How to Write a Cover Letter With AI (Without It Sounding Fake)

The problem with most AI-generated cover letters isn't that they're AI-generated — it's that they're generic. "I am excited to apply for this position" could be the opening line of literally any cover letter for any job. Here's how to actually get a good one out of AI instead.

Feed it the job description, not just the job title

A cover letter that only knows "Senior Marketing Manager" writes generically. One that has the actual posting — the specific responsibilities, the company's stated priorities — can reference something real, which is the entire difference between a letter that reads as tailored and one that reads as templated.

Feed it your actual resume, not a vague description of your background

The strongest cover letters connect one or two specific, real accomplishments to what the job actually needs. AI can only make that connection if it has the real accomplishment to work with — "I have marketing experience" produces a generic letter; "I grew organic traffic 3x in 8 months" produces a specific one.

Ban the AI-tell phrases explicitly

"I am thrilled at the opportunity," "I believe I would be a great fit," "leverage my skills" — these phrases are what make a cover letter smell like AI output from the first sentence. Whatever tool you use, either edit these out yourself or make sure the tool's own instructions rule them out.

Keep it to 3-4 short paragraphs — AI tends to over-write

Left unconstrained, AI models tend to pad cover letters with restated resume content. A good cover letter is 200-300 words: a specific reason for this role, one or two real accomplishments connected to what the job needs, and a short close.

Always do one final human pass

Read it out loud once. If a sentence doesn't sound like something you'd actually say in a conversation about why you want the job, rewrite it. That one pass is what separates a genuinely good AI-assisted letter from one that just sounds like it came from a template.