Complete Guide
A step-by-step walkthrough of every feature — from generating your first cover letter to tracking offers. Takes about 5 minutes to read.
Sign up in under 30 seconds with Google or your email address. No credit card required on the free plan.
Head to applyai.ink and click "Get started free." You can sign in with your Google account for instant access, or use your email to receive a magic link — no password needed. Your free account includes 3 cover letter generations per month so you can try everything before upgrading.
Use Google sign-in for the fastest setup — one click and you're in.
Copy the full job posting — requirements, responsibilities, and company info — and paste it into the generator.
Open the Generate page from the dashboard sidebar. In the Job Description field, paste the complete job posting. The more detail you include (required skills, responsibilities, company culture, tech stack), the more precisely ApplyAI can tailor your cover letter. Include the company name and job title in their respective fields for the best output.
Include the full posting — don't trim requirements or "nice to have" sections. AI uses all of it.
Paste your resume as plain text. ApplyAI maps your experience and achievements to the job requirements automatically.
In the Resume field, paste your resume as plain text. Include all sections: work experience with dates, education, skills, certifications, and any notable achievements with numbers. ApplyAI identifies your most relevant experience, selects the strongest matching accomplishments, and naturally weaves job description keywords throughout your cover letter.
Use metrics wherever possible ("increased revenue by 32%", "managed team of 8"). Numbers stand out.
Select a writing tone, then click Generate. Your tailored cover letter streams in real time — done in under 60 seconds.
Choose from four tones: Professional (formal, polished), Enthusiastic (energetic, personality-forward), Concise (direct, under 250 words), or Creative (bold, memorable). The AI writes a three-paragraph letter: a company-specific hook, quantified achievements mapped to the role, and a confident call-to-action. The letter appears word-by-word as it's written.
Concise tone works best for senior roles where time is scarce. Enthusiastic tone wins at startups and creative agencies.
Read your generated letter in the built-in editor. Adjust tone, add personal details, or refine specific sentences.
After generation, your cover letter opens in a rich text editor. Read it carefully — check that the company name is right, the role title is accurate, and any achievement numbers are correct. You can edit directly in the editor, then mark the letter as Final when you're happy. All your letters are saved automatically and accessible from My Letters.
Add one personal, specific detail about the company that the AI couldn't know — it signals genuine interest.
Paste your resume + job description to get a fully rewritten, ATS-ready resume with keyword analysis.
Go to Resume Builder in the sidebar. Paste your current resume and the target job description. The AI runs a full ATS analysis: it identifies critical keywords you're missing, rewrites your experience bullets as achievement statements, restructures your resume in ATS-safe formatting, and delivers an ATS Analysis Report, Keyword Match Report, and Recruiter Review Summary alongside the optimized resume.
Copy the "Optimized Professional Summary" section first — it's ready to paste directly onto LinkedIn.
Run your cover letter against the job description to see your keyword match percentage and missing terms.
In the ATS Scorer (accessible from a generated letter), paste the job description and your cover letter. The scorer returns a 0–100 keyword match score, a list of matched keywords, missing keywords ranked by priority, and specific recommendations. Aim for 70%+ on critical keywords before submitting. If the score is low, regenerate with the same inputs or manually add the flagged terms.
Don't aim for 100% — it can make the letter sound forced. 75–85% is the sweet spot.
Paste your LinkedIn profile text and target role. Get a rewritten headline, About section, and experience bullets.
Go to LinkedIn Optimizer in the sidebar. Paste your current LinkedIn About section and recent work experience descriptions, then specify your target role. ApplyAI rewrites your headline using a proven recruiter-magnet formula, rewrites your About section with the right keywords for your target industry, and delivers improved experience bullets with stronger action verbs and metrics.
Update your LinkedIn headline first — it's the #1 factor in recruiter search ranking.
Download your finalized cover letter as a clean, professional PDF or Word document — ready to attach to any application.
From the letter editor or My Letters page, click Export. Choose PDF for most online applications (ATS-safe, consistent formatting) or DOCX if the employer specifically requests a Word document. Basic and Pro plans export without watermarks. Free plan exports include an ApplyAI watermark — upgrade to remove it.
Always submit PDF unless the posting says otherwise. Word files can reformat unpredictably across systems.
Log each application and move it through stages: Applied → Phone Screen → Interview → Final Round → Offer.
Open Job Tracker from the sidebar. Add a new application with the company, role, and job URL. Link it to the cover letter you generated. As your application progresses, drag it through the kanban stages. You can add notes, set follow-up reminders, and see a full history of every application in one place — no more spreadsheets.
Set a follow-up date when you add each application. Following up 5–7 business days after applying increases callback rates significantly.
3 cover letters per month. Each generation resets at the start of your billing cycle. Upgrade to Basic or Pro for unlimited generations.
No. ApplyAI only optimizes and reorganizes information that exists in your resume. It never invents experience, credentials, or numbers. The AI selects and reframes your strongest real achievements.
Yes — ApplyAI is purpose-built for ATS. It uses plain text structure, standard section headings, job description keywords woven in naturally, and avoids tables, columns, or graphics that break ATS parsing.
Yes. ApplyAI adapts to the job description you provide. It works for tech, finance, healthcare, law, marketing, creative, and any other industry. The tone and vocabulary automatically match the role.
The cover letter generator creates a tailored letter for a specific application. The ATS Resume Builder rewrites your entire resume — rewriting bullets as achievement statements, restructuring sections for ATS compliance, and integrating job-specific keywords throughout.
Create your free account and generate your first tailored, ATS-optimized cover letter in under 60 seconds.