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Braeden Coon
August 28, 2026
Career Guide ArticleArtificial intelligence can be a powerful tool when preparing resumes, cover letters, scholarship essays, and internship applications. It can help you organize your thoughts, strengthen your wording, and catch mistakes you may have missed. But here is the real question: when an employer reads your materials, can they still hear you?
Your application should reflect your experiences, your goals, and your voice. AI should help sharpen your story, not replace it.
A strong application is personal. It connects your skills and experiences to the opportunity in front of you. That means your materials should include specific details only you can provide, like the leadership role that challenged you, the job that taught you responsibility, the class project that sparked your interest, or the moment you realized where you want to make an impact.
AI can help you get started when you are staring at a blank page. Try using it to brainstorm bullet points, organize your experience, or suggest stronger action verbs. For example, instead of writing “helped with club events,” AI may help you reframe it as “coordinated event logistics for a student organization serving 75 members.” The stronger version is more specific, but it should still reflect what you actually did.
The best way to use AI is to start with your own content. Start by writing rough notes about your experiences, accomplishments, and goals. Then ask AI to help improve clarity, flow, or structure. You might prompt it with: “Make this cover letter more concise while keeping my voice professional and authentic,” or “Help me turn these responsibilities into resume bullets without exaggerating my experience.”
What you should avoid is copying and pasting a fully AI-generated response without editing it. Employers and scholarship reviewers can often spot writing that feels too generic, too polished, or disconnected from the rest of your application. Phrases like “I am deeply passionate about making a meaningful impact” sound fine, but they don't say much unless they are backed up by real examples.
Before submitting anything, read it out loud. Does it sound like something you would actually say? Can you confidently discuss each experience listed? Did you check that the details are accurate? Your resume and essays should prepare you for an interview, not create a version of yourself you cannot explain.
AI is not the problem; using it without thought, honesty, or ownership is.
The goal is not to prove that you never used AI. The goal is to submit materials that are clear, professional, and genuinely reflective of who you are. Let AI be your editor, not your author. Your experience, growth, and potential are what set your application apart.
AgCareers.com will help you organize your job search; create your free candidate account, upload your resume(s), track your applications, and even use the built-in AI tool to help with your cover letter.
