Career Change Cover Letter Example & Writing Guide
- What should your career change cover letter include?
- What can you write in the introduction of your cover letter?
- What should be mentioned in the cover letter body for a career change vacancy?
- How to write a career change cover letter closing
With the job landscape shifting rapidly, career changes are more common than you think. According to a recent LinkedIn article, a whopping 70% of the workforce is actively looking for a change of direction in their career. Whether you’re seeking career progression, more meaningful work, or improved salary and benefits, you’ll need a compelling career change cover letter that convinces the hiring manager to give you a shot.
Your career change cover letter accompanies your resume and is a great opportunity to explain why you’re looking toward new horizons and what you plan to achieve. While you may not have direct experience of working in your target role, you’ll still have valuable skills, experience, and strengths to bring to the job opening as well as a unique perspective.
In this cover letter guide, along with the corresponding career change cover letter example, we’ll look at exactly how to draft a cover letter that can get you interviews, including:
What should your career change cover letter include?
What can you write in the introduction of the cover letter
What information can you give in the body of the cover letter
How to write a cover letter closing
What should your career change cover letter include?
Ensuring your career change cover letter explains your objectives and showcases your transferable skills is key to making a great first impression. Keep your cover letter concise and to the point, highlighting your most impressive skills, experience, and achievements relevant to the job posting.
Your cover letter should include your contact information, details of the company you are applying to, the date, and a formal greeting. Following this, you’ll need a persuasive introduction that compels the hiring manager to read on and learn more about you. Next comes the main body section, detailing your relevant experience, key strengths and notable achievements, followed by the closing paragraph. We’ll go over these elements in more detail in the following paragraphs.
What can you write in the introduction of your cover letter?
Start your cover letter with a brief introduction that states who you are, confirms that you’re seeking a new challenge, and expresses confidence that your knowledge, skills, and abilities fully align with the job opening.
Don’t refer to your lack of experience here (or anywhere else in your career change cover letter) as this could land your cover letter and accompanying resume in the “no” pile.
Dear <Contact Name>:
In my search for a new challenge where I can utilize my experience and training in project management, I was excited to learn of <company name’s> need for a <position title>. Confident that my knowledge, skills, and abilities are well aligned with the position qualifications, I have enclosed my resume for your professional review.
What should be mentioned in the cover letter body for a career change vacancy?
The body of the career change cover letter is where you expand on your skills, expertise, and accomplishments related to the specific job opening.
An effective approach is to break into it three different sections:
Why you? Provide a synopsis of your work experience as it relates to your target role, with a focus on transferable knowledge and skills. Perhaps you’ve worked in construction project management but are looking to move into the IT sector. While this may seem a leap at first, there is overlap in terms of managing end-to-end project delivery, creating or overhauling a product, operating in a fast-paced work environment, and ensuring effective teamwork and collaboration. Explain how you’ve honed these skills in your current or most recent role and the added value you can bring to the company.
Why here? Employers are looking for new hires who are passionate about their company as this translates into delivering great results. Research your target company’s website and social media platforms so you can connect with their vision and values via your career change cover letter.
Why now? Storytelling is a great way to connect on a personal level with a company or role. What has prompted you to make this major change in your career? Maybe you had a rewarding career as a teacher, but you’re now looking to apply this expertise to work in educational policy and make a difference. Conveying these goals will highlight your passion and commitment.
Get more in-depth advice on our blog: Looking for a creative cover letter?
Expert Tip
Consider pursuing education, certifications, and skill development courses, and attend networking events relevant to your new career direction, particularly if you’re looking for a complete career switch up. You can reference this information in your career change cover letter and resume to show your commitment and passion to your new career. Just make sure it's clear if any studies are current and not complete.
As you will note, I offer solid experience and a track record of results in construction project management. My career focus has been in the construction industry, and the knowledge and skills I have acquired in the project management field are highly relevant and transferrable to other industries. Serving as a Project Manager at Henkels & McCoy for the last seven years, I have had the opportunity to oversee highly complex gas pipeline installation projects. Over the years, I have honed my skills in project planning and scheduling, equipment sourcing, budgeting, staffing, quality control, safety management, and regulatory compliance.
Organized, forward-thinking, and attentive to detail, I bring the following strengths to your team:
Professional demeanor and exceptional communication skills in interfacing with clients, stakeholders, regulatory bodies, vendors, and senior management.
Acute business and financial acumen, with success in project financial tracking, analysis, and reporting.
Strong background in change order management along with analysis and resolution of schedule deviations.
How to write a career change cover letter closing
The closing section of your career change cover letter needs to persuade the hiring manager why they should give you a chance above others who may have more direct experience. Delivering a strong finish to your cover letter is crucial. Keep this short and sweet for maximum impact. Here’s some inspiration:
Confirm the added value you will bring to the role. In one sentence tell the reader what unique skills and qualities you will bring to the role and company: “I’m a creative, goal-oriented professional, with the skills, dedication, and focus to translate my lead generation and marketing expertise to deliver positive results as a UX developer with ABC Company.”
Include a Call to Action. Encourage them to take your application to the next level: “I look forward to speaking with you and learning more about the (Position Title) position and (Company Name). Until then, thank you for your time and consideration.”
Here’s some more inspiration for cover letter closing: Tips and examples for how to close a cover letter
In me, you will gain a diligent, goal-oriented professional with the skill set, dedication, and focus needed to successfully fill the role of (Position Title). Thank you for your consideration, and I hope to have the opportunity to meet in person soon to discuss this opening in detail.
Sincerely,
Oliver Jackson
If you're looking to develop a winning career change resume, check out Career.io’s professional resume builder to get started!
