An Engineering cover letter helps to highlight your Engineering skills, experiences and achievements. In essence, it works as your elevator pitch and helps you get the employer’s attention easier and explain why you are the perfect candidate for the role.
Maybe you’ve already created an Engineering cover letter based on our cover letter guide. To aid you further in landing your dream Engineering job, we have compiled the 4 worst Engineering Cover Letter mistakes for you to double quadruple-check your Engineering cover letter.
4 Worst Engineering Cover Letter Mistakes
1. No Career Objective
Every Engineering cover letter needs to start with a self-introduction and your career objective or aim. Most people skip the career objective and miss the opportunity to capture the recruiter’s attention early on.
It is crucial for you to express your enthusiasm for the job opportunity. Why are you interested in a specific job? Why do you want to contribute to this specific project or company? Answering these questions is more important than just saying “I’m interested”.
Do some research and explain your understanding about that particular job, project or company. This will leave a favourable and lasting first impression. If you are looking for a general guide on career objectives, here’s our career objective tips for fresh graduates.
2. Wrong Skills & Personality
All Engineering fresh graduates generally lack working experience. Employers don’t mind if you have not built a tower prior to graduation. Instead, they are looking for candidates that possess the relevant attitude and interpersonal skills.
Unfortunately, many just copy online cover letter templates and do not bother to personalise their Engineering cover letter along with the skills and personality section in it. We often come across Engineering applicants highlighting their “Culinary skills” in their cover letters.
Instead, include these crucial Engineering qualities that are currently in high demand.
- Exceptional Engineering technical skills
- Project management skills
- Excellent communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Highly creative and innovative
To become the ideal candidate for the position, show them the Engineering-related skills and provide examples of how you demonstrated these skills in the Engineering cover letter. One last reminder, only list the relevant technical skills in your Engineering industry.
3. Zero Personalisation Efforts
Thousands of cover letters are sent each day for Engineering-related jobs. Recruiters only take six seconds on average to filter an application letter, so how can you guarantee a spot? One thing’s for sure, cover letters with zero personalisation will not be selected.
Once again, personalisation is key. Without researching and customising your Engineering cover letter according to the job description, your cover letter will not pass the screening process done by the Applicant Tracking System.
No experience as a fresh graduate? Then customising your cover letter with the specific skills/experience will really address the requirements for the applied role and give you an edge over your competition.
4. Lack of Professionalism
Engineers are expected to be professional and accurate. Dealing with deadlines, expensive machines and crucial infrastructures, mistakes will not be tolerated. The same principle applies to basically everything else, including your Engineering cover letter.
Hence, grammatical mistakes and spelling errors will not be tolerated. Employers wouldn’t want to hire Engineers to build expensive structures full of mistakes!
Here are some tips to ensure that your cover letter is easy to read and free of errors.
- Use a clear font in a reasonable size
- Use spell check to eliminate spelling errors
- Read what you’ve written out loud
- Ask someone else to check and proofread your work
Engineering Cover Letter Sample – Civil Engineering
“Dear [Mr./Mrs./Ms.] [Manager’s Name],
I am writing to apply for a Civil Engineering position at Company ABC. As a Civil Engineering graduate at XYZ University, I have a profound passion for public infrastructure due to the limitless possibilities and the direct impact on society. Over the past few years, Company ABC has made significant contributions to the public amenities in the rural area of Sabah. I relate strongly to Company ABC’s vision and I would love the opportunity to add value to your team.
As a motivated problem solver and diligent learner, I have developed proficiency in the areas of Civil Engineering. I have 6 months of internship experience working in Company DEF to participate in a highly complex bridge construction project. During my internship, I have successfully reduced the material procurement cost by 10% through thorough market cost review and accurate estimation of construction materials quantities.
My academic and internship experiences have cultivated the necessary interpersonal skills such as communication, negotiation and leadership skills to succeed in a dynamic work environment. I professionally and effectively communicated my unbiased perspective and research knowledge to the relevant stakeholders during my internship project, resulting in cost reduction while maximising the benefits of the project.
I believe that my skill sets and experience will provide great value to Company ABC in the noble vision and efforts of improving the livelihood of the rural communities. I would appreciate the opportunity to join a reputable construction company such as yours.
Looking forward to speaking with you in person. I can be reached at (xxx) xxx-xxxx and xxx@xxxxxmail.com. Thank you for your time and consideration.”
Conclusion
We hope that this article is useful for Engineering fresh graduates who are creating their Engineering cover letters. With these tips, you are one step closer to landing your dream Engineering job!
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