Find a Job You Really Want In
Using ChatGPT for a cover letter is a great way to make the job application process less painful and draining. In this article, we’ll go over how to use ChatGPT to lighten your cover letter workload, as well as tips for how to use its strengths and avoid its pitfalls.
Key Takeaways:
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ChatGPT can write a cover letter based on your resume and the job description you’re applying for.
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Check the cover letter that ChatGPT generates for accuracy and clarity.
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Have ChatGPT write several versions of a cover letter that you can combine to reflect your voice and writing style.
How to Use ChatGPT to Write a Cover Letter
To use ChatGPT to write a cover letter, you need to give it the information you want to include, prompt it to write a cover letter, and then edit the text it gives you.
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Give ChatGPT your background. Depending on the amount of detail you want ChatGPT to include in your cover letter, you can write a quick bio explaining your education, experience, and professional goals, or you can upload your entire resume.
If you decide to write a bio, here’s an example of what you could say:
“I’m a mechanical engineer with four years of experience working for Boeing. I graduated from the University of Minnesota with my bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2018, and much of my work has been focused on servicing military airframes.
“Now, I’m interested in moving into the commercial sector, but I still want to work for Boeing, which is why I’m excited to apply for this internal position.”
Whichever method you choose, simply put the information in the chat box and hit enter. ChatGPT will try to respond, but you can click “Stop generating” to stop it. You’re just trying to give it context for your next request, so you don’t really need it to say anything at this point.
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Give ChatGPT the job description. Next, copy and paste the job description you’re applying for into the chat box. If you don’t want it to respond to this, simply click “Stop generating” again when it starts to respond.
You can also write out your own description of the job, but ChatGPT won’t be able to be as specific or include as many keywords as it will if you give it the whole job description.
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Ask it to generate a cover letter. Ask ChatGPT to write a cover letter based on the information you’ve given it. Here’s an example of how you can do this:
“Please write a one-page cover letter based on my resume and this job description.”
You can also add more criteria to your request if you have a specific direction you want ChatGPT to take your letter, such as:
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“Please write a cover letter based on my resume and this job description, focusing on my experience teaching elementary school and my classroom management skills.”
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“Please write a cover letter based on my resume and this job description. Make sure to highlight my passion for protecting the environment and how that aligns with the company’s mission.”
While not necessarily vital, these details will help ChatGPT give you a more personalized and accurate letter.
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Click “Regenerate response.” ChatGPT can give you different answers to the same question. All you have to do is click “Regenerate response.” (You can toggle back and forth between answers by clicking the arrows next to the ChatGPT logo to the left of its text box, so don’t worry about losing the original cover letter.)
Even if you liked the first cover letter ChatGPT gave you, it’s a good idea to have it give you a few ideas that you can combine into a cover letter that best fits your voice, skills, personality, and experience.
If ChatGPT’s answer was not at all what you were looking for, try adjusting your prompt to redirect it. You might be surprised at how well it can understand you as you get more specific.
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Edit, edit, edit. You should never directly copy the cover letter ChatGPT gives you and upload it without a second thought. ChatGPT is AI, not a mind reader, so it’s just guessing what it should write next based on your prompt and other internet sources it has read.
Because of this, it’s a good idea to assume it made mistakes and double-check everything it gives you, especially your cover letter.
Check for incorrect information, such as skills or experience you don’t have, but also tweak it to sound more like you. Since it’s following patterns, everything ChatGPT puts out sounds the same, and hiring managers are starting to be able to recognize its “voice.”
While this may not immediately disqualify you, it can show that you aren’t invested enough in the job to write a cover letter yourself. Plus, hiring managers want to hear what you have to say, not what the AI has to say, so make sure you put your own spin on your cover letter.
To do this, try combining the best parts of each cover letter ChatGPT generates, or read it out loud and adjust it whenever it sounds awkward or unfamiliar to you.
Why You Should Use ChatGPT to Write a Cover Letter
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It makes the process easier. It’s no secret that writing a cover letter can be exhausting. Let ChatGPT do the heavy lifting for you so that you can spend your energy polishing your cover letter rather than trying to figure out how to structure it.
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It finds and incorporates keywords for ATSs. Most companies use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATSs) to automatically filter applications based on the presence (or lack of) specific keywords.
While this makes less work for hiring managers, it’s difficult for applicants to know what the ATS is looking for, and many high-quality applications get weeded out.
ChatGPT operates similarly to an ATS, so it can look at a job description, identify the keywords in it, and incorporate them into your cover letter. This gives you a much better chance of your application getting through the ATS and into the hands of a human hiring manager.
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It structures your letter correctly. Figuring out how to structure your cover letter is often one of the trickiest parts of the process, so allowing ChatGPT to do that for you can save you a lot of time and stress.
Just remember that ChatGPT will use a general structure for your cover letter, so if a company asks for a particular structure, make sure you follow that rather than what ChatGPT gives you.
Tips for Using ChatGPT to Write a Cover Letter
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Try giving ChatGPT tonal instructions. Simply adding adjectives like “Excited and passionate” or “Formal and professional” to your prompt can change the type of cover letter ChatGPT produces.
Terms like this can help ChatGPT write a cover letter that sounds more like your voice, but you’ll still need to make some tweaks to make sure it truly sounds like you.
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The more details you give ChatGPT, the less it has to fill in for your cover letter. ChatGPT only runs on what it knows from you and the internet, so the more information you can give it, the less likely you are to get a cover letter full of random skills and company names.
Giving it information such as the reason why you’re interested in this job will also help it write more accurately on that subject.
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Don’t give ChatGPT your personal information. ChatGPT itself warns you to not provide any sensitive information because your conversations aren’t private — developers read and use them to improve ChatGPT.
So, avoid using your contact information or anything else you wouldn’t want strangers to have access to when using ChatGPT for a cover letter. You can even use fake names and phone numbers and then swap them for real ones before you submit your resume and cover letter.
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Ask ChatGPT to rewrite things. Don’t be afraid to ask ChatGPT to regenerate a response or to tweak your original prompt and run it again. It might take some trial and error before you learn how to take full advantage of this tool, so don’t be afraid to test different techniques.
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Don’t just copy and paste whatever it gives you. Remember that ChatGPT is an AI tool and not an all-knowing expert on your work experience. So, make sure you always read through any document ChatGPT produces for you before you submit it.
Not only will there likely be factual errors in your cover letter, but ChatGPT also tends to write in a very flat, repetitive tone. This won’t win your application any brownie points, so make sure you tweak it so that it sounds like you before submitting it.
ChatGPT Cover Letter FAQ
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Is it unethical to use ChatGPT for a cover letter?
No, it isn’t unethical to use ChatGPT for a cover letter. ChatGPT is a powerful tool that can help significantly improve your cover letter and save you time. The key is to use the cover letter it writes as a starting point. Then, you can adjust it to fit your voice and style.
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Do companies check if a cover letter is written by AI?
Yes, some companies check if a cover letter is written by AI. Even if they don’t, many hiring managers can tell that ChatGPT wrote your cover letter just by reading it. This is why it’s important to edit your cover letter to make sure your unique voice and passion come through.
Otherwise, hiring managers might think you don’t care about the job enough to do the work of writing a cover letter yourself, which will damage your chances of getting the position.
Final Thoughts
ChatGPT is a powerful tool, and it can help you write a professional, well-organized cover letter in no time at all. Just remember to go back and edit it so that it accurately reflects your skills, experience, and voice, and you’ll be well on your way to a painless cover letter writing process.
References
Author
Abby is a writer who is passionate about the power of story. Whether it’s communicating complicated topics in a clear way or helping readers connect with another person or place from the comfort of their couch. Abby attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in writing with concentrations in journalism and business.
