Are you looking to write a stunning cover letter but are stuck in writer’s block? ChatGPT can help you draft a professional, personalized, and ATS-compliant cover letter in mere minutes.
But here’s the deal — the majority of ChatGPT cover letters will make you sound bland and boring so you won’t stick in hiring managers’ minds.
That’s why, in this guide, we will explain how to properly use ChatGPT for your cover letter.
You will step by step learn how to write a personalized cover letter that is not the one that goes in the garbage.
Let’s get into it!
Should You Use ChatGPT for Cover Letters?
ChatGPT is a great tool for saving time and effort, helping you to polish your writing. Here’s how it can help you:
- It creates a formal and structured cover letter.
- Use job description keywords to make it ATS friendly.
- Customise your cover letter with your experience and skills.
- Begin to write, and overcome writer’s block by offering up a first draft that needs to be polished.
But ChatGPT is not perfect. This will help your cover letter be true to your personality, as the one found above is very robotic, generic, and hiring managers can easily tell when a candidate copies and pastes from a randomly generated letter.
The key? The key to creating amazing content with AI tools — Using the right prompts, and polishing the output to make it your own.
How to Use ChatGPT for Cover Letters (6 Steps)
Step 1: Start with a Strong Prompt
ChatGPT’s output is only as good as the prompt you provide.
A weak prompt like, “Write me a cover letter for a marketing job, will generate a generic letter that lacks personality.”
Instead, use a specific prompt such as this one:
Example Prompt:
“Write a cover letter for a [Job Title] role at [Company Name]. Highlight my experience in [Industry], key skills such as [Skill 1], [Skill 2], and [Skill 3], and my passion for [Company’s Mission]. Make it engaging, professional, and tailored to the job.”
Like below:
The more detailed you are, the better your cover letter will be.
Step 2: Provide Your Resume & Experience
In order to make the cover letter truly personalized, provide ChatGPT your resume details.
Example Prompt:
“Here’s my resume. Use it to craft a cover letter that highlights my key accomplishments and aligns with the job description.”
A resume example:
How to Provide Your Resume:
- Copy and paste your resume text into the ChatGPT chat window.
- Request that ChatGPT tailor the response to particular skills and accomplishments that are appropriate to the job.
- If needed, ask ChatGPT to rewrite sections of the letter for a more energetic tone.
Step 3: Include the Job Description for ATS Optimization
Most organizations use Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to sift through applications based on keywords used in the job description.
How to Optimize Your Cover Letter for ATS:
- Copy and paste the job description into ChatGPT.
- Ask ChatGPT:
“Extract the most important skills and keywords from this job description.”
Then ChatGPT will provide you with the most important skills and keywords like below:
- Request ChatGPT to incorporate those keywords into your cover letter.
Example Prompt:
“Here’s the job description (paste job description). Please highlight the most important skills and keywords, and make sure my cover letter naturally includes them.”
Step 4: Create a Strong Opening Hook
A boring intro that most of the AI tools use for the cover letters looks like this:
“I am excited to apply for the [Job Title] position at [Company].”
Manager has seen this a thousand times. Rather, start it with something engaging like:
- A relatable hook – Mention a pain point facing the company and how you can help.
- A specific accomplishment – Highlight a key achievement relevant to the role.
- A Connection to the company – Show genuine interest in the company’s mission.
Example Hook (Marketing Manager Role):
“Driving organic traffic and increasing lead conversions are major challenges for any marketing team. In my previous role at [Previous Company], I implemented an SEO-driven content strategy that increased organic traffic by 45% and boosted conversion rates by 30% in one year. Now, I’m excited to bring my expertise to [Company Name] to scale inbound marketing efforts and drive measurable growth.”
Step 5: Generate & Refine Your Cover Letter
Now, it’s time to create your entire cover letter.
Example Prompt:
“Based on the opening hook, my resume, and the job description, generate a full cover letter that is professional, engaging, and tailored to [Company Name]. Keep it within 250 words.”
What to Look for in the Output:
- If it sounds too generic, ask ChatGPT to add more personality.
- If it’s missing specific accomplishments, have it pull out some key successes.
- If it feels too robotic, ask for something less, but more conversational.
Example Refinement Prompt:
“Rewrite the cover letter with a more engaging and natural tone, incorporating more of my unique experiences and achievements.”
Step 6: Final Edits & Humanization
Using ChatGPT, you’ll still need to edit to humanize your cover letter.
Checklist Before Sending Your Cover Letter:
- Be you, modify the tone to reflect your personality.
- Get rid of generic descriptions and swap them out with the real deal.
- Reconfirm formatting for clarity and professionalism.
- Use an AI Humanizer Tool to artificialize it.
And then finally, if you’re really worried about the text you’ve produced sounding too much like it came from an AI, you can run it through Walter Writes AI Humanizer as a final step to make your text sound more human before submission.
To do that, simply paste your cover letter and click “Humanize and Scan”.
Then your humanized cover letter will appear in the right.
Why not give it a try yourself?
Try Walter AI for free (300 words): https://app.walterwrites.ai/register
Final Example: ChatGPT-Generated Cover Letter (Refined)
Here’s a refined, ChatGPT-generated cover letter:
John Doe
123 Main Street, Boston, MA 02108
[email protected] | (123) 456-7890
[Today’s Date]
Hiring Manager
HubSpot
25 First Street, Cambridge, MA 02141
Subject: Application for HubSpot Marketing Manager Role
Dear Hiring Manager,
Energizing businesses to grow better through inbound marketing isn’t just a philosophy I admire—it’s my passion.
During my tenure at HubSpot, I directly oversaw SEO content strategy and drove organic growth of 45% from year over year through content and site structure development that attracts high-intent traffic. With a focus on data-centric SEO and eye-catching narrative, I aim to make every campaign not just rank, but land. Outside of SEO, I’ve spearheaded multi-channel campaigns in email, social, and paid ads, aligning content and audience needs for meaningful engagement.” In my role as a deputy to a set of five marketing specialists, I’ve stewarded rollouts of well-formed campaigns, from inception through performance readouts, evolving strategies and tactics for greatest impact. At Sprout Social I perfected Google Ads and LinkedIn campaign optimization, reducing CPC by 20% while still driving ROI; great marketing isn’t about visibility, it’s about efficiency and results. HubSpot’s target being customer-centric inbound marketing aligns with my own for testing and community-based content and conversion-driven writing.
Whether it’s optimizing a lead generation funnel or refining conversion strategies or using automation tools for smarter marketing, I can’t wait to lend my expertise to your team and help launch innovative, high-performing campaigns. I look forward to discussing how I can be part of HubSpot’s future success. Contact us if you want to know how to grow better together.
Regards,
John Doe
Conclusion: How Can ChatGPT Help You Write Your Cover Letter?
ChatGPT can help speed you through your cover letter writing, but it’s not a simple answer. Using powerful prompts, customizing the output, and tweaking it for realism are the keys to success.
Need your AI-written cover letter to be more humanized?
Use Walter AI Humanizer to enhance your text and create a more natural-sounding, human-like text.
