Engineering Cover Letter Examples [+Easy-to-use Template]

You're 8 minutes away from having the perfect engineering cover letter. But first—

Picture your dream job.

It's got stellar benefits, flexible work, and soaring challenges that make SpaceX look like a burger joint.

You've even got a great resume. That shining future is well within your grasp.

The problem?

The position needs an engineering cover letter. But write a generic one and the hiring manager will skip it, and your resume.

If we can put a man on the moon, we can find a solution to this problem.

In fact, there's a road-tested way to write a stand-out cover letter for engineering jobs. One that'll get your resume read as excitedly as specs for a working fusion reactor.

In this guide, I'll show you:

• An engineering cover letter example better than 9 out of 10 others.
• Proven templates to make the best engineering cover letter in the stack.
• How to write an engineering cover letter step-by-step (even if you have no experience).
• How to describe your experience in a cover letter for engineering internships and get any job you want.

Here's an engineering cover letter sample and a matching resume.

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

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Use this cover letter template

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

Make sure your engineering resume is up to par by reading: Engineering Resume: Sample and Complete Guide [+20 Examples].

This guide isn't exactly what you were looking for? See other cover letter examples for jobs in this industry: 

• Electrical Engineer Cover Letter Sample
• Mechanical Engineer Cover Letter Sample
• IT Cover Letter Sample
• IT Technician Cover Letter Sample
• System Administrator Cover Letter Sample
• Lab Technician Cover Letter Sample
• Software Engineer Cover Letter Sample
• Software Developer Cover Letter Sample
• Interior Design Cover Letter Sample
• Cover Letter for Internship Sample
• Engineering Internship Cover Letter Sample
• Electrician Cover Letter Sample
• Front-End Developer Cover Letter Sample
• Data Scientist Cover Letter Sample
• Construction Cover Letter Sample
• Career Change Cover Letter Sample
• Formal Cover Letter Sample
• Entry Level Cover Letter Sample
• Cover Letter for New Graduate Sample

Want to explore your options further? See our full selection of cover letter examples for every career: Example Cover Letters.

Now, here’s how to write an engineering cover letter:

1

Copy-Paste this Sample Engineering Cover Letter

The engineering cover letter sample above is picture-perfect.

Want to reverse-engineer it?

Nobody would blame you.

So, here's the text of that great example cover letter for engineering. Feel free to copy, paste, and meld it to your needs.

Engineering Cover Letter Template

Bam. The hiring manager will hold her breath as she reads Frank's resume.

Let's deconstruct that great sample engineering cover letter. Then you can write your own that's just as powerful.

What's the best engineering cover letter format? The three-paragraph style. Learn to nail it here: Cover Letter Format: How to Format a Cover Letter for Any Job

There's a slim chance that anyone will even read your technical cover letter. Most recruiters don’t read cover letters.

Wait. What?

See, most cover letters are generic. They say, "Here's my resume. Please read it."

If you write a "To whom it may concern" cover letter for engineering jobs, you can kiss that golden interview goodbye.

So—

Here's how to hook the hiring manager like a Mammoet Crane instead:

• Start with the Right Heading. Name, title, email, and phone. One for you, and one for the manager. You can skip the snail mail address in email cover letters.
• Use the Right Salutation. "Dear [Hiring Manager's Name]" is perfect. "Dear Engineering Team Hiring Manager" will do. 
• Add a Mouthwatering Opening Paragraph. Tell a quick story with a specific detail: An impressive achievement that fits the job to microscopic tolerances.

Want to see how that works? See these two electrical engineering cover letter examples.

Engineering Cover Letter Examples—Opening Paragraph

That fails QC. It's generic. It doesn't tell the manager a thing.

Compare it to his (infinitely better) engineering cover letter example:

That first sentence in a cover letter for engineering's is better than free Mathcad. The hiring manager will skip her kid's birthday party to call you.

Why is it so great?

It shows a glimpse of superhero cape beneath the glasses and brown suit.

That's exactly what the hiring manager is looking for.

What if you don't have a great achievement? In short, what if you're writing an engineering internship cover letter with no experience?

Just focus on your best achievement. Maybe that's an attaboy from a professor. Maybe it's a side project you completed, or a transferable achievement from a non-engineering job.

Engineering Cover Letter Tips:

• Don't use "Miss" or "Mrs." Use "Ms." instead. It avoids marital status.
• Work hard to learn the hiring manager's name. Fully 84% of hiring managers skip resumes and cover letters that don't use their names.
• Add your LinkedIn profile to your contact info for bonus functionality.

Even with great engineering cover letter examples, starting yours can cause a lot of rework. See our guide: How to Start a Cover Letter: Sample & Complete Guide [20+ Examples]

Don't skip vital details. Use our checklist guide: What to Include in a Cover Letter (15+ Examples & A Complete Guide)

OK, so your engineering cover letter is off to a good start. The hiring manager is excited.

What's next?

The sales pitch.

I can hear you now. "Dammit, Jim, I'm an engineer, not a salesman!"

You only need to know one thing:

The top 5% of engineering intern cover letters custom fit their message to the opening.

The object is to show you're already a da Vinci at this job.

How to tailor your cover letter?

• Read the job ad carefully.
• Highlight the engineering skills and duties in it.
• Demonstrate your understanding of those qualities.
• Cherry-pick a couple past achievements that match them perfectly.
• Add a "motivation statement" that shows why you'd work extra hard.

Here's how to do it right. The mechanical engineering cover letter examples below are targeted to senior and junior positions.

Engineering Cover Letter Examples—Main Body

Let's say the job ad asks for fostering engagement, cutting costs, and lowering defect rates.

Here's the perfect cover letter body for that engineering position:

Can you imagine a manager who wouldn't want to hire that applicant? If so, he probably writes with his tongue out.

Notice the bullet points. They respect the hiring manager's time. How?

By showing her the important info in a quick, sharp way.

Don't have that much experience? Don't worry.

Just look at the sample engineering internship cover letter with no experience below.

Sample Engineering Cover Letter—No Experience

That's no rookie engineer with no experience.

That's Nikola Tesla in the rough.

The key point?

Analyze the company's needs. Then prove how you can fill them in your cover letter for engineering internships.

Pro Tip: The motivation statement can make the hiring manager decide to call you. Convince her why you'll outwork the rest, and you're as good as hired.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you'll get tips and right vs. wrong examples while writing your resume. See +20 resume templates and create your resume here.

Engineering Resume Example - See +20 resume templates and create your resume here.

Are you writing an engineering internship cover letter, or an entry-level engineering cover letter? See our guide for all the best moves: How to Write a Cover Letter For an Internship [+20 Examples]

How long should a cover letter be for engineering jobs? That depends. See our guide: How Long Should a Cover Letter Be?

What good would the Falcon Heavy be if it never lifted off?

About the same as a cover letter for engineering without a solid ending: not much.

So, end your cover letter so the manager can't possibly forget it.

Here's how:

• Make an offer.
• Close with a "sincerely" synonym.
• Add a PS with another tantalizing achievement.

These mechanical engineering cover letter examples show that in action:

Engineering Cover Letter Examples—Endings

Whew. Fatigue failure, right?

That machinist cover letter ending comes off needy. The hiring manager is picturing a whiny employee who's hard to please.

"Holy cow, this applicant is switched on like the Hadron Collider! I can't wait to talk to him!"

The difference? That example is offering to give, give, give. At the very least, you're promising an interesting conversation.

Pro Tip: Why does "PS" work so well? It pulls the eye like the strong nuclear force. Even the busiest hiring manager will read an achievement nested in a PS.

Want to drive home your civil engineering cover letter ending? Need more examples of solid offers that will make the manager pick up the phone? See our guide: How to End a Cover Letter: Sample & Complete Guide [+20 Examples]

What's the key best practice in writing a great cover letter for engineering?

• Make it personal.
• To do that, read the engineering job description carefully. Really learn the company's needs.
• Then, analyze your past. Find evidence that you're the Alexander Graham Bell of all those qualities.
• Show those items in your engineering cover letter's opener, main body, closing, and PS. Add a motivation statement to show why you'll work harder than the rest.

Do you have questions about how to make a good engineering internship cover letter? Want to share an example of an engineering cover letter that worked for you? Give us a shout in the comments. We’d be happy to reply!