AI can make your CV sound impressive, but can you back it up?

AI has made it easy to produce a polished CV. Paste in the job description, upload your CV and, in seconds, you have something using the right language and keywords.

I understand why people do it.

But a polished CV and a clear picture of what someone has actually done are not the same thing.

When I'm reviewing CVs, I regularly see:

• Buzzwords with nothing behind them. "Results-driven", "strategic" and "dynamic", with no result or example to back them up
• Keywords from the job description appearing in the skills section or summary, but nowhere in the experience
• Responsibilities reworded to sound like achievements, without numbers, outcomes or evidence
• Generic, AI-style phrasing that sounds impressive but could belong to anyone
• Experience that looks stronger on paper than it turns out to be when we talk about it

Two things worth keeping in mind if you're applying for a role:

• Put at least one quantified result against each role, where you can
• Be ready to talk through every line of your CV

AI is useful for tidying and improving a CV, but check that every line is accurate, genuinely reflects your experience and is something you can confidently talk about in an interview.