AI Cover Letter Prompts for ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude

The best way to use AI for a cover letter is in stages, not one big "write my cover letter" request. First ask it to analyse the job advert, then to match your real experience against it, then to draft, then to criticise its own draft. The seven prompts below follow that order. Copy them, fill in the brackets, and edit the result yourself.

If you have not written a cover letter before, read how to write a cover letter that gets read first. It explains the four-paragraph structure these prompts are built on.

Before you start: remove private data

A cover letter needs your name, phone and email. It does not need anything else personal. Before you paste your CV into any AI tool, delete:

• Passport, Emirates ID, CNIC, Iqama or other ID numbers
• Visa or work permit numbers (you can still say "UAE residence visa")
• Bank details and salary slips
• Date of birth and full home address
• Referees' names and phone numbers
• Anything confidential from your current employer: client names, internal figures, unreleased projects

Also check the tool's settings for whether your conversations are used for training, and turn that off if you prefer.

Prompt 1: analyse the job advert

This tells you what the employer actually cares about before any writing happens.

Here is a job advert. Do not write a cover letter yet.

1. List the 5 most important requirements, in order of importance, based on how the advert is written.
2. List the tools, systems, qualifications or licences mentioned by name.
3. Note any practical requirements: location, visa, language, notice period, shift work.
4. Suggest 2 questions I should be able to answer in an interview for this role.

Job advert:
[paste the full advert]

Prompt 2: match your evidence

This is the most useful step. It shows you where you are strong and where you have gaps.

Below is a job advert and my CV. Create a table with three columns:
- Requirement (from the advert)
- My evidence (quote the exact line from my CV, or write "none found")
- Strength (strong / partial / missing)

Rules:
- Use only what is written in my CV. Do not assume or add experience.
- If evidence is partial, say what is missing.

Job advert:
[paste]

My CV (private details removed):
[paste]

Read the table yourself. If the AI has quoted something that is not in your CV, that is a warning sign for the drafting step.

Prompt 3: draft the letter

Using only the "strong" and "partial" evidence from the table above, write a cover letter for [job title] at [company].

Structure:
- Paragraph 1: the role and one reason I fit (2-3 sentences).
- Paragraphs 2-3: one requirement each, proved with one specific example from my CV.
- Paragraph 4: a short close with my practical details: [notice period, location, visa status or right to work].

Rules:
- Do not invent any skill, number, employer, date or result. If something is missing, write [CHECK] instead of guessing.
- Maximum 350 words.
- British English, plain words, short sentences.
- Do not use these phrases: "I am thrilled", "I am excited to apply", "fast-paced", "dynamic", "passionate", "team player", "reputed organisation", "leverage", "synergy".
- My reason for wanting this employer is: [write one real reason in your own words].

The last line matters. AI cannot know why you want the job. If you leave it out, the model will invent a generic reason.

Prompt 4: make the AI criticise its draft

Now act as a sceptical hiring manager reading 100 applications for this role. Review the letter above:

1. Which sentences could appear in anyone's letter? Quote them.
2. Which claims would you want proof of in an interview?
3. Is there anything that does not match the CV I gave you?
4. Suggest specific edits, but do not rewrite the whole letter.

Apply the edits you agree with yourself. Rewriting by hand helps the letter sound like you.

Prompt 5: career change version

I am moving from [current role or industry] to [target role]. Using the job advert and my CV above:

1. Identify 3 transferable skills, each with a specific example from my CV.
2. Write one honest sentence I can use in the opening to explain the move as a deliberate choice, not an apology.
3. Point out any requirement I clearly do not meet, so I can address it or decide not to apply.

Do not exaggerate my experience in the target field.

Prompt 6: fresh graduate version

I am a recent graduate with [degree] from [university], finishing in [month year]. Using the advert and my CV:

- Build the letter around my final-year project, internship or part-time work, not around personal qualities.
- For each example, state what I did, the tools I used and what came out of it.
- Keep it under 300 words.
- Do not claim professional experience I do not have.

Our fresh graduate CV example shows the same idea applied to a CV.

Prompt 7: short versions for forms and messages

Many applications, especially on Gulf job portals and LinkedIn, have a text box instead of an upload.

Shorten the final letter into:
1. A 100-word version for an application form text box.
2. A 50-word LinkedIn message to the recruiter, ending with a polite question.
Keep the same facts. Do not add new claims.

Fact-check before you send

AI tools can state wrong things with confidence. Check every line against this list:

• Every number matches your CV and you can explain it
• Every employer, job title and date is correct
• The company name, role title and hiring manager's name are spelt correctly
• Nothing describes the company that you have not confirmed on its own website
• No [CHECK] markers left in the text
• No banned phrases have crept back in
• Practical details (notice period, visa status) are current
• You would be comfortable if the interviewer asked about any sentence

Read it aloud once. Anything you would not say in conversation, rewrite.

Gulf and Pakistan specifics

• UAE and Saudi applications: include notice period and visa status in the closing paragraph, as recruiters there usually need them early. Our UAE CV format guide covers the details they expect.
• Applying from Pakistan to the Gulf: say clearly whether you would need visa sponsorship and when you could join.
• Translated letters: if you ask AI to translate a letter into Arabic or from Urdu into English, have a fluent speaker check it before sending.

A faster start

Our cover letter builder produces a structured first draft without a chat window. Whichever route you choose, the final letter should contain only facts you can stand behind, in words you would use yourself. Once it is done, run your CV through the ATS resume checker so both documents use the same key terms.