Using AI for cover letters
Using AI to assist with applying for jobs can be a powerful and tempting tool to utilize. Doing so can save time and empower you to create the strongest job Using AI to assist with applying for jobs can be a powerful and tempting tool to utilize. Doing so can save time and help you put together a strong job application, as long as you understand how to use AI responsibly. This is true of not only resumes (check out an article on this topic here), but also of cover letters.
AI can be an effective brainstorming partner in a few different ways, whether that is helping you decide what narrative you want to present, what your most relevant experiences to mention would be, or serving as an editor and examining what you’ve put on the page.
Alongside discussing the best practices listed above, this article will also examine the downsides and pitfalls to using AI to help write a cover letter. Keep reading to learn how to avoid those issues
Brainstorming partner
AI can serve as a useful sounding board in a variety of ways.
First, consider providing the AI tool with your resume and the job description for which you are writing the cover letter. Ask what your most relevant and compelling experiences on your resume are and use that as a foundation to brainstorm what experiences to discuss in the body paragraphs of your cover letter.
The answer to that question could, for instance, point out that along with your technical qualifications, you also possess a variety of soft skills that the job description makes explicit mention of. This sort of insight allows you to not only highlight your technical skills, but also your unique ability to meet the non-technical needs of the role. That could be soft skills such as collaboration, communication, or project management, for instance.
A second interesting avenue for brainstorming could be to provide the AI tool with information about the company that you are applying for. This could include mission statement, values of the organization, or history, for instance. Once providing that information, you can then ask it to examine your resume for possible connections that your past experiences could make to those details about the organization.
In short, utilize AI as a brainstorming partner to help you craft the strongest cover letter in your own words. From there, you can transition to the second stage of the writing process: fine tuning your draft and optimizing the cover letter.
Editor at your fingertips
Have you ever wanted to have insightful feedback at a moment’s notice? AI tools allow you to have that, but it’s a bit more complex than simply asking “how can I make this better?” Instead, consider using targeted prompts that aim to address the strength of your cover letter in key areas. Keep reading below for examples of the types of prompts that could yield interesting results.
At the base level, use AI tools as an editor for things like grammar, sentence structure, and word choice. Remember that asking for specific feedback will yield better results than just asking for undirected, blanket feedback. Here is a well-worded prompt that will net you interesting feedback, allowing you to tune the writing at the foundation of the cover letter.
Try this prompt:
Read this cover letter and provide specific feedback on the following four areas: grammar, sentence structure and length, word choice, and maintaining active voice. Make general observations on the holistic cover letter and point out specific sentences that need improvement. Please give some explanation for the feedback.
A different aspect of the cover letter that you can examine is the tone. A simple prompt such as the following will elicit such feedback.
What is the tone of the cover letter? Do I sound confident in the description of my abilities and experiences?
The next prompt addresses how the cover letter meets the stated requirements of the job description. This is an excellent way to identify any elements of the job that you might have overlooked in the initial draft. In addition, it asks for a specific piece of actionable feedback to help ideate where the cover letter could be improved.
Compare my cover letter to the job description. Point out which aspects of the job description I have properly addressed, and any areas that I have not met effectively. If there are any aspects of the description missing, are there pre-existing sections of the cover letter where this information could be inserted?
One last prompt that can lead to interesting results is to ask it to examine the letter from the perspective of the hiring manager. This could lead to unique insights into the holistic strength of your application based on your cover letter and resume. This kind of insight could prepare you well for the interview phase.
Review my resume and cover letter for this position as if you were the hiring manager for the role. What aspects of my application are most exciting? Are there any areas of reservation that you would have about my application?
The four prompts above are useful jumping off points for an interesting editing experience with the use of AI tools. While they can certainly be useful in this regard, also keep in mind that the use of these tools can have negative impacts on your application process, as well as your career development. The following downsides of AI use can occur if you are using the tool to completely write your cover letter and not using it as an aid for your own process.
Using AI for your development
While it can be tempting to ask AI to create, or directly edit your written material, this approach will not lead to sustained growth and learning.
The more that AI directly creates material for you, the less you will be able to replicate that on your own in the future. The real power of AI is empowering us to act beyond our means while also supporting our development.
In practice, you can adhere to the following guidelines to best support your development during your use of AI:
Limit generated content
Place limits on the amount of content that AI directly generates for you
Actionable improvements
Ask for specific, actionable improvements that you, the user, can implement
Get explanations for feedback
Get explanations of why feedback is being provided, so you can learn for the future
By using these tips, you can find a balance of both using AI in your writing process, and furthering your own career development in cover letter writing.
Obviously AI
The most immediate impact of submitting a cover letter written by AI is that there are obvious signs of this that a recruiter or hiring manager will quickly pick up on. People who review cover letters frequently become accustomed to the certain stylings of AI writing.
A few different elements that can be identified are the use of dashes as punctuation marks (otherwise known as em dashes), a formulaic cover letter, and over polished writing that lacks a human touch. It is possible for something to be *too *perfect!
An easy way to test this is if you ask the AI tool to write a few different cover letters for you, you’ll notice many similarities between them. If it is producing similar results for you, then you can be sure that it is producing similar results for other people using the same methods. You don’t want to be part of the group that is sending in half-hearted AI cover letters that are easily recognizable.
Limited Knowledge
Remember that you will always have more context about yourself than any AI tool that you are using. While providing your resume can give a fair amount of context, that context will lack the depth that you possess yourself.
This can lead AI to make two different mistakes that can negatively impact your candidacy. First, it can oversell your qualifications and set you up for failure in the interview stages, or even once you are actually on the job. This can lead to expectations of your capabilities that will not be in line with reality, setting you and the employer up for failure.
Even worse than overselling is hallucination. It has been well documented that AI can hallucinate facts to try and meet the needs of the prompt. An example is that if you are asking it to write a cover letter for you, it might take certain aspects of the job description and ensure that the cover letter meets those needs, regardless of whether you have those qualifications. To that end, it might make statements about your capabilities with no tangible evidence to back up those claims.
Conclusion
AI tools can be a powerful support for your cover letter writing when used intentionally. From helping you brainstorm relevant experiences to offering tailored, in-the-moment feedback on tone and structure, they can accelerate your process and sharpen your messaging. But that’s only if you’re guiding the tool rather than letting it take over.
By using the strategies above, like giving AI clear prompts, asking it to explain its suggestions, and filtering all output through your own voice, you can get meaningful support while also building your own confidence as a writer. Your cover letter is your chance to connect the dots for an employer and show why you’re excited about the role. That story needs to come from you.
If you’d like help workshopping your draft or want a second pair of human eyes, schedule an appointment – CAPD advisors are always here to help.
