Writing a CV in the AI era: what still works and what doesn't
Employers increasingly let software screen CVs first, and more and more applicants use AI to write them. That changes what a good CV looks like. Five things to know before you hit apply.
Two things are changing at once: the side that reads your CV, and the side that writes it. That sounds confusing, but the rules stay fairly simple once you separate them. Below are five points, from staying readable for software to using AI without your CV sounding generic.
1. Stay readable, including for software
Before a human sees your CV, there's a good chance a system reads it first. That software handles plain, text-based CVs better than creative, visual layouts. One column, standard section names (Experience, Education), and real text instead of text-inside-an-image work best. Our full guide on ATS-friendly CVs goes deeper into this.
2. Tailor to the vacancy, don't stack keywords
A CV tailored to the role scores better than a generic one, that's not news. But there's a catch: stuffing a CV with every term from the job listing backfires, especially if you don't actually have those skills. The difference is intent. Use relevant words to describe work you've genuinely done, instead of adding them loosely because they appear in the vacancy.
3. Let AI help you think, not invent
The strongest way to use AI isn't "make my CV better", it's laying out the facts yourself first: what the result was, what your part in it was, and how you achieved it. Rough, unpolished notes are fine. Then let AI sharpen only the wording, not invent the content. That's how you avoid the generic "results-driven professional with a proven track record" language every recruiter has learned to spot. Our AI writing helper works exactly this way: you describe your work in your own words, and the AI rewrites it into a sharp bullet point.
4. Put your results in numbers
Two people can have the same job title and produce completely different results. "Responsible for administration" says nothing about how well you did it. A concrete number does: time saved, revenue increased, errors reduced, people managed. This isn't new advice, but AI makes it easier to find your own numbers and shape them into a sharp sentence, as long as you start from what you actually did.
5. Only list AI skills you can actually show
Dropping "ChatGPT" somewhere in your skills section says little. Employers increasingly want concrete proof: an example of a problem you solved with AI, a small project, or simply a clear story you can tell in an interview. No work example yet? Build a small personal project and describe what you did and why. That carries more weight than a loose keyword in your skills list.
AI changes the rules, not the basics
A good CV was always specific, concrete and tailored to the role. AI mostly changes how fast you can get there, not what a good CV is. At CVontwerper, our templates are built to be readable by screening software, and our AI writing helper sharpens your own words without inventing them. Build and preview your CV for free, download as a PDF for €2, one-off.
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