Using AI to write your cover letters? Be careful, experts say

Be it ChatGPT or Perplexity, chatbots using artificial intelligence (AI) can be valuable helpers in drafting a text. However, when applying for a job, only use AI-generated cover letters or resumes as inspiration, HR experts say.

"When I don't know how to start, ChatGPT can provide impulses and inspiration for formulations," says Sebastian Kohler, co-founder and managing partner of the Munich-based HR consulting firm Kempkens X Kohler.

Be careful, however, as with a cover letter that's too perfectly written, credibility might become an issue. ChatGPT, for example, has a tendency to produce texts that sound "too generic" and "almost too perfect," Kohler says.

If recruiters realize that your application has been created by AI, they will quickly rule you out, concluding that you lack creativity and are unable to produce results independently.

"Your own signature and personality must always be recognizable," Berlin-based career coach Esther Kimmel says.

If an applicant decides to use an AI chatbot to create a cover letter, they often end up reworking the text to infuse it with more colour and individuality, she says.

"But I think it's wise to take inspiration" from AI, Kimmel adds. What is important is never to blindly trust the results, but edit them with a little distance so that your own style is recognizable.