Judd Kessler's research assistant positions at Wharton have been sought after by economics students for the last 15 years. The jobs are especially attractive to students considering a Ph.D. in economics or a related field because they offer a firsthand look at what academic research entails. Each fall, the inaugural Howard Marks endowed Professor draws some 50 applicants for just four or five spots. Lately, though, recruiting has become a nightmare — not because of a lack of talent, but because nearly every applicant now appears exceptional.

"I used to get really good cover letters, and be like, 'oh, I should really talk to this person, and prioritize those people,'" Kessler says. "And now I don't."

Unlike recruiters sorting through standardized applications, Kessler has historically relied on direct emails from students to spot standout candidates. The problem, he says, is that AI has made it too easy to generate polished, hyper-personalized cover letters in seconds — each of them festooned with winsome references to his academic papers and charming explanations of why a student wants to work with him. He's also seen applications rise roughly 20% over the past year.

"All of the best cover letters have come in the last 12 months," Kessler tells me, adding that they all follow a uniformly detailed structure of why they should work for him.

So it's harder to tell whether students are genuinely interested in his work or if they're sending tailored AI-generated messages to dozens of professors, whom he says are seeing the same trend. Increasingly, he relies on other signals: recommendations from faculty, classroom performance, and referrals from colleagues.

Like the résumé, the beleaguered cover letter, long a crucial, if dreaded, part of the hiring process, is dying in the age of AI.

"Cover letters are definitely becoming less important," says Paul Farnsworth, president of the tech recruiting platform Dice. Similarly, Bonnie Dilber, senior manager of talent acquisition at Zapier, says that all cover letters look the same with AI, making them an ineffective tool to parse candidates.

"They're carrying less and less weight because they can be so easily tailored or crafted to match the role and misrepresent someone's experience," Dilber says.

Cover letters started to gain popularity in the 1950s, as the American workforce shifted towards service-sector and knowledge work. By the 1990s, a cover letter cottage industry had emerged, full of books and guides on the art of self-promotion.

But the cover letter's influence has been waning for more than a decade, and in recent years, job seekers and recruiters have grown openly frustrated with the practice. In 2017, a former Apple recruiter told Business Insider that "Cover letters have got to die."

Marie Christine Padberg, a partner and global talent attraction coleader at McKinsey, says that the consulting giant stopped requiring cover letters a few years ago. Padberg said the firm tells applicants that there's "no need," although they are welcome to if they wish.

"They're long gone," Padberg says. "No more cover letter."

Scott McGuckin, Cisco's vice president of global talent acquisition, says that the company hasn't required cover letters for years. Instead, candidates often use the "objective" or "summary" section at the top of their résumé to briefly explain their background and fit for the role.

They're long gone. No more cover letter.Marie Christine Padberg, a partner at McKinsey

"We find this approach significantly more effective for our recruiters and hiring managers to quickly gauge a candidate's fit," McGuckin tells me.

Google ditched cover letters at least five years ago, telling applicants on its "how we hire" page: "A word on cover letters: we don't require them, so focus your time on crafting your résumé." Amazon has taken a similar stance for years, telling applicants in its online FAQ: "Being a peculiar company, we don't accept cover letters. Just ensure your résumé is up to date and you're all set."

Now AI has made Amazon much less peculiar — and much more the norm.

Brian Myerholtz, Boston Consulting Group's global head of talent acquisition, says that BCG stopped requiring cover letters in North America nearly a decade ago, well before generative AI entered the picture. As applications surged, he said, reviewing cover letters became increasingly impractical for recruiters — and AI has only accelerated that shift. Before AI, a cover letter may have been used as the deciding point between two candidates. That's no longer the case, and it's similarly no longer perceived as an indicator of increased interest, Myerholtz says.

"It takes a couple of minutes for ChatGPT to write up your cover letter," Myerholtz says, adding that, "it's probably not a real writing sample or insight into how the person thinks anymore."

As AI undermines both the cover letter and the résumé, job seekers are increasingly confused about how to stand out in the application process. In the AI era, "show your work" has become the new norm as employers look for more direct ways to evaluate candidates. That shift is evident in everything from increased monitoring of how employees use AI tools on the job to hiring.

Employers are seeking deeper evidence of candidates' abilities rather than solely relying on traditional application materials. One engineering vice president at LinkedIn previously told Business Insider that, in the AI era, technical candidates may need to go the extra step of demonstrating side projects to show technical acumen. In January, the company launched partnerships with AI platforms like Descript and Lovable, allowing users to earn verified skills on their LinkedIn, and giving employers "a trusted signal" of candidates' skills.

LinkedIn's head of global talent acquisition, Erin Scruggs, tells Business Insider it's more interested in seeing a candidate's skills than reading about them. She says the company, which doesn't require cover letters internally, finds a LinkedIn profile says "far more" than a cover letter because it showcases a person's experience, skills, and personal brand in one place.

BCG's Myerholtz similarly says the firm is increasingly turning to other assessments, like an online case, behavioral assessment, or personality test, to narrow the pool. Dilber, at Zapier, says employers are increasingly looking at GitHub repositories, speaking engagements, and live skills assessments to gauge expertise. Cisco's McGuckin says he's seeing a similar shift toward more detailed skills sections on résumés, helping recruiters evaluate both technical abilities and "meta" skills.

Amit Kumar, managing partner and global head of consulting at Wipro, says that cover letters were more useful during the "snail mail" era when candidates needed to introduce themselves. Today, CVs indicate relevance faster — and in a fast-moving hiring market, direct interaction has become increasingly important, he says. He says personally getting on the phone with candidates as early as possible is "critical" to assessing talent, and allows employers to evaluate key qualities like learning agility and judgement, which are difficult to evaluate through cover letters alone. Kumar says he no longer waits until the final round to meet candidates.

The cover letter can still serve its original purpose, particularly in industries where strong writing and communication skills remain highly valued. Farnsworth, president of Dice, said some candidates continue to submit cover letters even when they're not required. In those cases, the additional context can help explain employment gaps, career pivots, or other experiences that may not be fully reflected in a résumé.

"It doesn't hurt in some organizations," Farnsworth says, adding that "it's easier to discard it than it is to miss it."

In an era of fierce competition and an oversaturated talent pool, some candidates still cling to the cover letter as an extra signal of effort, even if it's unclear whether it makes a difference — or if it's even read. Charles Broomfield, a 26-year-old engineering analyst, says that in his recent job search, he submitted cover letters for roles he really wanted — including Google, where he wound up. In the end though, neither his résumé nor his cover letter were referenced in interview questions.

Ana Altchek is a reporter on the careers and leadership desk, where she writes about workplace trends and how AI is reshaping the roles of software engineers.