What is the best AI for your resume and cover letter? I tested 6 AI models blind, one from each major model family plus an open weight model, to see which one tailors a resume to a job description the way a recruiter wants to see it.
I get asked every week which AI to use for resume tailoring: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or Grok? Free or paid? So I ran an experiment. Every model got the same template resume, the same job description, the same example tailored resume and cover letter, and the same prompt. I scored each output blind, then compared my scores with two AI judges (Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-5.6 Sol) and Jev, a yes or no decision API that checks rules like headline format and a one-page cover letter.
The AI models tested:
- Claude Opus 5.5 (Anthropic)
- Claude Sonnet 5.5 (Anthropic)
- Gemini 3.8 Flash (Google)
- GPT-6 Sol (OpenAI, ChatGPT)
- Grok (xAI)
- An open weight model
I also share what each one costs and how fast it runs, so you can decide if paying for AI is worth it.
In this episode you'll learn:
- Which AI model is best for tailoring a resume to a job description
- ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini vs Grok for resumes and cover letters
- Whether free AI models are good enough for job applications or worth paying for
- What a strong resume headline and highlights section look like to a recruiter
- The AI writing habits that make a cover letter unusable
- Why my human scores disagreed with the AI judges
See every output side by side, plus the template resume, job description, and example inputs, in the Model Bake-Off on the Biotech Career Coach website under Learn.
https://biotechcareercoach.com/
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00:00 Which AI should you use to tailor your resume
01:15 How the blind AI resume test works
03:45 Inside the Model Bake-Off app and answer key
07:00 Scoring the resume headline and highlights
15:35 The AI cover letter I would submit with no edits
21:35 AI cover letter mistakes that fail the vibe check
26:50 Human scores vs AI judges and Jev rule checks
29:50 The reveal, which AI model wins
32:45 Free vs paid AI models for job applications
34:35 Compare AI resume outputs side by side
