The Engineering sector is comprised of different fields like civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering. Within these fields, there are plenty of engineering positions out there, from entry-level roles to senior management positions. While there are many roles out there, competition is fierce. To impress the hiring manager, you need to showcase your skills and experience in a well-crafted cover letter alongside your professional resume to show that you can perform the role’s responsibilities. Most engineering positions need project management skills, leadership skills, technical skills, and communication skills. Therefore, your engineering cover letter needs to show your competencies in these areas. It’s a great idea to use the cover letter templates and resume templates at ResumeNerd to help you land that engineering job.
This guide will show you:
Here are five tips to keep in mind while writing your cover letter.
The recruiter needs to see your contact information so they can reach you if necessary. This should be prominently visible in the header of your cover letter.
Here are the contact details you should include:
You should always customize your cover letter to the advertised role. During your job search, look at the specific job description for keywords - this will allow you to address these in the cover letter to show that you are a perfect fit for the role by including relevant skills. You’re more likely to impress your potential employer and land a job interview by demonstrating that you've put time into your cover letter.
You should immediately frame yourself as a viable candidate with a strong opening that focuses on your work experience or skillset. Only one or two sentences long, the intro should hook the reader and get them to continue with interest to find out more about you.
The main body paragraph should expand on your intro and explain why you’re the ideal candidate. You should mention a mix of hard and soft skills and develop the experience referenced in your engineering resume. If you have many skills you wish to highlight, consider doing this in bullet points to keep it concise. In this paragraph, it is also good to show that you have researched the company - mention their goals or ambitions and make a connection between those and your own objectives.
Your final paragraph should be as professional and polite as your opening salutation. Thank the recruiter for their time, but encourage them to take the next step by saying you look forward to discussing the role further, either in a phone call or interview.
Yes, any professional job application should include a cover letter and a resume. Many HR departments won’t accept partial applications. For an engineering role, it’s essential to include a cover letter to showcase your technical expertise and work experience. Use the cover letter tips in our cover letter builder to guide you.
A cover letter should fit onto one page, ideally covering around ¾ of the page. If you follow our cover letter format of 3 main paragraphs, this should roughly cover the right amount of space. This length is perfect for providing sufficient detail without overloading the hiring manager with unnecessary information.
Yes, if you don’t have as much experience to refer to, you can substitute this for reference to specific skills or educational qualifications. The cover letter is about highlighting your strengths as a candidate, so if you don’t have much experience, you’ll need to show how your prerequisite skills make you perfect for the role.
