Hot Take: AI-written cover letters are killing your Upwork chances (from someone who regularly hires)

Look, I've been on both sides of this - hiring and getting hired on Upwork. And I gotta tell you, these AI-generated cover letters are becoming a huge pet peeve when I'm reviewing applications.

Here's the thing: I can spot an AI-written cover letter from a mile away. That perfectly polished, soulless writing style? Yeah, it's like getting a form letter from a robot trying really hard to sound human. And when I see one on Upwork, I usually move it straight to the "probably not" pile.

Why? Because:

1. It screams "I couldn't be bothered to write my own thoughts"

2. In my experience, these applications are way more likely to be from people who aren't actually qualified or serious about the job

3. It's just... impersonal. Like, I want to hire a human, not ChatGPT

Now, I'm not anti-AI. Using AI to polish your grammar or structure? Totally fine. Having it help you organize your thoughts? Go for it. But letting it write the whole thing? That's where I draw the line.

The best cover letters I've seen are slightly imperfect but genuine. They show personality, directly address the job requirements, and actually sound like they were written by someone who read the job posting.

What's your take on this? Are you using AI for your Upwork proposals? And if you're hiring, can you actually tell the difference?

Ugh, THIS. 👆

Listen, it's gotten so bad that almost all my Upwork job postings now get flooded with these AI-written proposals that all sound exactly the same. And the worst part? Some folks don't even bother to check what the AI spits out - I had someone apply recently where their cover letter was responding to requirements I didn't even list!

Here's my automatic reject list:

• Proposals that start with that overly formal "I am writing to express my keen interest..." (Just talk like a normal person!)

• Those that somehow manage to be both extremely detailed and completely vague at the same time

• Cover letters that read like they were written by a corporate robot trying to sound human

And don't even get me started on Upwork's AI evaluation tool - it actually FAVORS these AI-written proposals! I turned that garbage off real quick.

Look, I get it. You're trying to be efficient, save time, whatever. But here's the thing - I'm not looking for perfection. I'm looking for someone who actually read my job post and took 5 minutes to write their own thoughts about it. Even if it's not perfectly polished.

Pro tip: If you're going to use AI (which honestly, fine for grammar and structure), at least read what it wrote and make it sound like YOU. Because right now, I'm getting the same cover letter 20 times with slightly different words, and it's driving me nuts.

NOTE: And no, starting your cover letter with "BANANA" because ChatGPT told you to doesn't make it better. Yes, this actually happened. 🤦‍♂️