How to write a cover letter with AI

Which AI to use for this

Step by step

1. 1

   Find the one thing the job is really about

   Most adverts have a real problem underneath the bullet points. Name it and the letter writes itself; miss it and you get a list of adjectives.

   Paste thisCopy

   Read this job advert and tell me, in one sentence, what problem this employer is actually trying to solve by hiring someone.
   
   [paste the advert]

2. 2

   Give it your evidence and set the rules

   Three or four real things you have done that bear on that problem. Not your whole CV — the relevant bits, with numbers if you have them.

   Paste thisCopy

   Write a cover letter for that job.
   
   What I've actually done:
   - [thing you did, with a number if you have one]
   - [thing you did]
   - [thing you did]
   
   Rules:
   - Under 300 words
   - Make ONE argument for why I fit, don't list everything
   - Use only what I've given you — invent nothing, add no numbers
   - No "I am writing to apply for", no "passionate", no "perfect fit"
   - Plain British English, first person, sound like a person not a brochure
   - Open with something other than my name and the job title

   "Make one argument" is the instruction that turns a list into a letter. Most AI cover letters fail because they try to say six things.

3. 3

   Deal with the awkward thing head-on

   A gap, a career change, a redundancy, a short stint. Addressing it in one sentence with no apology beats hoping nobody notices — they always notice.

   Paste thisCopy

   I have a two-year gap from 2023 to 2025 — I was caring for a parent. Add one sentence about it. State it plainly, no apologising, no over-explaining, then move on.

4. 4

   Make it cut its own throat-clearing

   The first sentence of an AI cover letter is almost always disposable. Ask it to delete it and see whether the letter is better without it, which it usually is.

   Paste thisCopy

   Cut the first sentence and the last sentence. Does it still work? If it does, give me that version.

5. 5

   Check every claim before you send it

   Read it as though you are the person interviewing you. Anything you could not evidence in the room comes out now.

What a good answer looks like

Not a made-up example. This is one of the job applications tasks from our published suite, and what GPT-5.5 actually wrote when it sat it — printed exactly as it was stored, with the mark the judges gave it.

One thing to know before you read it: it was marked against the rules that task sets, which are not the rules on this page. A test suite has to stay identical for every model that sits it, so it cannot adopt the tighter prompt above. Read the answer for the shape of a good one — facts early, constraint respected, a clear next step — not as a template to copy.

Dear Hiring Manager,

Food distribution depends on accuracy, pace and accountability across every shift. That is why the Operations Supervisor role strongly appeals to me: it calls for someone who can keep product moving safely while protecting service levels, stock integrity and team performance.

In my six years in warehouse operations, I have learned that good supervision is not just assigning tasks—it is setting clear standards, spotting bottlenecks early and coaching people so the process improves every day. As a team leader, I helped cut picking errors by 30% by tightening checks, improving communication at handover and making accuracy a shared team target rather than an afterthought. In a food distribution environment, where incorrect picks can affect customers, waste and delivery schedules, that discipline is directly relevant.

I am also forklift trained, which gives me a practical understanding of safe, efficient goods movement and the pressures faced by operatives on the floor. That helps me lead credibly, make realistic decisions during busy periods and support compliance…

Trimmed to fit. The full answer, all twelve tasks and every judge’s score →

Common mistakes

• Letting it write "I am writing to apply for the position of…".

  Ban that phrase by name in the prompt. Every reader has seen it four hundred times this month.

• Sending the same letter with the company name swapped.

  Redo step 1 for each job. The problem the employer is solving is what changes, and it is the whole argument.

• Letting it add a number to make you sound better.

  Check every figure against your own record. A made-up percentage in a cover letter is the kind of thing that gets found out in the interview.

• Writing 600 words because it offered them.

  Cap it at 300 in the prompt. Nobody has ever complained that a cover letter was too short.

Questions people ask