list of the top SEO keywords and phrases that applicant tracking systems (ATS) and recruiters will look for based on the job description.

• A proposed Professional Summary that matches the job posting.

• Proposed Core Competencies language that matches the job posting.

• Proposed Professional Experience language that matches the job posting.

ChatGPT will then prompt you to copy and paste your resume into the next field as follows:

If you can share your current resume text or your previous job titles and achievements, I’ll tailor this more closely to your voice and experience. Would you like to do that?

4. At that point, copy and paste your current resume into the open ChatGPT field.

Once your resume is uploaded, press Enter, and ChatGPT will respond as follows:

Excellent—thank you for sharing your resume. Let’s now refine and optimize your Summary, Core Skills, and Experience section intros using strategic keywords from the job description while highlighting your strongest, most relevant achievements.

5.    ChatGPT will then compare your resume to the job posting and then redraft the Professional Summary, Core Competences, and Professional Experience sections just as you instructed it to so they are SEO-optimized and ATS-friendly:

 Finally, carefully review the suggested language and incorporate the changes you’d like to see in your SEO-enhanced resume. Remember, though, that this is your resume and your employment history, so edit the content accordingly.

Now that we’ve walked through the job posting and resume matching process, let’s break this down into more refined parts so you can see the broader picture.

The Generic ChatGPT Prompt

You can always start by using a simple ChatGPT prompt like:

“Rewrite my resume summary for a [Job Title] role. Use keywords from the following job description and keep the tone confident and tailored.”

The ChatGPT prompt field will then ask you to upload or paste the following:

1.    Your current resume summary

2.    The job title you're targeting

3.    The job posting for that role

ChatGPT will end its invitation by saying, “Once I have those, I’ll tailor a confident, keyword-rich summary just for that position.”

SPECIAL NOTE: The best way to get your resume into ChatGPT is to copy and paste the entire resume into the ChatGPT field. Just but be sure to omit ANY and ALL personal information. Some AI tools may store your information, potentially raising privacy concerns. Also, you have the option to enter the job posting first and the resume second or vice versa. The order doesn’t matter because ChatGPT will adjust based on your instructions (prompts).

You could then ask ChatGPT questions or provide instructions based on your resume.

For example, you could ask it to:

·         Generate a resume summary.

·         Rewrite a specific section.

·         Tailor it to a job posting ("How can I tailor this resume to be relevant to this job description (followed by the job description text).

·         Write results-driven achievement statements.

·         Find key words. ("What keywords from this job description should I include in my resume?”)

Note that the information generated could be generic or incorrect, so again, you’ll want to double-check AI’s suggested language and recommendations in all circumstances.

Formatting the SEO-Enhanced Resume

Another key thing to remember is formatting. While columns, tables, images, and fancy fonts may look great on paper, they can confuse ATS software and cause your resume to be misread or worse: Rejected. Stick to clean, simple layouts with standard fonts like Arial or Calibri. Use bold for section headings, avoid graphics, and save your resume as a .docx or PDF file.

If you need help, try this ChatGPT prompt:

“Reformat this resume to be ATS-friendly. Remove columns, images, and any formatting that ATS can’t read.”

Focusing Your SEO Resume on Content

When it comes to the content of your resume, it's essential to focus on impact. Listing what you were responsible for isn’t as powerful as showing what you achieved. Hiring managers want proof that you can actually deliver results. For instance, instead of simply stating, "Managed training materials," you could write, “Reduced onboarding time by 40% by redesigning training materials” or “Increased customer satisfaction scores by 25% through service enhancements.”

Accordingly, you can use a ChatGPT prompt like this to help you outline your achievements:

“Turn these job duties into impactful bullet points using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).”

The Significance of Your Job Title

When optimizing your resume, remember that the ATS may prioritize resumes that include the exact job title listed in the posting. This means you need to use the job title in your resume summary and, if applicable, in your previous roles or accomplishments.

For instance, use a ChatGPT prompt like:

“Update my resume to match the job title ‘[insert job title],’ and integrate it naturally into the summary and experience section.”

 Note that you can’t delve too far off the path when it comes to adjusting titles, but you’ll definitely get a lot more out of a recognized title than one that is specific to only one company. For example, if your current company uses the proprietary title “Senior Knowledge Analyst” but that title isn’t used generally in the market, adjust your SEO- enhanced resume title to “Senior Analyst,” which is more commonly used and understood.

Adding Customization to Highlight Your Personality and Personal Touch

Next comes a key aspect of your SEO-enhanced resume—personality. After the ATS has done its job, a real human is going to read your resume. And what catches their eye? You. Your voice. Your values. Your spark. What makes you memorable—or even better—unforgettable. While keeping it professional, consider adding a line that hints at your working style, humor, or what motivates you.

An example might look like this:

“Empathetic leader who believes that a strong team culture is built on collaboration, curiosity, and a good playlist.”

You can likewise ask ChatGPT to:

“Add a personable sentence to my resume summary that shows character and culture fit, without being too casual.”

 The most important thing when applying for jobs is customization. Every single application you send out should be customized. Generic resumes are easy to spot and just as easy to skip over. Tailor each resume to each job. Highlight the most relevant experience and align your language with the company’s tone. It shows effort—and it pays off.

Real-Life Examples of Revised Titles and Summaries

Let’s take a look at a few real-life examples of how this works:

Before:

Title: HR Director

Summary: Experienced HR professional with strong leadership and management skills.

After:

Title: HR Director | Strategic Workforce Planning & Employee Engagement

Summary: Results-driven HR Director with a proven track record of enhancing employee retention by 25% through targeted workforce development initiatives. Adept at leading organizational change, driving employee engagement, and aligning HR strategies with business goals.

Before:

Title: Scrum Master

Summary: Certified Scrum Master with experience facilitating Agile teams and supporting software development projects.

After:

Title: Scrum Master | Agile Delivery Leader | High-Performing Team Catalyst | SAFe Certified

Summary: Certified Scrum Master (CSM, SAFe) with a track record of delivering complex, cross-functional initiatives on time and within scope. Known for energizing Agile teams and removing roadblocks to velocity—led a team that increased sprint throughput by 45% in under six months. Skilled in servant leadership, coaching product owners, and transforming legacy processes into lean, adaptive frameworks that drive value fast.

As you can see, the revised versions provide a more targeted and results-driven summary that aligns better with what the job description’s likely values. The lesson here is that with a little customization, your resume can stand out more effectively.

Note that you’ll use the same resume that you uploaded into the company’s ATS at the time of your online application when you meet with the (human) interviewer in person. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to “humanize” the format of the resume so that it’s pleasing to the eye and doesn’t look like “code” that was written for a machine. In other words, when you prepare for the live interview, be sure to add back formatting highlights or other markings that make your resume look like you. . . and not a computer model.

Whether you’re submitting your resume through an ATS or handing it to a hiring manager in person, always remember that it's about balancing optimization and authenticity. With the right combination of keywords, clean formatting, and a personal touch, your resume can pass the ATS with flying colors while still standing out to the humans reading it.

Author Bio

Jamie Walters

Career Transition Coach | LinkedIn Strategist | Former Director of Operations | Champion of People & Process

Jamie Walters is a dynamic career transition coach and LinkedIn subject matter expert at Challenger, Gray & Christmas, where she empowers professionals to navigate change with clarity, confidence, and strategy. Drawing from over two decades of operational leadership experience, including roles as Director of Operations and call center executive, Jamie brings both the structure of a strategist and the heart of a coach to every interaction.

Her workshops and webinars are known for their warmth, clarity, and real-world takeaways. Whether coaching C-suite leaders on executive branding or mentoring new grads through their first job search, Jamie’s guidance is rooted in practical tools, deep empathy, and up-to-the-minute insights on hiring trends and personal branding.

Before stepping into the world of career coaching, Jamie led high-performing operations teams of 100+ across mortgage servicing, legal operations, and customer service. She was known for driving efficiency, developing talent, and implementing processes that saved millions. Now, she uses that same expertise to help others build their personal brand, uncover new opportunities, and thrive in today’s digital job market.

Based in Orlando, Jamie is also a proud mom, rescue farm owner, lifelong learner, and a firm believer that the best career paths are rarely linear—but always meaningful when led with purpose. You can connect with Jamie on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamieawalters/.