AI stops here: The risks of using AI to show culture fit during your job search

You’ve applied for hundreds of jobs, and you’re completely burnt out. For your next application, you ask ChatGPT to write you a cover letter that shows the employer, a fast-growing tech startup known for its hustle culture, why you’re the perfect fit.

ChatGPT produces a well-written letter, stressing your ability to “move fast,” “manage tight deadlines,” and “excel under pressure,” all qualities the company has emphasized in the job posting. You get an interview, make a good impression, and accept the offer when it comes. After months of searching, you’re employed again—finally.

But a few weeks later, you’re trapped in an endless cycle of 12-hour days. Your manager sends Slack messages well into the evening, and work emails come through all weekend long. Soon, you dread going to work and find yourself ready to quit before your 30-day review. You may have presented yourself as the perfect fit for the company, but in reality, the company was not the perfect fit for you.

ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools can be helpful for decoding the mystery of “culture fit” during a job search. This technology can easily rewrite your cover letter to reflect a company’s values or suggest interview answers that show you agree with an organization's beliefs.

But what this technology offers in convenience, it lacks in emotional intelligence and self-awareness. If you completely rely on AI tools to prove culture fit during your job search, you risk ending up in a job that’s wrong for you.

How you can use AI tools to show culture fit

Cultural fit can be a gray area for many job seekers. You might have heard of the term, but what exactly does it mean? And how deeply does it factor into hiring decisions?

Essentially, culture fit refers to how compatible you are with a company’s mission, values, and work style. Employers want to hire people who will fit into their existing culture and embrace an organization’s ideals.

In many cases, showing you’re a good fit for a team or company can improve your chances of getting an offer. A Robert Walters study found that most employers (90 percent) say it’s very important to hire candidates with the right cultural fit.

But showing culture fit on your resume or during an interview can be easier said than done. That’s where AI tools, such as ChatGPT or Claude, can make a difference. As you apply for jobs, you can use AI technology to research a company, tailor your application documents, and prepare for interviews to communicate your culture fit.

Research a company’s mission and values

Hiring managers notice when you’ve done your homework to learn about an organization’s mission. “Before your interview, take the time to thoroughly review the company's culture and core values listed on their website or other public profiles,” Jennifer Rhodes, a talent acquisition professional, shared on LinkedIn. Rhodes added that this research “demonstrates your genuine interest” in working for the company.

AI tools can quickly summarize a company’s culture, which can save you time on research, especially if you’re applying to multiple companies. Ask ChatGPT to analyze a company’s website, careers page, press releases, or social media posts to offer helpful information about its work culture.

ChatGPT prompts for company research

These ChatGPT prompts can help you research a company for culture fit:

• Summarize the mission and values of this company by analyzing its About page. [Insert link to the page]

• Based on [company name]’s mission and values, what kind of employee would do well at this company?

• What skills or strengths do you recommend highlighting when applying for a [job title] position at [company name]?

Personalize your resume and cover letter

With a better understanding of the company culture, you can use AI technology to personalize your resume and cover letter. For example, if a company values innovation, ask ChatGPT to draft resume bullet points that showcase your ability to think outside the box. AI tools can also adjust your cover letter to match the company’s professional tone or brand.

ChatGPT prompts for resumes and cover letters

Try these prompts when you want to revise your resume or cover letter to match a company’s culture:

• Rewrite this bullet point to highlight [company value, such as integrity or transparency].

• Adjust this paragraph of my cover letter for [job title] at [company name] to reflect the company’s mission: [paste mission statement].

• Draft a paragraph to explain how my past experience embodies the company’s values of [company value] and [company value].

Prepare interview responses to culture fit questions

Interviewers often ask questions about your work style, motivations, and preferences. You can use AI tools to brainstorm potential questions about culture fit, like how you deal with conflict or what type of work environment you prefer. ChatGPT can also help you prepare responses to those questions to show your alignment with the company culture.

ChatGPT prompts for culture fit interview questions

• Brainstorm 10 questions that [company name] might ask about culture fit at an interview for a [job title] role.

• I’m interviewing for a position as [job title] at [company name]. What is a good answer to the question, “What type of environment do you thrive in?” 

• Provide some tips for answering the question, “Why do you want to work at [company name]?” Focus on culture fit, specifically the company’s values of [company value] and [company value].

Drawbacks of using AI tools to show culture fit

As you can see, there are benefits of using AI tools to show cultural fit during your job search. But this technology can also fail to interpret the personal and nuanced qualities of workplace compatibility. If you don’t present yourself truthfully during the hiring process, you may find yourself in a frustrating and unsustainable position once you’re on the job.

Keep these drawbacks in mind when using ChatGPT or other AI tools for culture fit:

Inaccurate representation

Most people want to portray themselves in the best possible light when applying for jobs. You refine your resume until it’s perfect and prepare thoughtful responses to interview questions. Ultimately, however, the persona you convey during the hiring process should still feel like you—even if it’s a slightly more polished version of your everyday self.

When you use AI tools to characterize your values and work style, you risk presenting an inauthentic version of yourself to prospective employers. ChatGPT may write you a cover letter that sounds great, but feels like nothing like you. This inauthenticity can come across to hiring managers, who may question whether you’re actually a good fit for the company or simply pretending to be.

Lack of personalization

There’s a reason many hiring managers can tell when applicants use ChatGPT to write their resumes and cover letters. Bonnie Dilber, a recruiting manager for Zapier, told HuffPost that as many as 25% of applications appear to be written with AI tools.

Specifically, Dilber said many candidates offer the exact same answer to the question, “Why are you interested in this position?” According to Dilber, they’re responding with: “Company’s mission of ‘insert mission statement’ resonates with me and my experience in ‘insert their current job.’”

Your answer to this question and others used to assess cultural fit should come from you, not an AI chatbot. If you don’t take the time to personalize AI-generated content, you’ll sound like every other candidate who also used ChatGPT for their applications.

No emotional intelligence

Cultural fit is rooted in real, human qualities, such as empathy and interpersonal intelligence. AI technology can only help you express these qualities. It can’t teach you how to feel true passion for an organization’s mission or understand why you can’t change your personality to fit a company’s culture.

You deserve to work in an environment that allows you to be yourself. Don’t neglect your emotional intelligence in favor of AI technology, which may try to force you into a mold that doesn’t fit.

Risk of poor on-the-job experience

Showing culture fit with AI tools might help you land a job. But if you don’t truly embody the same values and beliefs as your new employer, you may find yourself deeply unhappy or uncomfortable in the workplace.

According to the same Robert Walters study from above, about 73 percent of professionals have left a job because it’s a bad fit. Even more people (82 percent) have disliked the company culture where they work. Is it worth misrepresenting yourself during the hiring process just to end up in a job you don’t align with or enjoy?

Only you can answer this question, but it’s worth considering if you genuinely want to find a workplace culture of like-minded people who share your values and ambitions.

Why culture fit needs the human touch

You should feel free to use AI tools when applying for jobs. Just don’t let this technology completely control how you present yourself to potential future employers. When it comes to culture fit, the human side of job searching still matters.

Hiring managers don’t want to hire robots. They want to hire people who have unique goals, desires, and values. When you use AI tools simply to parrot a company’s mission statement, your voice gets lost.

Jenny Sabo, vice president of HR & ESG at Insight Global, told Forbes “the value of authenticity” has become even more important in the AI era. “Hiring managers know that AI can remove some of that realness we seek in the workplace,” Sabo said. “That's why the human touch is essential when using AI in the hiring process.”

The human touch requires you to know what type of work environment you prefer and have the confidence to express your values honestly during the hiring process. If you can do this, you’ll find a workplace culture where you not only fit in, but succeed.

How to use AI as a supplement

Follow these tips to use AI strategically and show culture fit without losing yourself:

• Know your own needs. Before you start applying, reflect on the type of environment where you can do your best work. Knowing your own needs can allow you to focus on applying to companies where you can thrive.

• Use AI for ideas, not rewrites. ChatGPT and other AI tools can offer helpful ideas for showing culture fit on your application materials. However, don’t ask these tools to write your entire resume or cover letter.

• Incorporate your own ideas. If you use AI tools for help with content, make sure you add your own ideas before submitting an application. Never copy and paste ChatGPT-generated content and pass it off as your own.

• Practice mock interviews with real people. Ask ChatGPT for a list of culture fit interview questions, but practice your responses with a friend, mentor, or career coach. Real people can judge whether you sound sincere when talking about a company’s mission or a shared value you have with an organization.

Find the right fit with help from real coaches

Cultural fit can be a nuanced and difficult part of the job search. While AI can help you research companies and align your resume to an organization’s culture, it can’t offer insights on whether a workplace will support your personality and goals. A career coach can provide the human-centered feedback you need to find the right fit.

TopResume’s GetHiredNow service pairs you with career experts who can help with all parts of your job search, including culture fit. They’ll show you how to assess whether a company’s right for you and communicate your values during the hiring process. Once you sign up for GetHiredNow, our career experts will work with you until you’re placed in the role—and culture—that’s the best match for you.

For more details, schedule a free consultation to learn more about GetHiredNow and how it can take your job search to the next level.