The best resume is one started with vi or Notepad and written in your own words, not using a template, not reviewed and edited by someone, certainly not one which involves AI in any capacity.
I have pretty extensive personal experience that this is not true.
Any time the resume actually matters (i.e it’s not just a formality during a personal reference application), resumes that are formatted in a standard and machine readable way, don’t use columns, don’t rely on graphics, and hit on the required keywords that match up in ATS systems that’s matching against the job description are going to immediately filter to the top. After that, font sizes and formatting choices that make your resume human scannable and easily referenced help. Even giving your screener margins and space in your resume to write notes or annotate your resume can help a lot. The “in your own words” then finally comes into play once somebody actually reads it after it’s passed 5 prior filtering events.
Playing the game matters a lot when you’re competing with hundreds of other resumes, recruiters and hiring managers are going to spend a few seconds on each one before rejecting it 90% of the time. Getting your resume read is the real challenge.
