Engineering Cover Letter: Samples, Templates & Writing Guide

As an engineer, you are a natural problem-solver. But what if the problem is landing the job interview for your dream new position (and taking your career to the next level)?

Okay, let’s do the maths for “get a better engineering job”:

you+x+y = better job

Obviously, y is your well-written engineering resume. What’s the value for x, you ask? A great engineering cover letter. And we happen to have just the right components to manufacture it.

This guide will show you:

• An engineering cover letter sample better than 9 out of 10 others.
• Engineering cover letter examples that let you plug in your core strengths.
• The work plan for how to write a cover letter for engineering positions.
• Why the right few achievements prove you’re the biggest shark in the tank.

Want to write your cover letter fast? Use our cover letter builder. Choose from 20+ professional cover letter templates that match your resume. See actionable examples and get expert tips along the way.

Create your cover letter now

Sample cover letter for a resume—See more cover letter templates and create your cover letter here.

Here’s an engineering cover letter template that is hire-compliant:

Engineering Cover Letter Sample

This engineering cover letter definitely meets the highest standard.

Don’t forget to pair your cover letter with a resume that’s just as good. See our guide: Engineering Resume: Writing Guide + Samples

Now, here’s how you write an engineering cover letter, step-by-step:

1. Use a Proper Engineering Cover Letter Template

The assembly of an efficient engineering cover letter starts with knowing which parts you need in order to build it. 

It’s definitely not rocket science, and there are some best practices that work like a charm.

Before we go into things you shouldn’t include, let’s cover the sections that absolutely need to be there:

Sample Cover Letter for Engineering Jobs—Checklist

• Contact info #1 (your name, desired position, address, email, LinkedIn link, etc.)
• Date, location
• Contact info #2 (name of the hiring manager, company address)
• Direct address: [Dear *name of hiring manager*, …]
• Paragraph #1: Intro + your greatest achievements
• Paragraph #2: How your core skills address the company need
• Paragraph #3: Why you chose the company (and why you’ll fit right in)
• Paragraph #4: CTA
• Closing block: [Best regards, + *your name*]

Paragraphs 2 and 3 are pretty much interchangeable, but the overall structure is crucial. Research says that failure to organise your cover letter/resume well is one of the main reasons why candidates get overlooked. Don’t let that happen.

Need more info on formatting your engineering cover letter? See our guide: Cover Letter Format for Australia: A Detailed Guide

2. Start Your Engineering Cover Letter Strong

I reckon you already know that first impressions matter. Especially if you only have a couple of seconds to dazzle. 

So, it’s time to take the shiniest tools out of your gearbox.

Basic formatting was mentioned in the previous chapter, this would constitute your engineering resume header:

• Contact info #1
• Date, location
• Contact info #2 
• Direct address

But, what has the biggest impact is this part:

• Paragraph #1: Intro + your greatest achievements

The opening paragraph makes or breaks your cover letter. Good things to include would be:

• Your biggest achievement that can be extrapolated to the new job.
• A sentence expressing how excited you were to see this opening and why (keep it professional, this does not need to be sentimental).
• A brief mention of the person you know in the company/someone who’s referring you.

You might want to extract some tips from these examples:

Engineering Cover Letter Examples [First Paragraph]

This shows that:

1. you know exactly what the company’s looking for, and
2. you have already succeeded in something similar, plus
3. you know why you chose to apply for this position—this is not a random choice, but an educated decision. 

It also is a brief mention of some key skills required. And that’s just one paragraph.

A definite didgeridon't. 

This does not really show how the company would benefit from you joining them, and it also kind of duplicates what you’ve most likely already said on your resume. “Not impressed”—that’s what the recruiter would think, tossing that engineering cover letter into the bin.

Engineering Internship Cover Letters With No Experience

If you have a ton of experience, there’s material to work with.

But what if you don’t? What if you’re an engineering graduate writing a cover letter for an engineering internship, and there’s not much to boast about?

No worries. There’s still wiggle room here.

Try this:

• Research the company thoroughly and mention their accomplishments that impressed you.
• Share a passion of yours (if you can match it to what the company is known for—kudos to you).
• Talk about how the company values resonate with you. 

Check out this example of a cover letter for engineering positions:

Not bad for a recent graduate, huh?

Read more: What Is the Purpose of Your Cover Letter?

3. Write an Impressive Engineering Cover Letter Middle

Okay, here’s a shocking fact:

There’s a study suggesting that recruiters can turn applicants down just by assuming how committed (or not) they are to the specific position. 

Which means, you need to really persuade them that this job is important to you. 

Still, that doesn’t mean your engineering cover letter should be chock-a-block with info.

You just need to get two things right:

• Use one of the paragraphs in the main body to describe your achievements and their relevance to the future successes of your new employer (that is, how your experience can be of concrete value).
• Utilize another paragraph to say why this position matters to you, or how you relate to the company values in particular. 

Be sincere. At the end of the day, you should really be able to answer those questions for yourself first when you’re applying for any job.

Let’s have a look at two engineering cover letter examples:

Engineering Cover Letter Examples [Middle]

This answers the why’s and the how’s, without being too slimy or over-the-top.

What’s that? Oh, the delightful smell of burnt electronics… 

It may not be fundamentally bad… Oh, wait. It is.

Pro Tip: Because the relevance of defining values is widely recognized nowadays, many companies display them on their websites. Five minutes of research will vastly increase the impact of your engineering cover letter.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

Create my resume now

When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

4. End Your Engineering Cover Letter With a CTA

The above chapter said a lot about what you should do, but not much about what you shouldn’t do,ever.

Intrigued? 

Then here it goes: never leave your engineering cover letter open-ended.

Recruiters make so many decisions on a daily basis already. Do them a favour and guide them towards a potential scenario, which is—inviting you to that interview (obviously).

Leaving a generic closing is like leaving heavy machinery unattended.

Dangerous. 

Don’t do the Harry Holt, say a proper goodbye and keep them coming for more.

Cover Letter Examples for Engineering [Ending]

This ending very politely nudges the person on the other end of the virtual convo to schedule. that. interview. Just what we need!

I mean, does it get any more basic than that? The recruiter has probably seen this line a million times, to the point where it becomes totally invisible. That’s not what we’re looking for. 

Well, now you have the knowledge and the examples of how you write a cover letter that is truly electric. You just have to add the wiring: write a good resume for Australia.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

Let’s go over the magic of writing a great cover letter again:

• First, outline. Use an engineering cover letter template, or follow the formatting rules. 
• Then, impress. Openwith a powerful first paragraph to show the recruiter you’re it. 
• Cement the verdict. Describe how you=success of the company.
• End with a CTA. Finish your engineering cover letter by prompting a logical next step (interview).

Now you have all you need to write an engineering cover letter that would impress in Australia (but, really, worldwide as well).

Is there something else you’d like us to mention? Do tell us in the comments!

Looking forward to your suggestions. Thanks for reading!