Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Cat Johnson – Coworking Marketing Maven
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Andrea Pirrotti-Dranchak – Competitive Advantage
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
Jeremy Fennema – Tech Innovation Alchemist
- Job applicants can use AI tools to their benefit when applying to jobs, knowing that many recruiters use AI to initially screen candidates based on keywords and other prerequisites that many HR platforms scan for.
- One thing most popular AI services can do is analyze job descriptions and help align your cover letter’s tone, language, and content to match the employer’s expectations.
- Aside from AI, other popular productivity tools like Grammarly have created cover letter-specific tools that produce an AI generated cover letter based on your resume, and the job title and job description from the position that you are applying to.
In today’s competitive job market, more and more applicants are leaning on advancing AI software and tools to get ahead in the application process.
In fact, a recent survey conducted by Canva and Sago suggests that nearly half of all job seekers, or 45%, are using AI tools to improve, update, or create their resumes and job applications.
Among the plethora of AI-software at one’s disposal, some AI-powered platforms have specifically designed tools to help professionals create cover letters that stand out.
Using AI to help craft your cover letter gives you an edge
While the traditional cover letter remains a staple in the job application process, incorporating AI technology into the development of your cover letter can help take your application to the next level — showcasing your professional skills and qualifications in a more compelling manner.
Reasons to use AI for cover letters
1.Personalization at Scale
It’s no secret that top HR platforms are using AI systems to help recruit employees, and data shows these systems are growing in popularity.
A recent report published by FlexOS titled “The World’s 40 Most Popular HR AI Tools,” revealed that the top HR platforms utilizing AI are attracting a staggering 16 million monthly visitors and are collectively valued at $12.2 billion.
The rise in popularity of these platforms hints at the increasing impact that AI is beginning to have on the HR sector — particularly in the realm of talent acquisition.
In other words, job applicants can now use AI tools to their benefit, knowing that many recruiters use AI to initially screen candidates based on keywords and other prerequisites that many software platforms scan for.
Most popular AI services can be used to analyze job descriptions and help align your cover letter’s tone, language, and content to match the employer’s expectations — providing a base-level for further personalization that is both efficient and effective.
According to a survey published by StandOutCV, the average job seeker needs to make at least 27 applications to land just one job interview. On average, the research deduced that the average person has to submit 162 job applications to land a job.
Due to the high volume of applications job seekers will likely have to make, AI can help in adjusting applications to many different jobs and companies in a very efficient way.
2.Error Reduction
AI tools can easily detect and correct grammatical errors, awkward phrasing, and spelling mistakes — ensuring your cover letter is polished and professional.
A recent survey published by Resume Builder included 1,000 respondents who were actively job hunting in the past year. 18% of U.S. workers actively job searching within the past year have used ChatGPT — with those utilizing the tool more likely to say (85%) that they have negotiated higher salaries compared to those that didn’t use the tool (52%).
Moreover, 88% of job seekers said they used ChatGPT to improve their job application quality, 76% said they used it to appear more professional, and 65% said they used it to save time.
That being said, ChatGPT isn’t the only tool being used by job seekers. Other popular productivity tools like Grammarly have created cover letter-specific tools that produce an AI generated cover letter based on your resume, and the job title and job description from the position that you are applying for.
It does this based on three easy steps. Here is a mini tutorial based off the prompts Grammarly provides:
Step 1 – Add your Resume: Grammarly’s AI cover letter tool lets you do this in either two ways. You can either upload your resume as a DOC, DOCX or TXT file, or you can copy and paste your resume into the prompt.
Please note, however, that there is a set character limit of 3,000 characters, so make sure every word counts. If you decide to test this tool or other tools that have a character limit on a resume upload, you can feel safe knowing that you can delete bullet points, dividers, and other style types that you have used to spruce up and organize your resume.
Remember: when it comes to job applications, AI is best used for scanning and manipulating text. These kinds of programs are known to search for substance and content. However, to understand the intricacies of how that works, it’s best to ask Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, or Elon Musk.
Step 2 – Enter Job Title: Perhaps the easiest step. As Grammarly’s prompt goes, “paste or type the title of the job you’re applying for.”
Step 3 – Add job details: Paste or type the responsibilities and requirements listed in the job description. It’s worth mentioning that this step also has a 3,000 character limit.
Then all you have to do is click “create cover letter” and the generator will produce a result for you to use.
One last important thing to take note of is that the Grammarly tool is still in Beta, meaning, the company is working out all the technical details and unique kinks of the program. However, it is free to use and test out, and highly efficient. If anything else, it is worth experimenting with to see what results you can produce for your potential job prospects.
3.Saves Time
This leads to the third reason why you should invest time into learning generative AI tools, in-general: they enhance your productivity. Rather than worrying about establishing a structure for a cover letter, let AI draft up ideas for you.
The traditional way of writing a cover letter, starting from a blank page onwards, can be absolutely time-consuming. AI tools accelerate the process, allowing you to focus more on tailoring and improving upon your applications for each role that you decide to apply for.
Tips for Crafting an Effective AI-Generated Cover Letter
There are an incredible number of AI tools launching that could be useful for cover letter writing. Obviously, Grammarly is not the only tool at your disposal. Other generative AI tools that can help in this realm are:
Searching “cover letter AI tools” in your favorite search engine will bring up too many results to list here, but hopefully these are some names of tools that will help get you experimenting and seeing what different generative AI tools can do for you.
1.Start with Clear Instructions
Before engaging any generative AI tool, outline what you want to include in your cover letter. Be very specific about your achievements, skills, and the job role you’re applying for. This specific clarity helps the AI program generate content that closely matches your requirements.
2.Use AI for Drafting
As mentioned previously, it’s best to use AI for drafting — not the final product.
Hiring managers are generally open to this practice as well, with a reported 90% accepting the use of AI in job application materials.
However, it is also preferred that AI augments an applicant’s original ideas. According to Fox Business, 46% of hiring managers suggest that AI should be used “minimally” to expand an applicant’s ideas rather than completely generate content.
Instead of solely relying on AI for grammar and spelling checks, use it from the beginning to draft your cover letter. Many AI platforms generate comprehensive and relevant content based on very minimal inputs.
The better the prompt, the better the results, but that doesn’t mean you have to make the prompt overly complex. Instead, focus on what kind of content you want to generate. (In this case: a cover letter.)
It’s best to not worry about whether the AI specifically includes details that you can add later when you fine-tune and personalize it.
There is no right or wrong way to use AI. However, there are ways to demonstrate proficiency of AI software, which you can find here if that interests you.
3.Personalize the Output
AI tools only take you so far. The main reason why you’d want to use AI for drafting purposes only is because of the inherent value that comes in personalizing cover letters.
Even though AI tools can give you a great draft, data suggests personalized cover letters still leave an impression on recruiters and hiring managers. One study conducted by ResumeGo revealed that applications with tailored cover letters had a 53% higher callback rate than applicants without any cover letter.
In other words, the data suggest that personalized job specific cover letters still hold high value in the job application process.
Some personal touches could include:
- Addressing the letter to a specific person: If possible, find the name of the hiring manager or recruiter and address the letter directly to them. This demonstrates that you have taken the time to research the company, staff, and personalize your job application.
- Mention a mutual connection: If you were referred to the position by someone within your network or have a connection at the company, mention their name and your relationship. This personal touch can help establish credibility and trust.
- Highlight your passion for the company’s mission or values: Show that you have researched the company and have a genuine interest in their mission, values, or products. Connect your personal values and career goals to the company’s purpose.
4.Integrate Keywords from the Job Description
AI can help identify and incorporate industry-specific keywords and phrases from the job description into your cover letter. This strategy can make your application more noticeable to Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and hiring managers.
5.Seek Feedback
After using AI to create your cover letter, seek feedback from mentors, colleagues, or professional services. Having another set of eyes can provide insights that might not be apparent to you or the AI, such as subtle tone adjustments or additional information that could strengthen your application.
6.Review and Revise
Remember to go beyond automated grammar and spelling checks. Look over your final product and make revisions for clarity.
Upon final review, make sure that even your personalized touches make sense and that AI didn’t write your voice out of the cover letter. If you read your final letter and it doesn’t present your personality and enthusiasm, then you are not done working on it.
However, if you read your revised cover letter with confidence, then you are ready to save it and share it with potential employers.
Following these steps to leverage AI tools for drafting cover letters can streamline the process, enabling greater efficiency as you tackle numerous applications to improve the chances of landing your dream job in 2024.
