Engineering technician cover letter

Engineering Technician Cover Letter (With Examples)

A cover letter is an important companion to a resume and recommendation letter, especially when applying for an engineering technician position. A great cover letter may earn you a phone call for an interview, while a poor one will likely result in your application being set on the reject pile.

Luckily, there are plenty of cover letter tips, resources, and templates available to help with the task of crafting a strong cover letter.

Although it’s not uncommon for many job applications to make a cover letter optional nowadays, including one is always a good idea so you can show that you’re serious about the job and want to stand out.

Think of it as an optional opportunity to make a great first impression and preemptively answer the standard interview request to “tell me about yourself.” Why would you pass that up?

What Is a Cover Letter and Why Is It Important?

A cover letter is a brief letter of introduction that usually accompanies a resume. The prose format of a cover letter gives you a better chance to introduce yourself, highlight your skills, accomplishments, and goals, and explain what you hope to bring to the company if hired.

One major benefit to a cover letter is the ability to elaborate on your past experiences and provide more information that may not be as easily conveyed in the typical bullet-point format of a resume.

Parts of an Engineering Technician Cover Letter

The role of an engineering technician is to assist engineers with research and development, design, and quality control.

Common duties often include taking a field survey or sketch and building construction modifications, updating construction plans to show “as-built” additions, and performing on-site inspections to guarantee quality and adherence to codes, construction specifications, and regulations.

Whether you’re writing a cover letter for a promotion or a career shift to a new company, there are key parts to a standard cover letter that you need to include:

1. Your contact information

2. The organization’s information

3. Dear [Manager Name],

4. First paragraph: intent and opening hook

5. Second paragraph: main body with key skills and accomplishments in relation to the job requirements

6. Third paragraph: closing lines with a compelling call to action

7. Best regards, followed by name and title

Since you have only one page to make your case and grab a hiring manager’s attention, every sentence has to count. Your cover letter should also be formatted correctly. If you’re concerned about having a professional-looking layout, take advantage of free cover letter templates.

Engineering Technician Cover Letter Opening

Start by listing the basic contact information for both you and the company you are applying to at the top of the letter. It’s essential to make sure a hiring manager can quickly and effortlessly locate this information.

If possible, you should address your cover letter to the hiring manager by name. If you don’t know the hiring manager’s name, use a gender-neutral greeting such as “Dear [Company Name] Recruitment Manager.”

Tip: you definitely aren’t going to score any originality points by starting your letter with “Dear Sir or Madam” or “To whom it may concern.”

The impersonal greeting feels generic, and even worse, it may raise a red flag and cause a hiring manager to suspect that you might be sending a mass cover letter to multiple employers without taking the time to personalize each one. Not a great first impression.

While a neutral “Dear Hiring Manager” or similar phrase is acceptable in lieu of a name, consider mentioning the company and/or department to make it a little more personalized.

To make your cover letter stand out from the mundane crowd, start strong. The first two sentences of your opening need to immediately grab a hiring manager’s attention.

Assertively announce your application to the position and then follow with an impactful achievement, preferably something quantifiable. Numbers are eye-catching, so if you can utilize statistics, percentages, or dollar amounts, your letter is much more likely to garner a full read.

Note that the applicant in the example started strong by using specific growth measurements instead of relying on market buzzwords and empty, generic claims about increasing revenue and cutting costs. This technique is proven to increase your letter’s chances of being read in full.

Engineering Technician Cover Letter Body

Now that you have a hiring manager’s attention, you need to clearly lay out how and why you’re a worthy candidate for the position. The cover letter body should explain:

1. Why you want this job

2. The skills that qualify you for the specific requirements of the job

3. Why you are the perfect fit for the position

Don’t fall into the trap many applicants succumb to by prattling off a list of general skills and accomplishments that have nothing to do with the specifics of the job.

To stand apart from the noise of the competition, you need to prove that not only did you do your research, but you also fully understand what’s expected of you in this job position. Then, directly tie your skills to the company’s needs.

Note that the applicant clearly understands what is expected in the job description. She breaks down her exact qualifications to meet every requirement in a concise, easy-to-read format.

Engineering Technician Cover Letter Closing Lines

By now, the hiring manager should be thoroughly invested in what you have to offer, but you can’t leave your strong pitch hanging in the wind. You need a strong closing. The ending may not seem as relevant as the initial pitch and main talking points of the letter, but you have to make sure that you leave a lasting impression.

That being said, don’t lose your momentum by dragging out your closing remarks and losing focus. You’ve already made your point; now drive it home with a quick recap and optimistic closing to remind the hiring manager why you are the right candidate for the job.

Note that the applicant didn’t just say, “Thanks for your time.” She wrapped up her closing in a way that demonstrates her knowledge, enthusiasm, desire for the company’s success, and goal of being with this company long-term.

Example of an Engineering Technician Cover Letter

Putting all the parts together illustrates how the ideal cover letter should start with an attention-grabber right off the bat and keep that same level of energy and competency throughout the entire pitch.

Tips for an Engineering Technician Cover Letter

• Use confident language. A degree of authority and expertise is expected from an engineer, so instead of using timid words and phrases like “might have” or “possibly” to undermine your skills, choose absolute phrases like “I do have” or “I am confident that.”

• When listing your accomplishments, cite quantifiable achievements to make a bigger impact. For example, instead of saying, “I helped my previous company grow its annual revenue,” provide a specific number: “I facilitated an annual 33% growth increase.”

• Expand on relevant experience and skills listed in your resume. A cover letter provides an opportunity to elaborate and put resume points into a larger context. While you’re at it, make sure your resume is customized for the job you are applying for.

• Engineering often involves working in a team, so providing specific examples of how you incorporated your hard and soft skills in a teamwork environment will carry greater weight than simply bulleting out those points on a resume.

Final Thoughts

In a competitive job market, you need to stand apart from other applicants, which means you can’t afford to opt out of a cover letter if it isn’t required.

Even if you have a great resume filled with all the right engineering skills, the cover letter just might be that extra boost that elevates your application above someone who didn’t send one or didn’t put the same level of time and care into drafting it as you did.

If you’re applying for an internship or entry-level position right out of college, don’t despair if you don’t have much work experience to highlight yet. Check out some college resume examples and consider how you can showcase your relevant coursework, internship experience, and awards or honors instead.

Writing a good cover letter shouldn’t be any reason for extra stress. Think of it as a brief introduction with an invitation to have a longer conversation later.