Can I Dispense with Cover Letter Writing? If Not, What About AI?
I had an unprompted exchange with a 27-year old entrepreneur last week, just before I was quoted in a Harvard Business Review article about the importance of cover letters.
Here’s what my new pen pal had to say:
“I think artificial intelligence is absolutely crippling a lot of young adults' ability to read, write, and (by extension) communicate well-formed thoughts and ideas. Strong communication starts with valuing reading and writing - not of Tweets, TikTok’s, and Instagrams - but of books and other written media that have an actual editorial process. I think that type of content is losing its value to young people, and the ability to outsource logic, reading comprehension, and writing to an algorithm is decimating their cognitive abilities. A report on exactly that made the rounds a couple days ago.”
“By no means do I think it shouldn't be used - I use it all the time myself. I just think it's like computers; if you use a computer for everything, you become a part of it and dependent on it. But if you don't use it at all, the world leaves you behind. It's a matter of balance, but maybe one that needs to be taught, just as my generation was taught both how to use computers and how to get by without one.”
Jake, I couldn’t have said it better myself.
When I was a hiring manager, my rule was that if a resume wasn’t accompanied by a personalized, well-written and polished cover letter, I did not proceed to the resume. If there were typos or grammatical errors, or if the tone sounded entitled, same. Granted I was hiring for marketing roles. But I take communication very seriously and believe that less-than-stellar writing is both fixable and critical to success on the job.
While AI can help get you started, it can only take you so far. Writing an effective and nuanced cover letter or email still requires human finesse. Adding a warm tone, providing some sense of your personality--that is still not being delivered by an algorithm. Sure, AI can write a competent cover letter, but if you don’t add your own personal stamp it will look like everyone else’s. And what you’re trying to do is stand out.
Here’s an example of an AI-generated email intro and a human one. I won’t bury the lede – you can see which one got my client the interview:
AI Version
Dear Hiring Manager at The Farmer's Dog,
I am writing to express my interest in the Growth Manager, Veterinarian Professional Relations position at The Farmer's Dog. With over four years of experience developing strategic partnerships and cultivating relationships at The Whitney Museum of American Art, I am excited about the opportunity to apply my skills to building and strengthening connections within the veterinary community for your innovative pet nutrition company.
My current role as Associate Development Officer has honed my ability to design compelling engagement strategies that consistently exceed revenue goals. By increasing membership revenue by 50% year over year and breaking a decade-long fundraising record by raising over $1M, I've demonstrated my capability to drive growth through relationship building and strategic event planning. These skills would translate effectively to developing meaningful connections with veterinary professionals and practices to expand The Farmer's Dog's reach and impact.
What particularly draws me to The Farmer's Dog is your mission to transform pet nutrition through real, human-grade food. As a lifelong animal lover with a passion for building authentic relationships, I'm enthusiastic about the opportunity to advocate for your brand within the veterinary community. I believe my experience in partnership development—including securing a $250K sponsorship from Clinique and establishing collaborations with galleries and other cultural institutions—has prepared me to effectively communicate The Farmer's Dog's value proposition to veterinary professionals.
My strengths in strategic planning, relationship cultivation, and program management would allow me to:
Develop tailored outreach strategies to engage veterinary practices and build lasting partnerships
Create compelling educational materials and programs to communicate the science behind your products
Analyze engagement metrics to optimize relationship-building efforts and drive growth
Represent The Farmer's Dog with the same passion and professionalism I've brought to advocating for the Metropolitan Museum
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my background in relationship development and strategic growth could contribute to expanding The Farmer's Dog's presence in the veterinary community. Thank you for considering my application.
Cover Letter That Got the Interview
Note: This client correctly identified and directly contacted the hiring manager, who wrote the following note:
Hi Margaret,
Apologies for my delay! I'm so looking forward to chatting with you next week, and this email gives us a great launch pad for the discussion. Thank you for being so thorough, targeted, and sincere in your interest. I love the way you laid this out and was intrigued when I read your resume. The Whitney - how cool!
Chat soon, but please feel free to reach out sooner if you have any burning questions!
Donna
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Re. Growth Manager, Veterinary Professional Relations Role
Dear Donna,
After watching The Farmer’s Dog Superbowl commercial last year, I made every (dog) person in my life purchase the dog food! It was even a birthday present to my partner’s dad for his dog Oliver, who turned 10 this year! Since then, I have been on the lookout to see if there was ever a job opening that I knew I would be a good fit for. Now, with close to five years’ experience strategizing, planning, marketing, and implementing high-level events for the Whitney, I’m excited at the prospect of joining The Farmer’s Dog (not just for discounted dog food.) Not only am I an animal lover, but at work I’m known for my proactive planning, confident and easy relationship-building, and ability to cut through roadblocks and get things done. Working at The Whitney has given me the experience of a fast-paced, quick thinking, ready to go environment.
This role in particular caught my eye. Here’s why I believe I’m a good fit:
You are a proactive and creative self-starter and you thrive on creating robust programs through creative testing and optimizations.
· I’m not afraid to challenge the status quo. When the 2022 benefit sold out in three days with a waitlist of 100+, I realized we had an opportunity. So in 2023, I single handedly increased ticket prices by more than $100, knowing that while we would not only sell out, we would still raise more money for the museum. I activated additional spaces within the museum to allow for additional guests to attend by negotiating with catering and our audio-visual teams to ensure we did not go over budget. The 2023 Benefit raised over $500K, a 45% increase from the black tie gala I orchestrated in 2022.
Develop hypotheses and design experiments that drive measurable impact. Dive into analytics to inform decisions and find new opportunities for scale.
· I am a hard worker who goes the extra mile for anything she believes in. After being promoted to managing The Young Collectors’ Committee in 2022, I was left with the challenging task of rebuilding a membership group that had lost more than half of its members during the pandemic. Under my leadership we created new and exciting events that reached a diverse and well-rounded audience. Not only did the group regain its momentum but in fiscal year 2023 I broke the record by raising over $1M in membership revenue. But it’s not all execution. I deliver the strategy piece as well. In the beginning of each fiscal year, I gather all the details and review budgets, so I know what our target revenue is and what we need to promote and market.
You are an owner, feel a sense of full responsibility, and enjoy end-to-end project management. Coordinate in-person events and develop hypotheses and design experiments that drive measurable impact.
· As the group grew, our event attendance followed. What used to be 100 guests quickly increased to 150 and now, today at our events, I see roughly 350 attendees. With this increase, I had to think about new ways to attract our target audience while maintaining our high-end experience and standards. I created a template event for the program to use once or twice a year – an open house where members gain access to a department within the museum with the chance to hear from multiple experts, all while enjoying the company of other members. This allowed for more guests to gain access to content and for me to get creative and develop new experiences for each event.
You are a proactive and creative self-starter and are energized by relationship building, social interactions, and cultivating opportunities for connection.
· I’m incredibly detail-oriented in everything I do, down to the linens. From the moment we plan the date of an event I create spreadsheets and timetables, organize every stakeholder within specific tasks, and gather momentum and buy-in to ensure everything goes perfectly. At the museum we are all about groundbreaking execution, and over time I’ve worked with colleagues and vendors to perfect both the setting and the content of each event. I love the interaction and opportunities that arise from each event and look forward to meeting and creating new relationships with both vendors and clients.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I hope to hear from you soon.
Warmly,
Margaret
Hopefully you’ll see how the difference between these two cover letters can make all the difference in getting through…or not.
By all means, use AI for a first draft, just to get started. But don’t let AI dictate how you communicate, no matter how tempting. Standing out and sounding like an articulate, impassioned, competent version of you is what we’re going for.
If I can be helpful, I hope you’ll reach out!