Electrical Engineer Cover Letter Example

Employers seek electrical engineers they can rely on to provide first-class operational and technical support to clients. Show them you’re the person for the job by using your cover letter to demonstrate your expertise.

To improve your chances of landing a high-paying electrical engineer position, we’ve put together a list of four tips on how to write a convincing electrical engineering cover letter.

1. Write a compelling introduction

When you’re applying for a competitive position with dozens of applicants, a well-written cover letter introduction can help you catch hiring managers’ attention.

In the first paragraph of your electrical engineer cover letter, you should:

1. State your target position
2. Mention where you found out about the job opening
3. Highlight your most relevant skills or accomplishments

For example:

“I’m excited to apply for the job opening for the Electrical Engineer position at Kinetrics as advertised on LinkedIn. With over 7 years of experience in the field, I’m confident my knowledge of industry standards and regulations as well as my proficiency with CAD software will make me an excellent addition to your team.”

In this example, the candidate emphasizes their experience and specific electrical engineering skills, giving the employer a better idea of why they’d be an asset to their business.

Your introduction is also your chance to name-drop if you received a referral from someone at the company. Having a current employee vouch for you can give you an edge over other applicants.

2. Highlight your electrical engineering skills

Your job responsibilities as an electrical engineer will vary depending on where you work, but they’ll revolve around developing electrical systems and providing technical support.

You’ll need a range of technical skills to be an effective electrical engineer, so it’s critical you mention some of these skills (as well as your relevant qualifications) in your cover letter:

• Production processes (for instance, knowledge of raw materials, costs, quality control, and distribution)
• Google Drive and Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
• Familiarity with relevant technology (circuits, microchips, and programming software)
• Project management software (Oracle Primavera, Microsoft Project, OpenProject)
• Design software (ESRI ArcGIS software, Cadence/OrCAD)
• Programming skills and languages (Matlab, Java, C/C++)
• Requirements analysis and system architecture software (for instance, Unified Modeling Language and requirements management software)

Additionally, when working on big projects you’ll be required to work closely with other engineers, architects, contractors, or other professionals, so you should showcase these soft skills as well:

• Communication skills
• Organizational skills
• Innovative thinking
• Project management
• Analytical and critical thinking skills
• Problem-solving

Once you’ve established that you’re qualified for the job, provide examples of skills you’ve applied in the workplace to give them a sense of what you can contribute.

For instance, highlight your collaboration skills by describing how you worked with others to develop new testing procedures, like in this example:

“In my previous role, I had the opportunity to work with a team of engineers to implement new testing procedures for complex electrical systems. We worked on identifying areas for improvement in our existing testing processes and develop new procedures that would address these challenges, resulting in an 8% increase in testing result accuracy.”

3. Provide examples of your achievements (with numbers)

Instead of telling employers about your abilities, use numbers to quantify your achievements.

Here are some examples of how to quantify an electrical engineer cover letter:

“I designed a new wireless communication system for a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), resulting in a 40% improvement in data transmission rates”

“Over the past 3 years, I trained 15+ employees to design and implement automated test sets”

“I contributed to enhancing test performance by 25% by resolving production test issues”

Employers look for candidates who can produce tangible results, and by adding hard numbers to your cover letter, you demonstrate that you’re goal-oriented.

4. Research the company

Doing thorough research on a company shows the hiring manager you’re serious about the position and not just sending out bulk applications to various engineering firms.

Check out their website, read the job description carefully, and speak with any potential connections you have at the company. Once you’ve researched the company you want to apply to, market yourself by aligning your skills and experience with its long-term goals.

You can also use recent headlines to start your cover letter in a compelling way. For instance, if the company just launched a new product, then you could describe your experience working on a similar project and how your contributions resulted in a positive outcome for the company.