Information Technology (IT) Cover Letter Examples

1. Translate technical skills for non-technical reviewers

While most cover letters only rephrase the qualifications written on the resume, your IT cover letter must also rephrase your qualifications so that a layman can understand them.

Remember, applications are screened by multiple people, and in large corporations this includes a human resources manager as well as a department head. Your cover letter should communicate the same qualifications to an HR manager who isn’t as familiar with technical terms as an IT specialist department head.

For these reasons, it’s good to mix different key strengths into the cover letter instead of listing only hard or soft skills. For example, listing team collaboration skills alongside Python development skills shows a great balance between technical know-how and social ability. Such a combination helps you stand out from other competitors.

2. Implement professional cover letter formatting

Whether you’re writing a cover letter for an entry-level IT job or a cybersecurity management position, use professional cover letter formatting. Sloppy formatting distracts the reader from your qualifications and makes you seem careless.

Here’s how to format each section of a cover letter for an IT job application:

Your contact information: Make it easy for the hiring manager to contact you by writing your name, email address, phone number, and relevant online profiles in your cover letter’s header.

The hiring manager’s contact information: Show the hiring manager that you’ve thoroughly read the job ad by including their name, company name and address, phone number, and email address below your contact information.

Salutation: Address your cover letter to the hiring manager, using this format:

Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. [Hiring Manager’s Last Name],

If you don’t know the hiring manager’s gender, use their full name. When you don’t have a contact name, address the department or company name to avoid the overused “To Whom It May Concern” salutation.

Body: Explain your qualifications in 3–4 paragraphs.

Signature: Begin your cover letter’s valediction with a formal term like “Sincerely” or “Best regards,” followed by a comma. Then write your full name on a new line.

3. Configure an impressive opening paragraph

Your cover letter’s opening paragraph must include the following information in 2–3 sentences:

• Your strongest argument for why you’re qualified to catch the hiring manager’s attention and improve the chances they read your full cover letter
• The name of the company and the title of the position you’re applying for so the hiring manager knows how to evaluate your qualifications

Here’s an example of how to start a cover letter:

4. Quantify your skills with data

As an IT specialist, you know how to use data. Put that knowledge to work by quantifying your technical skills with hard numbers to provide context to your achievements and show hiring managers what you’re capable of.

For example, when you’re writing your cover letter’s body paragraphs, don’t simply say that you’re an expert in cybersecurity. Instead, show how you applied that expertise with a statement like this:

At my current company, I developed and implemented new network security measures, reducing cyber attacks by 25%.

5. Troubleshoot for typos

Just like a single error can destroy an entire page of code, one minor typo can ruin your whole cover letter. Even the smallest miscue can cause hiring managers to assume you lack the attention to detail required for an IT job.

Follow these steps to ensure a grammatical error doesn’t derail your application:

1. Run your word processor’s spellcheck feature
2. Proofread for mistakes the spellchecking software missed
3. Ask someone else to proofread your cover letter
4. Take another look to ensure any edits you or your friend made are typo-free