You might get the sense that more and more job seekers are using AI — and they are. But using AI the wrong way can actually destroy your chances of getting a job.

As a former hiring manager at Khan Academy, I've experienced it firsthand. Because we were early partners with OpenAI on the launch of GPT-4, I'd seen AI-generated text that felt miraculous at first glance.

But when I started noticing the same patterns popping up in cover letters and resumes over and over (and over!) again after the launch of ChatGPT, it was a turnoff. All the candidates started blurring together.

Here's how you can avoid sounding like every other job applicant — and what to do instead.

Don't get lost in a pile of forgettable applications

There's really only one thing that hiring managers and recruiters care about: How do I take this huge pile of candidates and reduce it to one perfect hire?

Generative AI tools are trained using existing texts to spit out the most likely combinations of words.

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So what do you think happens when applicants type in a prompt like: "Write a cover letter for [X job] at [Y company]?" They get essentially the same thing:

Again:

And again:

And again:

Now imagine how this feels for a recruiter or hiring manager who's reading hundreds or thousands of cover letters back to back.

Even at a purely subconscious level, they might be thinking: "If they used AI in such a cliché way, chances are they're lazy and behind the curve. Next!!"

AI — which seemed so promising at first glance — has just cost you any chance of standing out and landing this job.

Your No. 1 goal is to stand out

The key is to use AI as a coach and differentiator, not a copywriter and replicator. As you sit down to write your next cover letter:

1. Start with end goal — standing out — in mind

To avoid the copy-and-paste trap, use a prompt like: "Review the following job description and identify the three things the hiring manager really wants in a differentiated candidate: [paste job description here]."

2. Pinpoint the key elements that can help you make your case

Use a prompt like: "Identify the most powerful experiences from my resume to connect to those three points of differentiation. Here's my resume: [paste your resume here]."

3. Once you draft a unique and differentiated cover letter, come back for a final pass

Use a prompt like: "Review my cover letter for that role and suggest three ways to increase my differentiation in the eyes of the hiring manager: [paste your cover letter draft here]."

And voila — you've just used AI at a world-class level! Which not only helps you stand out in the brutally competitive hiring process, but also shows your future boss that you've got the skills of tomorrow ready to go today.

Jeremy Schifeling is the founder of The Job Insiders, which provides career technology training for hundreds of top universities and business schools. He is also the author of "Career Coach GPT: The Complete Guide to ChatGPT Resume, Cover Letter, Interview, and Job Search Success″ and shares his latest career and AI hacks on LinkedIn.

Want to up your AI skills and be more productive? Take CNBC's new online course How to Use AI to Be More Successful at Work. Expert instructors will teach you how to get started, practical uses, tips for effective prompt-writing, and mistakes to avoid.