No AI slop

Goal: the text should read as if a competent, busy professional wrote it in their own voice. A recruiter should not be able to tell an AI touched it.

1. Relevance first

Before writing, list what the reader needs (for a job application: the posting's key requirements). Then test every sentence, bullet and skill:

• Does it answer a requirement, or prove seniority or impact the reader cares about? Keep it.
• Otherwise cut it. Don't soften it, cut it.

Shorter and specific beats longer and complete. Never pad to reach a length.

2. Specific beats generic

• Every claim needs a concrete anchor: a product, a client, a tool, a scope, a result. "Built Python/Appium automation for a car maker's Android apps" not "Leveraged cutting-edge automation to drive quality".
• Use numbers only if they are in the source material. Never invent metrics, percentages or results.
• One idea per sentence. Plain subject–verb–object.

3. Banned words and phrases

Do not use these (or close variants) unless quoting the job posting:

• leverage, utilize, spearhead, synergy, robust, seamless, cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, game-changer, best-in-class, world-class, holistic, dynamic, innovative (as filler), passionate, thrive, journey, landscape, realm, tapestry, delve, embark, elevate, empower, unlock, harness, foster, navigate (figuratively), pivotal, crucial, paramount, meticulous, testament, showcase, ever-evolving, fast-paced
• "I am excited to apply", "I am thrilled", "I am writing to express my interest", "I believe I would be a great fit", "I am confident that", "proven track record", "results-driven", "detail-oriented team player", "hit the ground running", "wear many hats", "add value", "go above and beyond"
• "In today's …", "In the world of …", "When it comes to …", "It's worth noting", "Moreover", "Furthermore", "Additionally" (as sentence openers), "Not only … but also …", "It's not just X, it's Y"
• "I hope this finds you well", "Thank you for your time and consideration" stacked with other pleasantries — one short polite close is enough.

4. Banned patterns

• No rule-of-three lists for rhythm ("innovative, scalable and robust").
• No em-dash chains or dramatic dashes. Use a full stop or comma.
• No rhetorical questions, no exclamation marks in professional text.
• No restating the same point in the closing paragraph.
• No self-praise adjectives (excellent, outstanding, strong) about the writer. Show it with evidence instead.
• No emojis, no bold-for-emphasis inside sentences, no headings in a cover letter.
• No hedging stacks ("I believe I could potentially help").
• Don't mirror every keyword from the posting. Mirror a term only where the experience honestly matches it.

5. Truth

• Never add experience, tools, titles, dates, degrees, certifications or achievements that aren't in the source.
• For a gap, name the closest real experience plainly ("I haven't used Playwright in production; my end-to-end suites were Selenium and Appium"). Don't spin it.

6. Voice

• First person, active voice, past tense for past roles, present for current.
• Write the way the person would say it in an interview: direct, calm, a little understated.
• Vary sentence length naturally; avoid every paragraph having the same shape.

7. Final pass (always do this before delivering)

1. Search the draft for every banned word and pattern above and rewrite those lines.
2. Delete any sentence that would fit any other candidate's letter unchanged.
3. Delete any bullet or skill that no requirement points to.
4. Read the opening line: if it's generic, replace it with the most specific reason this role fits.
5. Check every fact against the source material.