Automate Your Job Application Cover Letters with n8n, Apify, and OpenAI

Sending out job applications can feel like a full-time job, right? Tweaking every single cover letter so it matches each posting, copying in your experience, trying to sound human but professional every time… it adds up.

What if you could keep that personal touch, but hand off most of the work to automation? That is exactly what this n8n workflow template does. It combines n8n, Apify’s Indeed Scraper, and OpenAI to automatically generate tailored cover letters for real job listings, based entirely on your own resume.

Let’s walk through what it does, when you’d use it, and how to set it up, step by step.

What This n8n Workflow Actually Does

At a high level, this workflow connects three things you already care about:

• Live job postings from Indeed
• Your resume
• An AI writer that turns both into a custom cover letter

Here is the basic flow:

1. Search for jobs on Indeed using Apify’s Indeed Scraper, based on your chosen keywords and location.
2. Send the job description plus your resume to OpenAI through n8n.
3. Get back a ready-to-use cover letter written as:
   • a short, focused paragraph, then
   • a set of bullet points

   all grounded strictly in the information from your resume.

The result: every job gets a customized cover letter that speaks to that specific posting, without you staring at a blank page over and over again.

When This Template Is Perfect For You

You will get the most value from this workflow if:

• You are actively applying to multiple roles and want to move faster.
• You already have a solid resume but hate rewriting the same cover letter.
• You want each application to feel tailored, not generic or copy-pasted.
• You are comfortable using n8n and APIs, or you are happy to follow a clear setup guide.

In short, if you are thinking, “I know I should customize my cover letters, but I just do not have the time,” this automation is made for you.

Why Automate Cover Letters With n8n, Apify, and OpenAI?

Let’s talk benefits before we dive into the tech details.

• Save serious time by letting the workflow handle the repetitive writing part for every new job listing.
• Stay personalized since each cover letter is generated for a specific job description using your actual resume.
• Highlight what matters because OpenAI focuses the letter on skills and experience that match each role.
• Keep it flexible with n8n, you can extend this workflow later, for example, to log applications in a spreadsheet or send them by email.

Instead of spending hours writing, you spend minutes reviewing and tweaking, if you want to, before sending.

How the Workflow Fits Together

Under the hood, the template is built from a few key n8n nodes that work together to pull jobs, write letters, and prepare the output.

• Manual Trigger
  You start the workflow whenever you are ready by clicking Execute workflow in n8n. This keeps you in control of when new cover letters are generated.
• Set Search Term
  This node lets you define:
  • your job search keyword, for example "n8n", "backend developer", or whatever role you are targeting
  • your resume content, usually pasted in as plain text

  Both of these values are passed along to the rest of the workflow.

• Search Indeed (HTTP Request)
  Using Apify’s Indeed Scraper API, this node:
  • submits your search term and location to Apify
  • retrieves current job listings that match your criteria

  The result is a set of job descriptions that the workflow can feed into OpenAI.

• Cover Letter Writer (OpenAI)
  This is where the AI magic happens. For each job description:
  • the job details and your resume text are sent to OpenAI
  • OpenAI analyzes the match between the role and your background
  • it generates a concise cover letter: one paragraph followed by bullet points

  The prompt is designed so the AI sticks to the information in your resume instead of inventing new details.

• Structured Output Parser
  OpenAI returns its answer as JSON. This node parses that JSON into a clean structure so you can easily:
  • view the cover letter in n8n
  • pass it to other nodes, for example to email, store, or log it

Once this is in place, you have an end-to-end system: search jobs, generate letters, and get structured outputs you can use however you like.

Before You Start: What You Need

To get this workflow running, you will need accounts and API access for:

• OpenAI to generate the cover letter content.
• Apify with the Indeed Scraper installed to fetch job listings.
• n8n where you will import and configure the workflow template.

Once those are ready, you can connect everything inside n8n with a few credentials.

Step 1 – Connect OpenAI to n8n

First, you will set up your OpenAI credentials so n8n can call the API.

• Go to the OpenAI Platform and sign in to your account.
• Visit the OpenAI Billing page and make sure you have funds added so API calls can run.
• Create or copy your OpenAI API key.
• In n8n, open your credentials page and add a new OpenAI credential, then paste in your API key.

Once that is done, the OpenAI node in the workflow will be able to generate your cover letters.

Step 2 – Connect Apify and the Indeed Scraper

Next, you will wire up Apify so the workflow can search Indeed for live job listings.

• Log in or sign up at the Apify Console.
• Go to your Apify API Keys section and generate an API token.
• Install the Indeed Scraper in your Apify account so it is available for use.
• In n8n, create a new credential of type HTTP Query Auth:
  • set the key to token
  • set the value to your Apify API key
• Attach this HTTP Query Auth credential to the HTTP Request nodes that call the Indeed Scraper API.

With that in place, n8n can securely talk to Apify and pull in job data whenever you run the workflow.

Putting It All Together in n8n

Once your OpenAI and Apify credentials are configured, using the template is straightforward:

1. Open the workflow template in n8n.
2. Update the Set Search Term node with:
   • your preferred job keyword or title
   • your resume text
3. Confirm that:
   • the HTTP Request node uses your Apify HTTP Query Auth credential
   • the OpenAI node uses your OpenAI credential
4. Click Execute workflow to run it manually.

The workflow will search Indeed, send each job description plus your resume to OpenAI, then parse the results so you end up with structured, targeted cover letters you can copy into your applications or route elsewhere.

How This Makes Your Life Easier

Instead of writing from scratch for each role, your new routine can look like this:

1. Adjust the search term or location if you are targeting a new type of role.
2. Run the workflow.
3. Review the generated cover letters, tweak any details if you like, and submit.

You stay in control of the final message, but automation does the heavy lifting: pulling jobs, matching your skills, and drafting the first version for you.

Ready To Try It?

If you want to speed up your job search and still send thoughtful, relevant cover letters, this n8n workflow is a great starting point. Connect your APIs once, set your preferences, and let the system handle the repetitive part of the process.

Want help installing or customizing the workflow for your specific situation? You do not have to figure it all out alone.

Contact

• Email: robert@ynteractive.com
• Profile: LinkedIn – Robert Breen
• Website: ynteractive.com

Start automating your cover letters today so you can apply smarter and faster, without sacrificing quality.