Imagine the following scenario: The job market is dead, and I find myself sending applications to any job post as long as it remotely fits my profile. And then again, there is this annoying thing - a cover letter. Writing a convincing cover letter is a substantial time investment. So why not quickly upload the resume and the job description to ChatGPT - and tada - a cover letter fitting perfectly to my experience AND the job post? Sounds like a great idea, doesn't it? Well, it isn't, and here is why:
Why Chat GPT is not the Ideal Tool to Write Cover Letters
Lack of Personalization
A great cover letter needs to reflect you — your unique skills, experiences, and passion for the role. ChatGPT can only generate content based on generic templates or your prompts. It lacks the personal insight and emotional depth necessary. It may sound great on first read, but believe it or not, you weren't the only one with this idea. And just like that, your quickly generated cover letter drowns in a sea of cover letters that sound just like yours. Recruiters are guaranteed to be bored reading your cover letter, and you're guaranteed not to be invited.
Inaccuracies and Misrepresentation
ChatGPT will make your experience sound like an incredible fit, even if it isn't. It relies on the input that you provide, including the job post, and if there is no great fit, ChatGPT will make up some great fit, just to make the application sound great. Believe me; there is nothing as embarrassing as landing an interview and being asked to elaborate on your experience on a topic that ChatGPT made you an expert at in your cover letter.
Rule #1 for any AI-generated content is always to proofread your creation, but when you're sending out mass applications, you will miss those details, and an awkward moment will be guaranteed.
Risk of Plagiarism or Formulaic Responses
AI models like ChatGPT generate content based on patterns in the data they've been trained on. This means there's a risk that the output might resemble or replicate text from other sources, raising concerns about originality. While recruiters and hiring managers rarely check your cover letters for plagiarism, they will very quickly see which ones were created using ChatGPT and which were written by a human. They will soon get bored reading the same text over and over again and will kick you out of the race just for that.
How to Use AI Tools for Cover Letters Instead
While ChatGPT is not an ideal solution for generating cover letters, going manually from start to finish will give you a significant competitive disadvantage. Instead, you should make use of AI tools that were built just for this purpose. Here are the essential dimensions you should consider when choosing the right tool for you:
Apply to the Right Opportunities
The biggest waste of time during the job search is writing cover letters for job opportunities that don't fit you. Even if you make it through the interview and get an unlikely offer, if the job doesn't fit you, either your new employer or you will notice it sooner or later. You will find yourself back on the job market much quicker than you thought. Instead of casting a wide net, take your time and apply to the right opportunities only. It's not about quantity, it's about quality.
AI tools like Eloovor can help you in this process. By deeply understanding your experience and needs, these tools create your candidate market fit and help you identify the really exciting opportunities and eliminate those that you shouldn't waste any time on.
Personalized to You
The cover letter needs to represent you. To properly represent you, it needs more than just your experience and achievements; it also needs to understand your style and your goals. Great AI tools will take your style into consideration and make sure that the cover letter sounds like you and not like all the other ChatGPT-generated cover letters recruiters receive.
Learn From What Works
When you're on the job market, you are selling your experience and know-how. Did you know that companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to test how to properly position their product? The best AI tools will not only help you draft the perfect cover letter, but they will also understand which cover letters work for which types of jobs for you and help you get your positioning right for the next ones. It's not just about getting the job, it's about learning from the process and improving your approach.
It's Just a Draft
While AI tools today can create really stunning drafts, their output stays drafts. It is extremely important that you take them as such. Now that we have eliminated hundreds of cover letters that you don't have to write, take the time to read the generated cover letter word by word. Is the letter accurate? Does it sound like you? Does it represent you well? Did the tool miss any experience you think is relevant to the job?
Final Thoughts
AI tools like ChatGPT can give you a head start but rarely provide you with the right results. AI tools built for job searchers, like Eloovor, on the other hand, can give you a real competitive advantage in the job market. Deployed wisely, they can help you spend less time on the wrong opportunities and significantly reduce the time you spend on the right opportunities.