Software Engineer Cover Letter Example & Writing Guide
- What should your software engineer 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 software engineer vacancy?
- How to write a cover letter closing
Drive your software engineer career to the top by crafting an eye-catching cover letter! Discover some top ways you can write a cover letter that catches a hiring manager’s attention and some of the specific sections you should include in your letter.
If you are someone who loves innovation and creativity, software engineering will be an exciting career for you. You should also be someone who is experienced in multiple programming languages, algorithms, cloud computing, and data structures. A software engineer should have diverse skills and mastery of software and technology foundational concepts. To land a software engineer role, you’ll also need a great cover letter that shows a hiring manager you have the best skills for the job.
Throughout your cover letter, you’ll need to give specific examples of the types of projects you’ve worked on as well as the qualifications you have. The goal is to entice a hiring manager to pick up your resume to learn more about you.
In this software engineer cover letter example & writing guide, we will show you what to include in your cover letter as well as how to format the letter to get the most impact. Here’s what we will go over:
What should your software engineer 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 software engineer cover letter include?
A cover letter is what you will use to introduce yourself to a hiring manager. It is your way of showing your software engineering skills and the projects you’ve worked on in the past. The letter should be formatted in a professional way with a header and effective salutation. It’s best if you can address the letter to a specific contact, but there are some ways to make an effective salutation when you don’t know your contact’s name.
Once you have the correct format, you will write an introduction, a cover letter body, and a closing. We will cover each of these sections further in the paragraphs below.
What can you write in the introduction of your cover letter?
The introduction of your cover letter is your first opportunity to show a hiring manager your personality. But it’s also the first introduction they will have to your skills and experience level, so start strong. Begin your introduction by telling your contact about your most important skills and your experience level. The skills you choose for the introduction should be the ones that will make you successful in this specific role, such as web development or database management.
Along with your skills, a hiring manager is also interested in seeing your knowledge about and excitement for working with their company. Express these two items at the very beginning of your cover letter.
Dear Emily Thompson
If your group needs a capable, collaborative, and energized leader to help achieve its software engineering goals, I invite you to review my enclosed resume and consider me for the role of Senior Software Engineer.
What should be mentioned in the cover letter body for a software engineer vacancy?
The focus of the body of your cover letter should be on your skills and achievements. Remember, keep these specific to the job you are applying for. It’s a good idea to read through the job description to ensure you are tailoring this section of your cover letter around the specific role. For even more great tips on how to write a cover letter, check out our ultimate guide to cover letters.
An effective approach is to break this section into three different sections:
Why you. Start by telling the hiring manager why you are the right candidate for their software engineering role. Whether it be your security skills or experience with object-oriented programming, give examples as to why a hiring manager will want to interview you for the role.
Why here. Focusing on the company itself is also important. You should be able to explain what drew you to want to work for this particular company. Was it the projects you’ve seen them complete? The type of programming you would be doing in the role? Whatever makes you most excited about working with this specific company, mention that in your letter.
Why now. Finally, explain why this is the right fit for your skills and why now is the right time for you to make this career move. You want the hiring manager to feel that they need you for this position rather than a position that might open up in the future.
- Be specific about the software engineering experience you have.
- Demonstrate that you can collaborate with cross-functional teams.
- Research the company, products, and technology used so you can tailor your letter.
- Focus only on your technical skills and forget your soft skills.
- Forget to address the specific requirements of the role.
- List your entire work history–give examples of key achievements instead.
Implementing and managing enterprise-scale IT infrastructure and global-scale, client-facing hosting services is my specialty. With nearly five years of experience as a Cloud Release Manager and Senior DevOps Manager backed by 14 years as a Senior Software Engineer, Network Engineer, and DevOps Leader, I am confident my expertise will prove immediately valuable to Nexa Tech Solutions.
Some of the key strengths I can offer your organization include:
History of accomplishment in IT management and supervisory roles, highly adept at leading global technical teams in diverse engineering and service delivery efforts.
Proven ability to establish, implement, and promote company-wide adoption of policies, standards, best practices, and tools for cloud release and DevOps / DevSecOps.
Deep acumen in infrastructure engineering and administration—designing, integrating, and deploying physical and virtual infrastructures.
Extensive experience working with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and other leading cloud-based platforms and applications.
Skill in developing information and network security strategies, disaster recovery (DR) solutions, and data leakage prevention controls.
Well developed communication skills, natural ability to forge positive relationships and collaborate effectively with team members, vendors, and senior / executive leaders at every level.
How to write a cover letter closing
The closing paragraph of your cover letter should be short and include only one or two sentences. However, you need to stay strong and make sure you leave an impact.
Bring it all together. Remind the hiring manager why your skills align with the role: “I’m excited to bring my infrastructure design skills to the [role title] role.”
Add a call to action. Close the letter with enthusiasm and a request for an interview: “I am looking forward to discussing my skills further in an interview.”
Please contact me at your earliest convenience to schedule a personal interview, as I am eager to speak with you soon about the many ways I can contribute to the development and success of Nexa Tech Solutions cloud and DevOps initiatives.
Sincerely,
Michael Chen
Once you have the perfect cover letter, our job board with its advanced tracking tools will make the job hunt process easier!
