Using Microsoft Copilot to assist with CVs and job applications

I'm currently looking for a new role, and decided to update my CV. This got me thinking - recruiters and hiring managers are starting to use "AI" [1] as part of the hiring process, so what would happen if I used "AI" during my application?

I have a number of "AI" tools available to me - Google Gemini (formerly Bard), Llama 3 (running on my laptop thanks to GPT4All), and Microsoft Copilot as a result of my Microsoft 365 subscription. At my previous workplace we'd started to use Microsoft Copilot for processing documents, and I have a friend that gives meeting notes to Copilot and asks it to summarise them as a Haiku, so I figured I'd put Copilot to work.

Initial CV feedback

I updated my CV so that it reflected my current experience and exported this as a PDF. Then I took my CV and prompted:

Please can you give me suggestions for improvements to the attached CV? CV Jonathan Haddock.pdf

Some suggestions weren't localised for the UK, for example the suggestion Copilot made for formatting my phone number. After reviewing its other suggestions, including about formatting and consistent date schemes that I'd already applied, so wasn't sure why they'd been mentioned, I chose to modify my "professional summary" based on its suggestions.

Copilot offered to provide some tips on common CV mistakes to avoid, and when prompted it mentioned Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). According to Reed, these tools help recruiters and hiring managers to determine candidates that are best suited to the role based on keywords. I asked Copilot to provide some ATS keywords that I should include to help my CV get to the next stage, and Copilot duly provided me a list of terms that aligned with my experience. I've pasted some of its output below.

Sure! Here are some ATS-friendly keywords that can help your CV stand out:
Technical Skills
* Information Security: Cybersecurity, Network Security, Vulnerability Management, Incident Response, Penetration Testing, Risk Assessment, Security Audits, Threat Analysis, Data Protection, Encryption.
* Systems and Platforms: Microsoft Azure, AWS, Linux, Windows Server, Microsoft 365, VMware, Docker
* Programming and Development: PHP, Java, Python, SQL ...
* Tools and Technologies: Nessus, Rapid7 InsightVM, WSUS, Splunk, Wireshark, Firewalls, IDS/IPS, SIEM, Antivirus Solutions.

Soft Skills
...
* Communication: Public Speaking, Technical Writing, Client Consultation, Training and Development, Report Writing.
...

Certifications and Qualifications
* Certifications: CISSP, ITIL, Microsoft Certified, AWS Certified, ISO 27001, PCI DSS.
* Education: MSc in Professional Computing, BCS Membership, Cyber Security Courses.

I've already got quite a few of those keywords in my CV, so I didn't make any changes based on that output.

Comparing with a job advert

Quite by chance, while I was working on my CV a friend forwarded me a possible position to apply for. I figured this would be a good way to test Copilot further, so prompted it:

If I give you a PDF of a job advert, can you tell me if the CV I provided is a good fit?

And Copilot was more than happy to help:

Copilot then compared my CV against the job advert's description and requirements, giving confirmation where I had met the brief. For example:

Key Responsibilities: Security Alerts and Incidents
Your CV: You have extensive experience in incident response and managing security incidents, as seen in your roles at [two former places of work].").

I was also provided some subtle advice to improve my CV to match each point:

Development of Playbooks and Automated Responses
Your CV: While not explicitly mentioned, your experience in developing and implementing security strategies suggests you have the skills needed for this task.

After Copilot had reviewed individual points, it provided a summary of some improvements I could consider:

Suggestions for Improvement:
Highlight Specific Tools: Mention any experience with Microsoft Security Products (E5, Sentinel) and Microsoft Purview Compliance Solutions.

Scripting and Automation: If you have experience with PowerShell, Python, or Logic Apps, include this in your CV.

Customer Account Management: Emphasize your experience in managing customer accounts and ensuring security solutions meet client needs.

Ending with an overall judgement:

Overall, your CV aligns well with the job requirements for the Cyber Security Technical Specialist role. Making the suggested improvements can further strengthen your application. If you need more specific advice or further assistance, feel free to ask!

Making some changes

Having been given these suggestions, it seemed reasonable to see how Copilot would react if I took some of them on board. I made a few tweaks to my CV and provided an updated copy:

CV Jonathan Haddock 1.pdf here is an updated version of my CV, how does that compare now? Is that now a better fit?

As expected, Copilot was more than happy to help:

Copilot
Great, let's compare your updated CV with the job advert for the Cyber Security Technical Specialist role to see how well it aligns.

A lot of Copilot's response was the same as before. In areas where I had made changes, Copilot correctly detected these. For example, I changed "Responsible for incident response processes, and coordination of responses, including communication within the company and to customers during the incident." to include the fact I'd also written playbooks [2]. This meant that Copilot changed its feedback:

Development of Playbooks and Automated Responses:
Originally
Your CV: While not explicitly mentioned, your experience in developing and implementing security strategies suggests you have the skills needed for this task.

Following my update
Your CV: You have mentioned developing incident response playbooks, which aligns well with this requirement.

Copilot's judgement also updated:

Overall, your CV aligns well with the job requirements for the Cyber Security Technical Specialist role. Making the suggested improvements can further strengthen your application. If you need more specific advice or further assistance, feel free to ask!

More updates

I was very conscious that I didn't want my CV to extend to a third page, as current guidance seems to be two pages at most and I was already at two full pages. If I wanted to make more changes I'd need to remove or re-word some text that explained my previous roles. After a few tweaks, I provided Copilot a third version of my CV, at which point it made some further suggestions but also declared:

Your updated CV is now a strong fit for the Cyber Security Technical Specialist role. Making the suggested improvements can further strengthen your application. If you need more specific advice or further assistance, feel free to ask!

So, if Copilot is to be believed I should now be in a strong position to apply for the post.

Thoughts on using "AI" tools to write CVs

There's obviously an ethical consideration here - I could use "AI" to make me sound significantly more accomplished. Equally, "AI" could probably write me a whole CV based on a few prompts and I could end up with a completely fabricated document. I'm keen to not lie, so I was careful as I reviewed Copilot's suggestions to ensure that any changes I made were still factual. The changes that I made were just to highlight tools I had used, or experience I already had, so I was happy that my CV was still a true reflection of me.

But can it make a CV?

I figured I'd ask Copilot what it would do anyway, regardless of the fact I'm unlikely to use its output. I prompted:

If I give you my experience, can you create me a CV and output it as a Microsoft Word document?

Again, Copilot was happy to help, but it advised it couldn't give me a Word document. I guess I'll have to copy and paste from the output into a document by hand. Copilot told me what information it wanted (contact details, job experience, qualifications, etc.) and waited for my next prompt.

So I provided it some starter text and hit send. Copilot set off on its task.

Confusingly though, Copilot then gave me a Word document to download:

Looking at the Word document though, it was very basic in terms of formatting. Sure, there were headings in a different colour to the rest of the text, but the CV looked like it had been produced by a bored teenager doing the minimum required for a homework assignment. There was no exaggeration of my skills though - Copilot used exactly the text I had provided it. At least that allayed my fears a bit, although I don't doubt a different prompt probably could result in a real-enough looking CV that was vastly exaggerated.

Did Copilot help?

This job advert wasn't very long, so I was able to read it quite quickly. Nonetheless, Copilot did summarise the key items that the employer said they were looking for. In a longer advert, or perhaps a full job description, Copilot could really excel [3] there.

I did find it useful to have some additional guidance when it came to updating my CV to make it more specific to the job advert I was looking at. As a result, knowledge of tools that I might take for granted, because I've said I did a particular job that uses them, has been made explicit in my CV. It'll be interesting to see what a hiring manager / recruiter thinks of it when I apply for the role. I'd certainly consider using Copilot again with another advert.

Banner image: The Copilot logo, copyright Microsoft Corporation.

[1] I still maintain these are not artificial intelligences. As such, expect to see "AI" in quotes 😊.

[2] A playbook is a process that can be picked up and used without needing to think too much about what's being done. They're useful in stressful situations because a lot of the planning (and thus complex thinking) has already happened, so the person using the playbook just needs to follow the steps.

[3] Excel, sorry for the Microsoft Office pun...OK, I'm not sorry!