{"id":"wri-job-cover-letter-check","audience":"job-seekers","category":"writing-feedback","technique":"verification","title":"Check a cover letter against the job posting before sending","free":false,"task":"Before you send your cover letter, get it checked against the posting. Ask for exactly 4 numbered lines labeled Keep, Cut, Add and Fix, in that order, each under 20 words. The Add line must name a posting requirement the letter misses but your notes show you have, and the Fix line must catch any factual error. Plain text, no rewritten letter. Write a prompt that gets that check.","materialLabel":"Job posting, your draft letter and notes (attached to your prompt automatically)","material":"JOB POSTING: Community Outreach Coordinator, Brightwater Health Partners\nRequirements: 2+ years community outreach; event planning; bilingual English/Spanish required; valid driver's license.\n\nMY DRAFT COVER LETTER\nDear Hiring Team,\nI'm excited to apply for the Community Outreach Coordinator role at Brightwell Health Partners. For three years at Eastside Family Center, I planned 20+ community health fairs, including one that drew 600 residents. I love meeting people where they are, and I'm comfortable driving across the county for events. In my free time I run a book club and enjoy hiking with my dog, Biscuit. I believe I would be a great fit for your team.\nSincerely,\nCarmen Diaz\n\nMY NOTES\n- I'm fluent in Spanish (grew up speaking it at home; did all our Spanish-language outreach calls at Eastside).\n- Driver's license: yes, clean record.\n- The 600-resident fair was in 2024.","rules":[{"type":"numberedItems","count":4},{"type":"plainText"}],"mistakes":[{"title":"Asking \"is this good?\"","why":"The AI gives general praise and a long list of tips.","fix":"Show it: \"Exactly 4 numbered lines: 1. Keep: ... 2. Cut: ... 3. Add: ... 4. Fix: ...\"","checks":["numberedItems","r0"]},{"title":"Not comparing to the posting","why":"The AI judges the letter on style and misses the required Spanish and the misspelled company.","fix":"Add: \"Check it against the posting's requirements and the company name.\"","checks":["r1"]},{"title":"Getting a whole new letter","why":"AI loves to hand back a polished rewrite you then can't recognize as yours.","fix":"Add: \"Only the 4 lines. No rewritten letter. Plain text.\"","checks":["r2","plainText"]}],"promptHints":[{"label":"Gives the labels","patterns":["keep","cut","add","fix"]},{"label":"Checks against the posting","patterns":["posting","requirement","job description"]},{"label":"Checks the facts","patterns":["company name","error","typo","fact"]},{"label":"Bans a rewrite","patterns":["don'?t rewrite","no rewrit","not (a )?rewrite","only the"]},{"label":"Asks for plain text","patterns":["plain","no bold","no markdown","no formatting","no headings"]}],"hint":"The most costly mistakes in a cover letter are the missing requirement and the wrong name. Give the AI the 4 labels and tell it to check against the posting.","rubricLabels":["The 4 numbered lines are labeled Keep, Cut, Add and Fix, in that order","The Add line names bilingual English/Spanish (her Spanish fluency) as the missing requirement, and the Fix line catches the wrong company name ('Brightwell' should be 'Brightwater')","The reply is only the 4 lines: no intro, no closing, and no rewritten cover letter"]}