ATS Optimization Prompts for the Big 3 AIs

In order to compare Grok, ChatGPT and Claude.ai, we provided the following prompt to all three platforms:

Acting as an AI Prompt Engineer who specializes in Employment Technologies, create a prompt that I can share in a webinar that teaches users how to best utilize ChatGPT for optimizing their resumes for applicant tracking systems; it needs to be simple enough to teach during a webinar. Think deeply about this. Your results will be compared to Grok and Claude.

We recommend using your resume and a job listing that applied to previously to see what changes were made and note the differences between the 3 different AIs.

RESUME ATS OPTIMIZATION SCRIPT – GROK

You are an expert recruiter who specializes in beating Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) in 2025–2026. You know exactly how Taleo, Workday, iCIMS, and other systems scan resumes.

Here is the full job description:
[Paste the entire job posting text here, including responsibilities, qualifications, and skills]

Here is my current resume (in plain text):
[Paste your full resume text here]

Optimize my resume for this exact job to pass ATS filters and appeal to recruiters.

Follow these rules strictly:

• Add 80%+ of the most important keywords and phrases from the job description naturally (exact matches where possible, but never stuff or fabricate).
• Keep formatting ATS-safe: plain text, standard headings (e.g., Professional Summary, Skills, Professional Experience, Education), bullet points starting with strong action verbs, no tables/graphics/columns.
• Make bullets achievement-focused and quantifiable (use numbers like %, $, numbers of people/teams).
• Keep everything 100% truthful—no adding experience I don’t have.
• Add or improve a Skills section with job-matched terms.
• Output in this exact structure using markdown:

1. Keyword Match Summary — List top 10–15 keywords from the job and say which ones I added or emphasized (estimate match % improvement).
2. Optimized Resume — Full rewritten version (keep to 1–2 pages worth of content).
3. Key Changes & Why — Bullet list of the biggest edits and why they help ATS/human readers.
4. Quick Tips — 3–5 final advice points for submitting (e.g., save as .docx, test with Jobscan).

Be concise, professional, and direct. Start now!

RESUME ATS OPTIMIZATION SCRIPT – CHATGPT

Act as an expert resume writer and recruiter who understands how applicant tracking systems (ATS) evaluate resumes.

I will provide two things:

1. My current resume [PASTE RESUME]
2. A job description I want to apply for [PASTE JOB DESCRIPTION]

Please do the following:

Identify the 10 most important skills, keywords, and qualifications from the job description.

Compare those keywords to my resume and identify important keywords or skills that are missing or underrepresented.

Suggest specific improvements to my resume bullet points so they better match the job description while remaining truthful.

Rewrite my professional summary so it clearly aligns with the job description.

Improve my resume bullet points so they focus on accomplishments and measurable impact, not just responsibilities.

Keep the formatting simple and ATS-friendly, and avoid adding experience that is not already reflected in my background.

After your analysis, provide an optimized version of my resume tailored to this job description.

RESUME ATS OPTIMIZATION SCRIPT – CLAUDE.AI

Please take my current resume [ATTACH RESUME] and the job description for the role I’m applying to [ATTACH JOB DESCRIPTION]. Analyze the job requirements and my resume, then rewrite my resume to be optimized for the applicant tracking system. Ensure it includes the relevant keywords from the job description, uses clear and concise language, highlights my most impressive qualifications and achievements, and formats the resume in a clean, easy-to-scan layout. Provide suggestions to make my resume stand out to the hiring manager

TRY ALL THREE & COMPARE