How to Write a Cover Letter in 60 Seconds With AI

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The Cover Letter Problem

A tailored cover letter increases your interview chances by up to 50% (TopResume, 2025). But writing one from scratch takes 45–60 minutes. When you're applying to 10+ jobs per week, that's an entire workday just on cover letters.

AI changes this equation entirely. With the right tool, you can generate a personalised, role-specific cover letter in 60 seconds - then spend 5 minutes refining it with your voice.

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Step-by-Step: AI Cover Letter in 60 Seconds

Step 1: Paste the Job Description (10 seconds)

Copy the full job description from the listing. The more context the AI has, the better the output.

What to include:

Job title and company name

Key responsibilities

Required qualifications

Nice-to-have skills

Company information (if listed)

Step 2: Add Your Key Details (20 seconds)

Tell the AI about your relevant experience:

Your most relevant role and years of experience

2–3 key achievements (with numbers if possible)

Skills that match the job requirements

Why you're interested in this specific role

Step 3: Generate and Review (30 seconds)

Click generate. The AI produces a full cover letter tailored to the job description and your experience.

What good AI cover letter tools produce:

A compelling opening that references the specific role

Evidence of your qualifications matched to job requirements

Company-specific research and genuine interest

Professional closing with clear call to action

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Before and After: AI Cover Letter Quality

Generic (Without AI - or with bad AI prompts):

> "Dear Hiring Manager, I am writing to express my interest in the Marketing Manager position. I have 5 years of experience in marketing and believe I would be a great fit for your team. I am a hard worker and passionate about marketing..."

Problem: Generic, could apply to any role, no evidence, no specifics.

Tailored (With ApplyArc AI + 5 Minutes of Editing):

> "When I saw that Acme Corp is expanding its UK e-commerce marketing team, I immediately thought of the parallels with my work at TechRetail - where I led the paid acquisition strategy that drove a 156% increase in ROAS within 8 months. Your focus on sustainable brands aligns with the market positioning I've been building expertise in."

Why it works: Specific company reference, quantified achievement, clear role relevance.

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The 5-Minute Personalisation Formula

AI gets you 80% there. The final 20% is what makes it uniquely yours.

After generating, spend 5 minutes on:

1. Add a personal detail (2 minutes) - Mention something specific about the company that AI can't know. A product you use, a talk you attended, a value that resonates.

2. Adjust the tone (1 minute) - Make it sound like you. If you're naturally direct, cut the flowery language. If you're warm, add personality.

3. Verify the facts (1 minute) - Check that the AI hasn't hallucinated company details or job requirements.

4. Quick proofread (1 minute) - Read aloud once for flow and grammar.

Total time: 5–6 minutes per cover letter, down from 45–60 minutes.

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Which AI Cover Letter Tools Actually Work?

Tool	Speed	Quality	Personalisation	Price
ApplyArc AI	30 seconds	High (job-specific)	Based on your details + job description	Free (50 gens) / £19/mo
ChatGPT	1–2 minutes	Medium (needs good prompts)	Requires manual prompt engineering	$20/mo for GPT-4
Teal	N/A	N/A	No cover letter feature	$29/mo
Grammarly	N/A	N/A	Editing only, not generation	$12/mo
Copy.ai	30 seconds	Medium (generic marketing focus)	Not job-search specific	$36/mo

Key difference: General AI tools (ChatGPT, Copy.ai) require you to craft the right prompt. Job-search-specific tools like ApplyArc are pre-trained on the cover letter format and know what hiring managers look for.

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When AI Cover Letters Help Most

Situation	AI Impact	Time Saved
Applying to 10+ jobs per week	★★★★★	6–8 hours/week
Career changing (need to explain pivot)	★★★★	30 min per letter
Entry-level (limited experience)	★★★★	Helps frame limited experience positively
Senior roles (need nuance)	★★★	Good starting point but needs more editing
Creative roles	★★	May need significant personality injection

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Common AI Cover Letter Mistakes

❌ Submitting without editing - AI output is a first draft, not a final letter. Always personalise.

❌ Using the same prompt for every job - Include the specific job description each time. Generic input = generic output.

❌ Ignoring company research - AI can reference the company, but add something only a human would know (recent news, a product feature you admire).

❌ Over-relying on buzzwords - If the letter is heavy on "synergy," "leverage," and "dynamic" - rewrite those parts in plain English.

❌ Not proofreading - AI occasionally gets facts wrong. Always verify names, company details, and job requirements.

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FAQ

Can hiring managers detect AI-written cover letters?

Not if you personalise them properly. The 5-minute editing formula above makes AI output indistinguishable from hand-written letters. What hiring managers notice is when letters are generic - and that's a human mistake too.

Is it ethical to use AI for cover letters?

Yes. AI is a tool, like spell-check or a template. The content is based on your real experience and skills. You're using AI for efficiency, not fabrication.

How many cover letters can I generate with ApplyArc's free tier?

10 AI generations. At 2–3 applications per day, that's approximately 2–3 weeks of active searching.

Should I always include a cover letter?

Yes, when the option exists. A [2025 ResumeLab survey](https://resumelab.com/career-advice/cover-letter-statistics) found that 83% of hiring managers read cover letters when included.

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The Bottom Line

AI cover letter tools turn a 45-minute task into a 5-minute task. The result isn't a shortcut - it's a better allocation of your time. Instead of agonising over wording, you spend those saved hours on networking, interview prep, and applying to more roles.

ApplyArc's AI cover letter generator gives you 10 free AI generations per month. Paste the job description, add your details, and have a tailored letter in 30 seconds. The AI Career Coach can also review your overall cover letter strategy - it spots patterns like overusing the same opening or missing key skills the job description emphasises.