Cover letters, even for seasoned writers, are excruciatingly hard to write. In the space of three or four paragraphs, you’re supposed to demonstrate your enthusiasm, showcase your skills and experience, and outshine other candidates… all the while striking just the right tone of professionalism combined with friendliness.
AI can be a solution for the cover letter quandary. AI came up with a fairly good cover letter within seconds—we’ll get to the bad news later. But first, let’s focus on smart ways to use AI to write your cover letter so that you can stand out from the crowd, with a minimum of sweat and tears.
AI Tip #1:
Do not use a generic prompt like “Create a cover letter for this job.” If this is all you do, you will get a generic letter that sounds like AI wrote it. The more specific your prompt, the better your results. Here’s a prompt that you can use—note the different specific requests I have included in the prompt:
Create a cover letter for this job ad (paste the job description) based on my skills and work history (paste your resume). Include my special qualifications that meet the job description and any unique features of the job or company that are a fit with me. The tone should be professional, friendly, but not overly formal.
AI Tip #2:
Prompt AI to provide relevant keywords and phrases from the job ad that align with the role.
AI Tip #3:
Ask AI to analyze your cover letter and give you a percentage rating in terms of your fit with the job description.
AI Tip #4
You may try asking AI to figure out the name of the hiring manager. This information would enable you to address your cover letter to a real person. But you have to proceed with caution on this one and be sure to double check with different sources to make sure that the name suggested by AI is accurate.
Caveat emptor when using AI
It’s now commonplace to use AI to generate cover letters. However, those who use AI-generated cover letters without taking the time to customize them will end up sounding very similar. Human HR professionals can tell if you have used AI without bothering to customize because AI-generated writing has a distinctive generic and formal quality to it. Even worse, relying solely on an AI-generated cover letter gives the impression that you are too lazy and unmotivated to do your own work.
It’s also important to realize that AI can make mistakes, typos and spelling errors. AI might also omit important details such as a header, a signature and your contact information. So take the time to proofread carefully and to pay attention to the details in your cover letter. Be aware that AI can provide false or outdated information in your cover letter. So do your homework—check your sources and read up on the company yourself.
Privacy can be an issue when using AI. I always recommend proceeding with caution, and not uploading any personal information.
Think of AI as a tool, not a replacement for you. Some experts recommend using AI for ideas but to build your cover letter from scratch so that it won’t be dismissed as an AI letter. For those going for writing jobs such as copy editing, I would even recommend not using AI at all. Since the cover letter is often seen as a writing sample, it’s critical that it reflects your unique writing style and ability.
I like to think of the cover letter as a means of preparing for the interview. The process of writing a cover letter challenges you to think of the fit between you and the job, and the fit between you and the company. The serious reflection required to write a cover letter will be critical to you performing well in the interview. If you have blithely allowed AI to do all your work for you, you will not have done the preparation critical to showcasing yourself well in the interview.
AI is not the perfect solution to all of your cover letter writing woes. I hate to give you the bad news, but you’d still have to do some work when you use AI if you truly want to stand out from other candidates. Most importantly, you have to personalize your letter so that it sounds like you.
The employer doesn’t want to hire an AI bot—it wants a real, breathing, unique human being.
Anne Chan is a career consultant and licensed California psychotherapist. She specializes in helping people find happiness in their careers and lives. You can reach her at an*********@***il.com © Anne Chan, 2025
