Crafting a hardware engineer cover letter can be a daunting hurdle if you've just started your job hunt. You might be tempted to rehash your resume, but your cover letter's purpose is to spotlight your proudest professional moment with a compelling narrative. It demands formality without falling into clichés and should wrap up within a single page. Let's navigate these common pitfalls and pen a cover letter that stands out to employers.
- Personalize your hardware engineer cover letter and get inspired by other professionals to tell a compelling story;
- Format and design your hardware engineer cover letter to make an excellent first impression;
- Introduce your best achievement in your hardware engineer cover letter to recruiters;
- How to make sure recruiters get in touch with you, using your hardware engineer cover letter greeting and closing paragraphs.
What is more, did you know that Enhancv's AI can write your cover letter for you? Just upload your hardware engineer resume and get ready to forward your job application in a flash.
If the hardware engineer isn't exactly the one you're looking for we have a plethora of cover letter examples for jobs like this one:
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Hardware engineer cover letter example
ANDREW GREEN
Seattle, Washington
+1-(234)-555-1234
help@enhancv.com
- Emphasizing relevant experience: Mentioning a significant role at a prestigious company like Tesla, where the candidate led sensor integration for autonomous vehicles, directly relates to the Sensor Hardware Engineer position, showcasing industry-specific accomplishments.
- Quantifying achievements: The candidate clearly states a measurable improvement—enhancing perception system performance by 18%—which demonstrates the tangible impact of their work.
- Demonstrating future orientation: The applicant expresses a desire to innovate, positioning themselves as a forward-thinker, which is crucial in fields like autonomous technology that are rapidly evolving.
- Showing alignment with company goals: The cover letter connects the candidate's passion for the field and previous experience with the company's commitment to groundbreaking work, suggesting a mutual benefit if hired.
Five tips on formatting your hardware engineer cover letter
Do you want to make a good impression on recruiters and, at the same time, follow the best industry advice on writing your hardware engineer cover letter?
Make sure to include the following:
- Header and Salutation;
- Introductory paragraph;
- Body paragraph;
- Closing paragraph;
- Signature (this one is up to you).
Remember to use the same modern, simple font for your hardware engineer cover letter as you did for your resume (e.g. Lato, Rubik, etc.)
Ensure your hardware engineer cover letter is single-spaced and is wrapped around a one-inch margin, like in our cover letter templates.
Once completed, use our cover letter builder to export your hardware engineer cover letter in the best format to keep your information intact - PDF.
At the end of the day, your hardware engineer cover letter won't be assessed by the Applicant Tracker System (ATS) software, but by the recruiters. Your information should thus be legible, organized, and follow a structured logic.
The top sections on a hardware engineer cover letter
- Header: Include your contact information, date, and the employer's details; this provides a professional appearance and ensures the recruiter can easily contact you.
- Greeting: Begin with a polite salutation targeting the hiring manager by name if possible, as personalization can help your application stand out.
- Opening Paragraph: Clearly state the position you're applying for and give a brief overview of your experience in hardware engineering, capturing the recruiter's interest and demonstrating immediate relevance.
- Body: Elaborate on your technical skills, specific hardware projects, and accomplishments that align with the job requirements, proving your competency in the field.
- Closing Paragraph: Reinforce your enthusiasm for the role, invite further discussion, and thank the recruiter for considering your application, which leaves a positive and professional final impression.
Key qualities recruiters search for in a candidate’s cover letter
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills: Essential for designing complex hardware systems and troubleshooting issues during development.
- Proficiency in hardware design tools: Knowledge of CAD software and simulation tools is critical for creating schematics and prototypes.
- Experience with hardware testing and validation: Crucial in ensuring that designs meet the required specifications and reliability standards.
- Understanding of manufacturing processes: Ensures that design is feasible within production constraints and can lead to more efficient, cost-effective solutions.
- Excellent communication and teamwork abilities: Hardware engineers must effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams, including software engineers and project managers.
- Knowledge of industry-specific standards and regulations: Compliance with relevant industry standards is a must to ensure safety, functionality, and interoperability of hardware products.
Kick off your hardware engineer cover letter: the salutation or greeting
When writing your hardware engineer cover letter, remember that you're not writing for some complex AI or robot, but for actual human beings.
And recruiters, while on the lookout to understand your experience, would enjoy seeing a cover letter that is tailored to the role and addresses them. Personally.
So, if you haven't done so, invest some time in finding out who's the hiring manager for the role you're applying to. A good place to start would be LinkedIn and the corporate website.
Alternatively, you could also get in touch with the company to find out more information about the role and the name of the recruiter.
If you haven't met the hiring manager, yet, your hardware engineer cover letter salutation should be on a last-name basis (e.g. "Dear Mr. Donaldson" or "Dear Ms. Estephan").
A good old, "Dear HR Professional" (or something along those lines) could work as your last resort if you're struggling to find out the recruiter's name.
List of salutations you can use
- Dear Hiring Manager,
- Dear [Company Name] Team,
- Dear [Department Name] Team,
- Dear [Mr./Ms./Dr.] [Last Name],
- Dear [First Name] [Last Name],
- Dear [Job Title] Search Committee,
Introducing your profile to catch recruiters' attention in no more than two sentences
The introduction of your hardware engineer cover letter is a whole Catch 22 .
You have an allocated space of no more than just a paragraph (of up to two sentences). With your introduction, you have to stand out and show why you're the best candidate out there.
Set out on a journey with your hardware engineer cover letter by focusing on why you're passionate about the job. Match your personal skills and interests to the role.
Another option for your hardware engineer cover letter introduction is to show you're the ideal candidate. Write about how your achievements and skills are precisely what the company is looking for.
However you decide to start your hardware engineer cover letter, always remember to write about the value you'd bring about. Making it both tangible (with your metrics of success) and highly sought out.
That one achievement in your hardware engineer cover letter body
The lengthiest part of your hardware engineer cover letter is the body.
Within the next three to six middle paragraphs, present yourself as the best candidate for the role.
How can you do that without retelling your whole professional resume?
Select one key achievement that covers job-crucial skills and technologies (and is memorable).
Within the body of your hardware engineer cover letter, aim to tell the story of how you achieved your success. Also, write about how this would help out your potential team.
Time to wrap up your hardware engineer cover letter
Writing the closing paragraph of your hardware engineer cover letter is just as important as the salutation.
You have to make it personalized to the job advert and recruiter.
Experienced professionals advise candidates to end with a request or reminder for follow-up. Write that you're grateful for the opportunity, and, at the same time, hint that you're available for the next steps of the process.
Otherwise, you could also conclude your hardware engineer cover letter by facing the future. How do you see yourself, as part of the team? In particular, how would you settle in your new role in the first six months to a year?
Is it beneficial to mention that you have no experience in your hardware engineer cover letter?
Lacking professional experience isn't the end of the world for your hardware engineer cover letter.
Just be honest that you may not have had roles in the industry, but bring about so much more.
Like, your transferable skills, attained thanks to your whole work and life experience (e.g. the skills your summer spent working abroad taught you).
Or, focus on what makes you, you, and that one past success that can help you stand out and impress recruiters (think of awards you've attained and how they've helped you become a better professional).
Alternatively, write about your passion and drive to land the job and the unique skill set you would bring to enhance the workplace culture.
Key takeaways
Writing your hardware engineer cover letter doesn't need to turn into an endless quest, but instead:
- Create an individual hardware engineer cover letter for each role you apply to, based on job criteria (use our builder to transform your resume into a cover letter, which you could edit to match the job);
- Stick with the same font you've used in your resume (e.g. Raleway) and ensure your hardware engineer cover letter is single-spaced and has a one-inch margin all around;
- Introduce your enthusiasm for the role or the company at the beginning of your hardware engineer cover letter to make a good first impression;
- Align what matters most to the company by selecting just one achievement from your experience, that has taught you valuable skills and knowledge for the job;
- End your hardware engineer cover letter like any good story - with a promise for greatness or follow-up for an interview.
