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ARE some of the new AI technologies like ChatGPT being used to generate covering letters and other information by some job applicants?
The University of NSW School of Information Systems and Technology Management recently looked into the topic.
Its conclusion?
“Leveraging ChatGPT for crafting cover letters is much like using a high-quality camera,” UNSW’s Associate Professor Sam Kirshner says in a study.
“While the camera can capture stunning images, it’s the photographer’s eye that composes the masterpiece. So, the next time you use ChatGPT for a cover letter, remember that while ChatGPT can draft the lines, it’s up to the user to provide the genuine substance that truly sets them apart in a job application.”
The report suggests many people use a “Frankenstein approach” to preparing cover letters, blending examples from our close friends with those from strangers on the internet, and then tailoring them to their specific needs.
“Why can we do that? Because cover letters often follow a straightforward template,” Prof Kirshner’s report said.
Typically, people begin their cover letters with a brief introduction that mentions the position they’re applying for, where they found the job listing, and why they’re excited about the opportunity. They then structure the body of the letter to highlight their most relevant qualifications, using specific examples to show how their skills match the job requirements while also addressing any potential concerns, such as gaps in their resume.
The conclusion usually reiterates their interest in the role, expresses enthusiasm for the opportunity to interview, and includes a note of thanks to the reader for their consideration.
Given this common template and the fact that common phrases are often abstract enough to apply to multiple companies, it seems like ChatGPT would be the perfect tool for writing cover letters. But is it really?
How “AI fluent” are you?
Prof Kirshner says the answer to that question depends on a person’s skill level in using ChatGPT. To explore this further, an exercise was conducted recently in a class at UNSW Business School.
This exercise demonstrated an interesting pitfall when using ChatGPT for cover letters and how to avoid it. In one of the early workshops, students were separated into two groups: one acted as job applicants, and the other as an HR team responsible for hiring.
The ‘job applicants’ were handed a printout of the job application, which was for a summer intern role as a business analyst. The applicants were given just one minute to use ChatGPT to write a cover letter for the job. Afterwards, they were asked to rate their cover letters out of ten.
When a few of the applicants read their cover letters aloud, the HR team group was impressed. The letters were fluid, articulate, and well-written. The students themselves admitted that the letters were quite good – certainly better than most cover letters from undergrad applicants five or more years ago, and definitely an improvement over the summer internship applications typically received 15-plus years ago.
However, as the group moved on to the second cover letter, something became apparent. It sounded almost identical to the first one – not because it wasn’t fluid, articulate, and well-written, but rather because it was nearly verbatim the same as the first.
The same issue arose with the third cover letter, and again with the fourth.
“Imagine being an HR professional and receiving nearly a dozen cover letters that were virtually identical,” Prof Kirshner’s report said. This scenario likely played out for many recruiters over the past year or two, since the start of the ChatGPT hype.
The importance of accurate prompts
A key aspect of this exercise was the time limit, which meant that savvier students couldn’t add more personalised details or edit their cover letters beyond using a basic prompt like, “Hi ChatGPT, I am applying for the role of Business Analyst at Visionary Consulting; can you write me a cover letter?” This exercise highlights a broader lesson: many people focus solely on their use of GPT without considering that others are also using ChatGPT simultaneously.
In the second round, the time limit was extended to ten minutes. The goal was clear: use ChatGPT as much as possible, but avoid any dead giveaways that it was used. Beyond giving students more time, they were also provided with a digital copy of the job advertisement so they could copy and paste relevant aspects from the advertisement document directly into ChatGPT. Some students finished within five minutes, while others took the full quota, using prompts to add more details and personal experiences to their cover letters.
Right (and wrong) ways to personalise cover letters
Participants were then asked to read their cover letters aloud, starting with those who had finished earlier. The letters were noticeably improved compared to the first round, but occasionally, a phrase would slip in that betrayed the use of ChatGPT.
For instance, one student’s letter included the phrase, “My goal is to revolutionise the fintech industry.” Beyond being a lofty ambition, the phrase is out of place for an entry-level internship position.
When the class was asked what might have given away the use of ChatGPT, no-one pointed to this phrase, because it blended seamlessly into the letter’s context.
Students were then asked to imagine an interviewer asking about their personal career goals. If they didn’t genuinely respond with the aspiration to “revolutionise the fintech industry,” this inconsistency could raise red flags and potentially cost them the job.
Other students took the time to add more personal details and instructed ChatGPT to adjust the tone of their letters, making them sound less generic and more aligned with their individual voices.
These cover letters were noticeably stronger.
The best way to generate cover letters
As outlined above, the most significant improvement came from students who took a more methodical approach, crafting their cover letters paragraph by paragraph.
By working systematically and iteratively with ChatGPT, they were able to adapt the outputs to reflect their own language use and proficiency.
Ultimately, this approach creates a stronger, more authentic, and more personalised cover letter than those produced by students who relied on a single set of instructions and asked ChatGPT to generate the entire letter in one go, which often resulted in cover letters with lofty, buried goals like “revolutionising the fintech industry.”
- Report authors: Sam Kirshner is an Associate Professor, and Alba Olivares Nadal is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Information Systems and Technology Management at UNSW Business School.
Worth noting for job applicants: Passages of text can be run through a program to determine whether it is likely they have been generated using ChatGPT. Editor
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