Spotting the AI Tells in Your Resume

Spotting the AI Tells in Your Resume

Spotting the AI Tells in Your Resume

AI-written resumes can look sleek on the surface; clean formatting, tidy bullet points, confident language. But recruiters are sharp. They’re already tuned in to the “AI voice,” and it only takes a few seconds for them to spot it.

If your resume is built on AI defaults, it could be sabotaging you before you even get a chance to interview.

Today, we’re breaking down the most common AI tells; the giveaways that scream, “ChatGPT wrote this.” If you recognize any of these in your own resume, it’s time to take a closer look.

1. Buzzword Overload

AI tools love buzzwords. If you’ve used an AI resume builder without feeding it enough detail, chances are it leaned heavily on phrases like:

  • Results-driven professional
  • Dynamic leader with a proven track record
  • Strategic thinker
  • Excellent communication skills

❌ These words don’t make you stand out, they make you sound like everyone else.

✅ What recruiters want: tangible outcomes, numbers, and specific examples. Instead of “Results-driven professional,” say:
“Delivered $12M in cost savings within two years through global supply chain restructuring.”

📊 CareerBuilder found that 68% of recruiters dismiss resumes filled with buzzwords that lack supporting evidence.

2. Awkward or Robotic Phrasing

AI-generated resumes often include phrases no human would ever actually say:

  • “Leveraged synergies to maximize efficiencies”
  • “Demonstrated ability to facilitate collaborative environments”
  • “Proven expertise in optimizing cross-functional deliverables”

These lines look polished, but they don’t sound human. And when a recruiter reads them out loud, the lack of natural tone becomes obvious.

👉 Quick test: read your resume aloud. If it feels clunky, overly formal, or like corporate jargon bingo, it’s probably an AI giveaway.

3. Generic Career Summaries

Another dead giveaway? The one-size-fits-all summary. AI loves to churn out broad openings like:

❌ “Accomplished executive with over 20 years of experience in leading teams, driving results, and achieving organizational goal.”

Recruiters see this line, or versions of it, dozens of times a week.

✅ A stronger alternative:
“Technology executive with 20 years of experience leading global IT transformations, delivering $50M in cost savings over five years, and building high-performing teams across the US and EMEA.”

👉 Call to Action: Not feeling 100% confident in what AI has given you? Our Professional Resume Review Service will compare your resume with a live job description and give you an ATS score, so you can see exactly where you’re strong, and where you need fixes, before you press apply.

4. Keyword Stuffing Gone Wrong

AI knows keywords are important for ATS. But without careful editing, it often goes too far, repeating the same words unnaturally:

❌ “Project management expertise in project management systems including project management tools for project management.”

Recruiters spot keyword stuffing instantly, and some ATS systems even downgrade resumes for overuse.

📊 SHRM research found that 43% of recruiters say keyword stuffing makes candidates look dishonest.

✅ The fix: use the right keywords, but weave them naturally into context-rich bullet points. Too few, and ATS may filter you out. Too many, and recruiters will roll their eyes. It’s a balancing act.

5. Formatting Glitches

AI resume builders sometimes use templates with graphics, tables, or text boxes that look nice to humans but break when read by ATS.

If your resume has:

  • Decorative headers
  • Icons instead of words
  • Text boxes with key content
  • Fancy fonts or multiple colors
  • Overly complex templates

…ATS may not parse it correctly. And if ATS can’t read your resume, you’ll be rejected before a recruiter even sees it.

📊 Jobscan reports that 75% of qualified candidates are filtered out by ATS, often because of formatting issues, not lack of ability.

Searching Questions for You

🔍 Does your resume contain phrases you’d never actually say out loud?
🔍 Does it rely on buzzwords, jargon, or repeated keywords?
🔍 Would it pass both ATS parsing and a recruiter’s “7-second scan”?

If you’re not sure, your resume likely has visible AI fingerprints. And if you’re not hearing back from applications, this could be why.

Case Example: The Resume That Read Like AI

David, a senior operations executive, used an AI tool to draft his resume. It looked polished, but the silence from recruiters was deafening.

Why? His summary opened with:
❌ “Results-driven operations leader with a proven track record of success in optimizing organizational efficiency.”

When David used our Instant Download Executive Resume Template, he replaced the filler with specifics:
✅ “Operations leader who reduced global logistics costs by 17% over 12 months while overseeing a $150M budget and leading a 120-person team across North America.”

The impact was immediate. Within weeks, recruiters began reaching out about live roles. This was more progress in a month than David had experienced in nearly three years of searching.

Questions to Ask Yourself This Week

  • Does my resume sound like me — or like AI wrote it?
  • Am I relying on generic buzzwords instead of real results?
  • Would a recruiter believe my achievements, or dismiss them as inflated?
  • Could ATS parse my formatting, or am I invisible before I begin?

Where We’re Going Next

Tomorrow we’ll tackle the biggest questions candidates ask about AI in resumes and LinkedIn. We’ll use an FAQ format, weaving in case studies that show what happens when you get it right - and when you don’t.

Call to Action

Want to be sure your resume doesn’t scream “AI wrote this”?

Our Professional Resume Review Service will stress-test your document against ATS filters and recruiter expectations, and give you practical fixes to ensure you’re putting forward a resume that sounds credible, human, and impactful.