How to Use ChatGPT to Write Your Cover Letter

ChatGPT and AI are taking the internet by storm! 

At this point, you’ve probably heard of it, are a little unsure of it, and you can’t quite pin down how you’ll be able to use it to your advantage in your job search. 

Well, we’d love to help! In this article, we’ll explain one of the most helpful ways to use ChatGPT in your job search – writing your cover letter. Below, we’ll discuss ChatGPT, how to use it in your job search, and what prompts you should use to get the best results. We’ll even showcase examples of the best cover letters we asked ChatGPT to create.

Now let’s dive in and learn how to write the perfect cover letter with the help of ChatGPT in a matter of minutes. 

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What is ChatGPT? 

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ChatGPT is a remarkable new AI-powered chatbot created by the team at OpenAI Labs. Short for Chat-based Generative Pre-trained Transformer, ChatGPT uses advanced natural language processing (NLP,) to quickly and accurately generate human-like conversation in any given context.  

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All you have to do is feed it relevant prompts like “write my cover letter using my resume below as a reference,” and it will create a beautifully crafted and relevant draft just for you.

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How can I use artificial intelligence in my job search?

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There are a ton of ways you can use ChatGPT in your job search. You can use ChatGPT to optimize your LinkedIn profile, write your resume achievements, craft a letter of interest and follow-up emails to hiring managers, and so much more. 

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The fantastic part about ChatGPT is that it allows you to automate the cumbersome aspects of your job search, which gives you more time to be strategic about your application process. With the help of AI, you can craft personalized resumes and cover letters for every job you apply for.

Things to consider when using ChatGPT in my job search

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When using ChatGPT during your job search, it’s essential to consider the potential drawbacks. 

ChatGPT is still a VERY new technology that is consistently besting tested and reiterated. Currently, the platform is told to decline inappropriate requests but claims on its site that it may still sometimes produce harmful instructions or biased content. 

Also, it may accidentally generate incorrect information and needs to gain more knowledge of the world and events after 2021. When using ChatGPT, we suggest that you proceed with caution and, to be extra careful, assess the company's privacy policy to ensure you feel OK with how they use personal data.

Lastly, it is still vital to have real conversations with recruiters to stand out as a qualified candidate - in this case, ChatGPT cannot replace an actual conversation. Use your own writing for one on one contact as much as possible.

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How to use ChatGPT to write your cover letter 

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To get started, simply visit chat.openai.com and sign up for a free account. All you need is an email address, Google account, or Microsoft account - it's easy and doesn't take more than a few minutes. Best of all, both the website and app are free to use. 

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Due to the popularity of ChatGPT, there may be some traffic delays when signing up – if that happens, just wait a few minutes before trying again, and you'll be good to go!

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Once you’ve logged in, follow the steps below to create an AI-powered cover letter.

1. For the prompt, type: "Write my cover letter for the Director of Marketing role at Spotify in a conversational tone, using my resume below as a reference.” (Please replace the title and company with options more relevant to your potential future role and company!)
2. Type “Shift” + “enter” to create a new line. 
3. From here, you can paste your most recent resume. We suggest cleaning it up, so ChatGPT only has the information it needs to write your cover letter.
4. When you get your result, save it in a separate area (Teal is an excellent option for this), then click "try again" to generate two more versions. Remember to save ChatGPT’s response each time.
5. Sort through the options, pull what you like from each generated version, add your flair, and finalize a cover letter you love. 

The best ChatGPT prompts to use for cover letters

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The best way to see beneficial results from artificial intelligence is by putting in the actual legwork. You cannot expect AI to do everything for you at the click of a button. ChatGPT only works well with help and strategic direction from an actual person. 

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That’s why thoughtful prompts are SO necessary. The input you give ChatGPT influences the quality of output you receive. The more detailed suggestions you provide, the more likely it will be able to customize the outcome for you. 

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Below are four ChatGPT prompts that we love. We suggest personalizing these to your experience, the companies you’re applying with, and the job positions that you’re applying for. 

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1. Write a conversational cover letter for a job application as a [position] at [company] using my resume below as a reference.

2. Draft a persuasive cover letter in 150 words or less highlighting my qualifications and enthusiasm for the [position] at [company] using my resume achievements below. 

3. Create a compelling cover letter that explains why I am the best fit for the [position] at [company]. Write the letter using the StoryBrand Framework.

4. Compose a professional cover letter demonstrating how my abilities align with the requirements for the [position] at [company]. Use the information below as a guide. 

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In each of these prompts, the creator is expected to provide context like a job description and their resume achievements or a professional summary to see the best possible outcome. You'll see above that we also directed ChatGPT to write a cover letter with 150 words or less. We noticed that most of the cover letters it created were a bit verbose, so we suggest using that word count limit for each out.

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Below, you'll see an example of a cover letter that ChatGPT created for us on the spot using one of the prompts above!

Other ways to automate your job search

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The job search is changing for the better with the help of artificial intelligence. Now, job seekers can finally have the advantage of creating customized cover letters for every single job they apply to. 

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And with all the cover letters and applications you’ll need to keep track of, it’ll become even more important for job seekers to organize their search. Fortunately, Teal offers a free Job Tracker and Resume Builder to help you automate and optimize your job search!

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With these tools at your whim, you can quickly sort and manage your job search and optimize and enhance your resume based on the roles you apply for. Check out the Teal website to learn more!

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