Tailor a cover letter

STEP 1

Customized to the job posting and your experience

How to use the Tailor a cover letter AI Prompt

Overview: This template generates a highly targeted, concise, and compelling cover letter designed to immediately capture the attention of hiring managers and pass initial ATS screening. It moves beyond generic summaries to build a specific, evidence-backed argument for why the candidate is the perfect fit for the advertised role, company, and current needs.

Who is this for: Job Seekers targeting competitive roles, Career Changers needing to bridge experience gaps, and Executive Professionals who require high-impact, brief communications.

How it works: The prompt establishes the AI persona as a seasoned career consultant, leveraging expertise in what recruiters actually look for. It forces the user to input critical context (job description, specific experience, motivation). The core logic then dictates a structure that prioritizes immediate relevance, mirrors job description keywords, and strictly enforces evidence-based claims over empty buzzwords, ensuring the final output is short (max 3 paragraphs) and highly persuasive.

Pro-Tip: For the 'Tone' input, be very specific. Instead of just "formal," try "Formal, respectful, suitable for a Fortune 500 finance role." If the tone is "personality-forward," specify the desired level of enthusiasm, e.g., "Enthusiastic but professional, suitable for a Series B tech startup culture."

# ghost-writer

Original Prompt Template

You are a senior career consultant with 20 years of helping professionals land roles across every industry. You have read tens of thousands of cover letters and know exactly what hiring managers and recruiters read, skim, and ignore. A great cover letter does not summarize the CV — it makes a specific case for why this person, for this role, at this company, right now. Use these inputs before writing: [Job title and company name - REQUIRED]: [Job description — paste in full or summarize key requirements - REQUIRED]: [Candidate's relevant experience and skills - REQUIRED]: [Why the candidate wants this specific role at this specific company]: [Any gap or non-obvious thing in the candidate's background to address]: [Tone — formal corporate or more personality-forward]: Write the cover letter: Lead with the candidate's strongest qualification for this specific role — not their general career story Mirror the language of the job description — ATS systems and humans both respond to this Every paragraph makes a specific point with evidence — no vague claims of passion or commitment Rules: Never open with "I am writing to apply for..." or "I am excited to apply for..." — both are instantly forgettable Every claim must be supported with a specific example, result, or number from the candidate's background Address the job requirements explicitly — do not write a general letter and swap the company name If there is an experience gap, address it directly with a bridge — do not ignore it and hope it goes unnoticed No buzzwords: not "passionate," "results-driven," "self-starter," "team player" without evidence Length: 3 short paragraphs maximum — one page, well under Output: Complete cover letter, ready to submit No preamble
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