ChatGPT Cover Letter: Complete Guide For 2025 (With Prompts)
Learn how to write cover letters with ChatGPT, effective prompts, and discover alternative free specialized AI tools focused on cover letters.
TL;DR
ChatGPT can help with cover letters, but you'll need to heavily edit the text to make it sound personal. Never share real personal data due to privacy risks. The guide also covers alternative AI tools designed to create more personalized results.
On this guide
How to use ChatGPT to Write a Cover Letter
Gather Your Information
Before opening ChatGPT, collect everything you need. This preparation step determines the quality of your final cover letter.
Essential Information Checklist:
- Your complete resume/CV
- Full job description
- Company background research
- 3-4 key skills/experiences to highlight
- Specific reasons why you want this role
Important Privacy Notice
ChatGPT conversations are used to train their models, which means your personal data could be stored and potentially exposed. Replace names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and company names with generic placeholders.
ChatGPT prompt for cover letter
The quality of your cover letter depends entirely on how well you instruct ChatGPT. Here's a proven prompt template:
Refine with Follow-up Prompts
The first output is never perfect. Use these follow-up prompts to improve your cover letter:
- •"Make the opening paragraph more engaging and personalized"
- •"Add a specific example of how I demonstrated [SKILL] in my previous role"
- •"Make the language less formal and more conversational"
- •"Strengthen the closing paragraph with a clear call to action"
- •"Remove any generic phrases and make it more specific to this company"
Add Personal Touches
This is the most important step. ChatGPT output needs human refinement to avoid sounding robotic:
Critical Personalization Steps:
- Replace generic phrases with specific examples from your experience
- Add 1-2 sentences in your natural writing voice
- Include a brief personal anecdote that demonstrates your skills
- Research and mention something specific about the company culture
- Use the company's preferred terminology and industry language
Common Problems & How to Fix Them
Let's be honest about ChatGPT's limitations and how to work around them
Generic, robotic language that screams 'AI-written'
Problem:
ChatGPT text is predictable and lacks authenticity. It often uses the same overused words and it's very easy to spot that it's AI-generated text.
Solution:
ChatGPT doesn't understand Dutch job market nuances
Problem:
ChatGPT was trained primarily on US-focused content, but what works in Silicon Valley may not work in the Netherlands. The communication styles and expectations can be quite different, and getting this right can make a big difference in landing the job.
Solution:
No optimization for recruitment bots (ATS)
Problem:
Most companies use recruitment bots that scan resumes before they even reach human hands. Ensuring your cover letter is optimized for these bots is crucial. Use keywords from the job description naturally within your letter.
Solution:
Lumen Career: Specialized AI for Dutch job market
An AI-powered career platform that understands the unique challenges of job searching in the Dutch market and saves users countless hours by streamlining the application process—from finding relevant positions to crafting personalized resumes and cover letters for each opportunity.
Dutch Market Expertise
Fully designed for the Dutch job market. Built with local hiring practices and cultural nuances in mind, creating authentic cover letters that actually speak for the person
Recruitment-Optimized
Its advanced AI automatically understands the right keywords for each job. It formats and structures resumes and cover letters to help applicants land the interview
Privacy-First Approach
Built and founded in the Netherlands, Lumen Career puts user privacy first. It does not use your data to train their models, ensuring your personal information stays secure.
The Lumen Career Difference
While ChatGPT gives you a starting point, Lumen Career delivers job-ready cover letters that actually get responses. Built specifically for the Dutch job market with deep understanding of local hiring practices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, it's completely ethical. Using AI for cover letters is no different from getting help from a human writer or using templates. The key is to personalize the output and ensure it accurately represents your experience and voice. Most recruiters see AI as a helpful tool, not cheating.
If you use ChatGPT's output directly without editing, yes - it often has telltale signs of AI writing. However, if you properly personalize and edit the content, it's virtually impossible to detect. The goal is to use AI as a starting point, not the final product.
Yes, ChatGPT can write cover letters in many languages, but the quality varies. For professional applications in Dutch, German, French, or other languages, you'll get better results from tools specifically trained on those job markets and cultural conventions.
ChatGPT Plus (paid) generally provides more sophisticated language and better reasoning, but for cover letters, the free version is usually sufficient if you provide detailed prompts. The bigger difference is using general AI vs. specialized career tools.
Choose Your Next Step
You now have everything you need to write compelling cover letters. Here are your three options:
Try ChatGPT
Use our guide and prompts to create cover letters with ChatGPT. Good for learning and budget-conscious applications.
Start with ChatGPTGet Professional Results
Skip the trial and error. Get ATS-optimized, locally-aware cover letters that actually get responses.
Learn more about Lumen AI