By Haseeb Kamran, Founder of VeloApply, 8+ years in recruiting · Updated July 2026
What OpenAI is known for
OpenAI is the company behind ChatGPT, GPT-4, and DALL-E, and one of the most influential AI companies in the world. Headquartered in San Francisco, OpenAI's mission is to ensure artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. The company operates at the frontier of AI research and has rapidly scaled from a research lab to a major technology company.
What OpenAI looks for in candidates
OpenAI looks for exceptional talent in research, engineering, safety, and operations. They value deep technical ability, intellectual honesty, and alignment with the mission of safe AGI development. The pace is intense, the problems are novel, and the bar is extremely high. Candidates who can articulate why AI safety matters and how their work contributes to it have an advantage.
Tips for your OpenAI cover letter
Show that you have engaged deeply with AI, whether through research, engineering, or thoughtful analysis of AI's impact. Reference specific OpenAI work (a model, a research paper, a safety technique) and explain why it matters. For engineering roles, demonstrate systems-level thinking and experience with large-scale infrastructure. For research roles, highlight published work or technical contributions. OpenAI moves extremely fast, so emphasize your ability to deliver under pressure and ambiguity.
Write your OpenAI cover letter faster with VeloApply
VeloApply reads the OpenAI job description, generates a cover letter matched to the role, and lets you review before submitting. Start with a tailored draft instead of a blank page.
Generate your OpenAI cover letter free →
More cover letter guides
Browse all company cover letters →
How to write a cover letter →