How to write a cover letter with AI, step by step
The generator writes the first draft; you make it sound like you. This is the workflow that turns an AI draft into a letter a hiring manager actually reads to the end.
- Upload your resume once. The letter is written from your profile (the resume you upload at signup), so the experience it cites is yours. If your resume is thin, the letter will be thin: fix the resume first with the AI resume builder.
- Paste the whole job posting. Company name, the role, the responsibilities and the requirements. The generator uses them to name the company and role, pick the two or three requirements your experience matches best, and address the letter to the job's location.
- Generate the draft. It uses 1 credit (the free plan includes 1 a month) and comes back in the language of the posting.
- Add one detail only you know. A product you use, a talk you saw, a team member's article, why this company and not its competitor. This is the line that separates your letter from every other AI-assisted one. Type it in directly, or ask Rewrite AI to "open with why I use their product".
- Tighten with the match score. Aim for 80+ on the 5-part score (length, tone, job keywords, personalization, opener). Use the free "shorter" preset if you are over 400 words.
- Export to match how you apply. Download a PDF for an upload field, or copy-paste into a portal's text box. For the same job, generate the tailored resume too, so the letter and resume tell the same story.
A cover letter structure that works in the US and Canada
North American hiring managers expect a short business letter, not an essay. Use this four-part template whether you write it yourself or edit the AI draft:
Header: your name, city and province or state, phone, email, LinkedIn URL. Then the date and the company's name and location. No photo, no date of birth.
Greeting: "Dear [Hiring Manager's name]," if the posting or LinkedIn gives it; otherwise "Dear [Company] hiring team,". Avoid "To whom it may concern".
Paragraph 1, the hook (2-3 sentences): the role you are applying for, and one specific reason you fit or want this company. Weak: "I am writing to apply for the position of Marketing Coordinator." Stronger: "Your spring campaign for the Calgary store openings is the kind of local, data-led marketing I have run for three years at a regional retailer."
Paragraph 2, the proof (3-4 sentences): the one or two achievements that match the posting's top requirements, with real numbers. Use the posting's words for the skills.
Paragraph 3, the fit (2-3 sentences): what you would bring to this team in particular, and how your experience lines up with the second requirement in the posting.
Close (1-2 sentences): a simple next step ("I would welcome a call to discuss how I could help with [goal]"), then "Sincerely," and your name.
Length: 250 to 400 words fits on one page and is what the match score treats as the sweet spot. For Canadian applications, the conventions are the same as in the US. If you apply to a French-language posting in Quebec, paste the French posting: the generator writes in the language of the job description, so the letter comes back in French. For more examples, see our cover letter tips, cover letters with no experience and cover letter vs resume.
Should you use AI for your cover letter?
Yes, for the draft; no, for the final version without edits. AI is good at the parts that take the longest: structuring the letter, mapping your experience to the posting's requirements and keeping the tone professional. It is weak at the parts that make a letter memorable: genuine reasons for wanting this specific job, a detail from your own experience that is not on your resume, and your voice.
A good rule: if you could send the same letter to a competitor by swapping the company name, it is not finished. Add the specific detail, read it out loud, and cut anything you would never say in an interview. Hiring managers rarely object to a candidate using tools; they object to letters that say nothing.
