As employers increasingly turn to AI-enabled processes to vet and filter out job applicants, it’s no surprise that would-be employees also consider AI tools to help them craft resumes, cover letters, and other time-consuming documents.
Indeed, a growing range of AI-enhanced software and subscription services aim to fill this particular niche, promising a range of resume and cover letter writing tools to help your resume pass through the slush pile and into the human hands of a prospective hiring manager.
But how much can these relatively new services truly be relied upon to generate original, high-quality resumes in a competitive job market? Some job-seekers are also asking whether or not they can be used for federal resumes, a longer and traditionally more detailed document often needed for government job applications.
Today, we’ll be looking at whether AI-enabled resume writing tools are well-suited to the specific demands of a federal resume. We’ll also scrutinize two popular AI tools – Rezi and Kickresume – primarily concerning how well-suited they might be at helping you apply to government rather than private sector roles.
Are AI resume writers any good?
Given it’s supposed to be a highly personalized document, tailored to a specific job description or desired role, why might someone consider turning to something as inhuman and depersonalized as AI to craft their resume in the first place?
Time-saving is a primary factor in any AI process. There’s no doubt that, particularly for those who find the process of collecting and writing their thoughts challenging, AI tools can help generate a professional-looking resume with plenty of relevant information in a fraction of the time it might take you to write it all yourself.
The top AI resume writers also boast sleek, attractive design templates that make your resume pop, with plenty of customizable options that can lessen the chances of it looking identical to other candidates.
Proper grammar and spelling are a must-have for anyone looking to impress a prospective boss. In fact, many hastily crafted or poorly checked resumes will cause a candidate to fall at the earliest hurdle in an application process, with numerous hiring managers willing to discount a candidate if they see an application document littered with misspellings, inconsistent formatting, or poor grammar. AI-enabled tools can help avoid all that, creating perfectly constructed sentences and ensuring all words are properly spelled.
What are the limitations of AI resume writers?
Many human professional resume writing services decry AI’s inability to include targeted keywords and relevant industry terminology when generating resumes. This isn’t always the case, especially if you, the applicant, carry out proper research and know the words an applicant tracking system is likely to be looking out for.
Most AI resume generators are able to incorporate keywords into the resumes they generate based on their own data sets and the information you feed them. The most advanced can also recommend industry-specific terms you haven’t considered yourself, helping to position you as a serious contender for roles.
That being said, there’s a limit to the level of industry expertise a general AI generator can muster. Remember, AI tools are only as strong as the data available to them. Suppose you know from personal experience, extensive research, or insider knowledge that a particular role requires technical, specialized proficiencies with certain tools or industry models. In that case, you’re likely to be a few steps ahead of any AI tool on the market.
Alongside this lack of specialized human understanding, AI tools are unlikely to give a sense of your own personality or create copy that shines with individuality and flair. This is particularly true when it comes to cover letters accompanying resumes and may be an important factor for more creative roles such as advertising, communications, or the arts.
Finally, as AI tools become increasingly popular, the number of applicants turning to AI software to help them generate application material is growing. Yes, AI tools might help you get past the initial filtering of an automated applicant tracking system, but once your resume reaches the eyes of a human hiring manager, is it really going to stand out if it’s been created by the same tool that numerous other applicants have used?
How does a federal resume differ from a traditional resume?
Federal resumes, whilst containing many of the same features as a ‘private sector’ resume, are usually considered to be longer and more detailed than their traditional counterparts.
Traditional resumes tend to be only a page or two. An average federal resume is usually between four and six pages long.
This additional length is largely due to the need for you to provide a comprehensive outline of your past work and education experiences, along with specific details relating to each role. For example, current guidance from the USAJOBS.gov website specifies that for each professional role you list, you should also include the number of hours worked per week. For education, you should provide GPA scores, credits earned, specific courses taken, and more.
Many federal applicants look to USAJOBS.gov to get up-to-date specifications on how to format and what to include in a federal resume. The website also provides a job application manager and resume builder, helping you ensure that you are entering the correct information in the correct manner.
Is Rezi good for federal resumes?
Rezi markets itself as the leading AI-enabled writer available today. It boasts an impressive suite of AI tools along with a similarly impressive roster of positive client testimonials.
The Rezi toolkit includes bullet point writers and editors, resume summary generators, and AI keyword inclusion and recommendations. This can help you tailor your resume to the specific role or industry you are interested in, suggesting keywords and terminology that you might not have considered.
However, federal job applications are not widely advertised amongst Rezi’s notable array of resume templates and past examples of successful applications. Indeed, the service seems better suited to the private job market, with many users turning to it for help with applications in the technology, business, and education sectors.
A full subscription is $29 a month, or you can purchase a lifetime of access for a one-off $129 fee.
Is Kickresume good for federal resumes?
Kickresume is another popular AI-assisted platform for the modern job seeker. It offers a similar range of tools to its Rezi competitor and a handy website builder that can help turn your resume into an online page for prospective employers to view.
It currently advertises having more than 3.5 million users and plenty of positive reviews, promising to help you cut through the slush piles of automated applicant tracking systems by knowing which keywords and job descriptors you need to ‘hit’ in order to pass the vetting process.
However, as with Rezi, very little of Kickresume’s promotional material features applicants for federal positions, nor are there front-page templates geared towards public sector roles. Once again, the primary users that Kickresume’s service appears to target are people looking for jobs in private sector industries such as tech, engineering, or marketing.
Depending on whether you want to pay monthly, quarterly, or yearly, a subscription will cost between $5 to $19 a month.
Final thoughts
Though AI may provide a low-stress, time-efficient route to creating professional-looking resumes, some popular platforms, such as Rezi and Kickresume, appear primarily geared towards private sector applicants and traditional resume creation.
Hiring a professional resume writer is still the way to go for those looking to construct a federal resume. Or if you want to go the DIY route, the USAJOBS.gov site has its own up-to-date resume builder that can help ensure you’re including all the right information in the correct format. It can also help you track and search for relevant federal jobs.
AI tools can help you generate and refine bullet points you use to describe past experiences and achievements, as well as craft grammatically perfect, first-draft cover letters. That being said, the additional details required by federal resumes may still be best handled by an actual human being.
