I asked ChatGPT to write my cover letters. Multiple hiring managers say they would have given me an interview but the letters lacked personality.

• An updated version of the AI chatbot, ChatGPT, was recently released to the public.
• I got the chatbot to write cover letters for real jobs and asked hiring managers what they thought.

A new version of an AI chatbot from OpenAI, ChatGPT, has had the internet in a frenzy over the last few weeks.

Praised by users for its impressive range of knowledge and easy-to-use format, people have been using the chatbot to write code, news articles, and even college essays.

I decided to test out its usefulness for one of the more boring tasks in life — applying for jobs. Cover letters, although widely hated, are still one of the more time-consuming requirements for most applications.

I gave ChatGPT some real job descriptions and a few brief sentences about my made-up experience. I then sent the cover letters to hiring managers to see what they thought.

Both the recruiters who looked at the two AI-generated cover letters, one for a social-media assistant and the other for a purchase ledger clerk, said they seemed like they were written by genuine candidates.

"We would likely think this was written by a genuine candidate and follow up with a screening call," Chris Willsher, a recruitment expert at UK-based recruiting company Reed, said.

"The structure of the letter is good," he added. "But it lacks some detail around the company they're applying for."

Stephanie Petry, director of talent attraction at software platform Jobber, agreed that ChatGPT's application for the ledger clerk position was pretty good.

"I would likely send the Ledger Clerk candidate through to the next round so I could get a better feel for their personality during the interview process," she said.

Petry wasn't so keen on ChatGPT's cover letter for the social-media assistant role.

"Their writing style is not what I would expect from someone in that role," she said. "Their tone is too formal and dry, and I'd expect them to show more creativity and character."

The letters lacked personality

Both Willsher and Petry said the letters lacked personality and research about the prospective companies.

"It lacks the personal touch, where we learn about a candidate's human experiences, anecdotal evidence to back up their skills and passion for the role," Willsher said.

Petry added that the cover letters sounded too stiff and formal. She said they seemed like they were written by a junior candidate.

She added: "They lack character and seem almost too formal and professional that I'd want to get to know the person a bit better."

Willsher said candidates would be better off using AI to generate a template to draft a job application.

He said: "While AI can be a real bonus for candidates, we'd recommend that they use AI to generate a template which they can check and build on to paint the best picture of themselves."