You control your data

We use cookies to tailor the experience of creating resumes and cover letters. For these reasons, we may share your usage data with third parties. You can find more information about how we use cookies on our Cookies Policy. If you would like to set your cookies preferences, click the Settings button below. To accept all cookies, click Accept.

Settings Accept

Cookie settings

Click on the types of cookies below to learn more about them and customize your experience on our Site. You may freely give, refuse or withdraw your consent. Keep in mind that disabling cookies may affect your experience on the Site. For more information, please visit our Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

Choose type of cookies to accept

Analytics

These cookies allow us to analyze our performance to offer you a better experience of creating resumes and cover letters. Analytics related cookies used on our Site are not used by Us for the purpose of identifying who you are or to send you targeted advertising. For example, we may use cookies/tracking technologies for analytics related purposes to determine the number of visitors to our Site, identify how visitors move around the Site and, in particular, which pages they visit. This allows us to improve our Site and our services.

Performance and Personalization

These cookies give you access to a customized experience of our products. Personalization cookies are also used to deliver content, including ads, relevant to your interests on our Site and third-party sites based on how you interact with our advertisements or content as well as track the content you access (including video viewing). We may also collect password information from you when you log in, as well as computer and/or connection information. During some visits, we may use software tools to measure and collect session information, including page response times, download errors, time spent on certain pages and page interaction information.

Advertising

These cookies are placed by third-party companies to deliver targeted content based on relevant topics that are of interest to you. And allow you to better interact with social media platforms such as Facebook.

Necessary

These cookies are essential for the Site's performance and for you to be able to use its features. For example, essential cookies include: cookies dropped to provide the service, maintain your account, provide builder access, payment pages, create IDs for your documents and store your consents.

To see a detailed list of cookies, click here.

Save preferences
My Account
Engineering Cover Letter: Samples, Templates & Writing Guide

Engineering Cover Letter: Samples, Templates & Writing Guide

Technologies change, but engineers always stay. While you’re staying, would you also like to have a better job? Then here’s your first step: write a great engineering cover letter.

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 example
sample  cover letter example

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

 

Benjamin D'Arcy

Engineer

60 McDowall Street

Crystal Waters, Queensland 4552

 

+61 (03) 8822 4328

ben.darcy@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/bendarcy

 

Conondale, 3/24/2022

 

Ms. Laura Burt

Head of Human Resources

Recreed Ltd.

6 Railway Street

Kincora, Queensland 4356

 

Dear Laura,

 

When I heard that Recreed was looking for an engineer to strengthen their production refinement efforts, I knew it sounded like a logical next step for my engineering career. I’ve worked as a production and QA/QC engineer for over 6 years now, and I’ve already managed to bring tangible results at my previous positions: decreasing production time and increasing profits at Comparch (25% and 14% respectively), carrying out successful audits at Enworks with similar outcomes.

 

To me, company success translates into my own personal success, and I was happy to see most employees at Recreed think the same. I was pleasantly surprised to see a 90% workforce satisfaction rate—that is a truly outstanding result. Having managed a team of 30, I know that it’s not something that happens by accident. 

 

I specialize in optimising processes in production, but I also simply love it. It’s not just another job, because I am convinced that better operations lead to a better quality of life for those who use the products. To me, seeing product returns drop by almost a half (and that was my experience at Enworks) means knowing you managed to make the daily routines of some people more efficient. I am confident that I will bring the same level of commitment to my work at Recreed. 

 

Could we schedule a call to discuss how I can apply my QA/QC expertise towards improving operations and increasing profits at Recreed? I can make myself available mornings and afternoons on most days. 

 

Best regards,

Benjamin D'Arcy

 

ben.darcy@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/bendarcy

 

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]

Right Example

When I heard that Recreed was looking for an engineer to strengthen their production refinement efforts, I knew it sounded like a logical next step for my engineering career. I’ve worked as a production and QA/QC engineer for over 6 years now, and I’ve already managed to bring tangible results at my previous positions: decreasing production time and increasing profits at Comparch (25% and 14% respectively), carrying out successful audits at Enworks with similar outcomes.

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.

Wrong Example
I’ve been an engineer for 6 years now, and that was mostly a positive experience. I worked as a production engineer and as a quality control engineer, where I oversaw production and maintained the efficiency of the systems. I also conducted and modulated manufacturing surveillance, this is something I’m really good at.

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:

 

I first heard of Comparch when I was attending the Engineering Technologist courses at EIT (our uni allows us to graduate with an Engineer’s Australia accredited degree). It was wonderful to learn how hard the company is working to achieve consistently impressive results.

 

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]

Right Example

To me, company success translates into my own personal success, and I was happy to see most employees at Recreed think the same. I was pleasantly surprised to see a 90% workforce satisfaction rate—that is a truly outstanding result. Having managed a team of 30, I know that it’s not something that happens by accident. 

 

I specialize in optimising processes in production, but I also simply love it. It’s not just another job, because I am convinced that better operations lead to a better quality of life for those who use the products. To me, seeing product returns drop by almost a half (and that was my experience at Enworks) means knowing you managed to make the daily routines of some people more efficient. I am confident that I will bring the same level of commitment to my work at Recreed. 

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

Wrong Example

I have been very successful in quality control before, so I’d like to continue doing it. Recreed is a great company with good profits, so I see myself working there vividly. I am sure that what I know about QMS software and production testing would apply very well at Recreed. 

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.

 

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]

Right Example

Could we schedule a call to discuss how I can apply my QA/QC expertise towards increasing profits at Recreed? I can make myself available mornings and afternoons on most days.

 

Best regards,

Benjamin D'Arcy

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

Wrong Example

Thank you for reading my cover letter. Please find attached my engineering resume. Look forward to hearing from you.

 

Regards,

Jim

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:

 

matching set of resume and cover letter

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!

Rate my article: engineering cover letter example
Average: 5 (3 votes)
Thank you for voting
Aleksandra Nazaruk
Aleksandra is a career expert at Zety. Having experienced both sides of recruitment processes in various industries, she is confident you just need the right approach to land the job you want. In her guides, she strives to deliver straightforward tips that bring maximum impact.

Similar articles