12 Best Engineering Cover Letter Templates + How To Write

As a job applicant looking for an engineering job, you must ensure that your application documents are complete and detailed. The idea is to ensure that you stand out among other candidates by confidently focusing on your uniqueness. You can achieve this by preparing an engineering cover letter alongside your engineering CV.

An engineering cover letter is an official document prepared by a job candidate to highlight the most relevant skills, exceptional qualifications, and experience in the engineer job position you are applying for.

This letter must be written formally, should be brief, and focus on convincing the hiring manager to consider you for the job position.

Apart from preparing an engineering CV, you need to prepare a cover letter to have a platform that presents not only your experience as an engineer but also your personality, attributes, and qualities as an individual or employee. In addition, a cover letter will enable the recruiter to understand why you are the most qualified candidate for the job. That means you must present yourself as a solution to your prospective employer.

More impressive job candidates might be applying for the same position as you. However, if you wish to stand out as the best and most qualified engineer, you need to know how to write an engineering cover letter and learn more about the practices you need to consider before writing it. In this article, you will know more about an engineering cover letter and the information you must include in the letter.

There are two leading practices that you need to consider before you start writing your engineering cover letter.

The two essential practices are as follows:

Know why you want the job

You need to know why you want that engineering job you are applying for. A hiring manager will be more interested in a job applicant who displays their passion and enthusiasm for the job. This is what you need to achieve in your cover letter. Therefore, before you write that engineering cover letter, create time to think about why you want the job. Identifying your passion and motivation for the job benefits your cover letter.

Research the company

The other critical practice you must consider is conducting proper research about the company you want to work for. A transparent background about the company, its values, work ethics, and other important details relating to your desired job position is essential. A hiring manager will be interested to read a cover letter containing content that aligns with the company and its beliefs.

Also, the hiring manager will view you as thorough and professional. You can conduct research about the company by going through their website and social media accounts and reviewing their upcoming projects

After taking the two practices above into consideration, you can go ahead and start writing your engineering cover letter. You will be able to achieve a formal, complete and convincing cover letter by following the steps given below:

Step 1: Start with an introduction

For the introduction, start by writing the header, which should include your name, title, email, phone number, and the hiring manager. Always include a salutation which should be proper and official, for example, Dear [The hiring manager’s name]. Also, it is valuable to include a quick short story that is specific to the main achievement you want to highlight in your cover letter introduction.

Next, you will need to focus on a feature that will present you as a unique job applicant, help you stand out among other candidates, and increase your chances of getting hired. The idea is to capture the interest and attention of the hiring manager. That means that you should have a strong introduction.

You can achieve this by:

• Expressing your passion and enthusiasm for the job opportunity. You will need to show your interest in not only the job position but also the company and the engineering project it has.
• Ensuring you include a remarkable engineering achievement will briefly highlight some of your skills.
• Quantifying your skills by including numbers and percentages presents you as a valuable individual with something to contribute to the company.

Tip: When writing your salutation, avoid using terms that highlight marital statuses, such as Mrs. but instead use Ms. Also, as it is okay to write Dear (Hiring manager), it is best to find out their name as this will draw their attention to your letter. Finally, for professionalism as an engineer, you can include your LinkedIn profile with your contact details in the header.

Step 2: Write detailed body section

Regarding the body section, ensure that you are detailed and accurate. The information in this section should be backed up with examples, if possible.

Highlighted below is the information you should include in the body of your engineering cover letter:

Mention your training and qualification

Ensure you mention your academic training and qualifications, as your prospective employer will be interested in hiring a qualified engineer. You can mention the apprenticeship you have gone through alongside further training and internships. In case you have advanced academic qualifications that allow you to specialize in your career, this is where you should include such information to gain the hiring manager’s attention.

Highlight your skills

Ensure that you highlight your hard and soft skills in the body section. You need to craft your skills section in a way that allows you to focus on the relevant skills to the particular job position you want. You can apply for different jobs in engineering, including civil, electrical, software, and mechanical engineering.

Your prospective employer will focus on this skill section to identify if you are qualified enough to handle the projects based on the given time and specifications. You will only be viewed as a reliable and ideal candidate for the job if you have the proper skills. As you list your hard and soft skills, ensure that you provide examples that depict how relevant your skills are to being an engineer.

Some of the general hard or technical skills that you can include in your cover letter include:

Some soft skills include the following:

Mention relevant experience

Ensure that you include some of your relevant professional and academic experience as an engineer. Your experience should not overwhelm your cover letter but rather complement the information you have already shared so far. You can achieve that by selecting the experiences that entail tasks similar to those you will have under the job position you are applying for.

If you lack experience and are just starting as an engineer, you can include the experiences and technical knowledge you gathered at university. However, ensure that you include the most impressive examples if you are to increase your chances of getting employed.

Relate the job with your career

Your cover letter should give the employer insight into how your career goals, passion, and motivations inspire your application for the engineering job. The last part of the body section should show your prospective employer how being hired for the job position fits with your career and will benefit the company.   

Tip: Ensure that the motivation statement you include in this section convinces the hiring manager to call you for an interview. You need to be charming and convincing in a way that suggests that the company will not only benefit from you, but you will also benefit from them.

Step 3: Conclude your cover letter

The final section of the engineering cover letter should be as great as the introduction. Ensure that your cover letter ends in a way that the hiring manager will not forget. You can achieve this by making an offer in your conclusion. Ensure that you close with a proper phrase such as Sincerely and, if possible, add a PS where you will include another outstanding achievement you have as an engineer.

Sample of Engineering Cover Letter

Note: Emphasize your attention to detail.

As an engineer, your prospective employer expects you to be a keen individual who pays attention to detail. Ensure that you mention and emphasize that you pay attention to detail, whether it entails developing new systems or analyzing blueprints. The hiring manager will be interested in an individual who can adequately meet specifications and follow directions to achieve quality work. This means that you must be able to pay great attention to detail.

You can download the following free templates for your engineering cover letter:

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• As a candidate looking for an engineering job, the best way to increase your chances of getting hired in this competitive industry is by writing a compelling cover letter.
• ·A cover letter will enable you to pitch yourself and your experience to the hiring manager successfully.
• A well-prepared cover letter must be tailored according to the job position to increase your chances of being selected.
• Also, the best way to write your cover letter is by crafting it the same way you would prepare a sales pitch; it is all about convincing the recipient of the letter to hire you.
• Use the sample as a guide as you write your engineering cover letter.

About This Article

Authored by:

Geoffrey Scott

Executive Resume & Cover Letter Writing, CVs, Essays

Geoffrey Scott, a seasoned professional since 2004, is renowned for his expertise in resume writing, and has been guiding individuals as a Career Counselor since 2006. His unique insight into the hiring process stems from his background in HR Management. With close ties to recruiters and hiring managers, Geoffrey has unparalleled knowledge about what makes a candidate stand out. He specializes in mid-career to C-suite level profiles, ensuring each resume highlights leadership, tools, and results. Additionally, he offers extensive expertise in rewriting academic CVs.