Working in IT can be rewarding and exciting, and few careers offer as much variety and opportunity for growth. From tech startups to charities to billion-dollar corporations, good IT professionals are needed everywhere.
To get the tech job of your dreams, you’ll need to write a first-rate IT cover letter to accompany your resume.
While it’s not as difficult as you might think, it can also be deceptively tricky. There are common cover letter mistakes that even the most experienced professionals make.
That’s why we’ve created the following guide to explain the steps you must take to ensure your IT technician cover letter hits the mark. Read on to discover all you need to know about how to write an IT cover letter.
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How to Write an IT Cover Letter
1. Before You Begin Writing Your IT Cover Letter
Before you begin writing, it’s essential you sufficiently prepare, specifically in two areas: the IT cover letter format and what you choose to include inside.
First, format your cover letter to be both easy to read and professional in design. In terms of margins and spacing, it’s good to have a lot of white space on the page, particularly between paragraphs. This makes it much easier for hiring managers and tech leads to go through.
Second, always go through the job advertisement carefully, and have a copy of the IT job description open as you write. Everything that you include in your cover letter for IT jobs should relate to a key point in the job description. Establish which areas of your background most strongly align with the job description and lead with those points.
Finally, be sure to tailor the cover letter to this specific information technology job description. While many of the IT jobs you apply to may be similar in their requirements and descriptions, tailoring a cover letter tells the tech recruiter you really want this job.
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2. The IT Cover Letter Header
When writing your cover letter, follow standard business letter conventions. Accordingly, you need to include your name and address, the date, and the company’s address (preferably with a contact’s name and position).
See the following IT cover letter sample for a visual guide:
Richard Solomon
35878 County Rd #179
Cohasset, MN, 55721
August 21, 2021
Terry Billingham
HR Officer
Nvidia
2788 San Tomas Expressway
Santa Clara, CA 95051
3. Salutations & the Introductory Paragraph
After you’ve created an appropriate header, you can start working on the IT cover letter introduction. Always address your information technology cover letter to the most relevant individual; typically, this will be the person who will actually be interviewing you.
If the job description doesn’t specify who the hiring manager or recruiter is, do a bit of research. Look up the company’s structure on their website to discern who the head of the relevant department is. Alternatively, LinkedIn may reveal the person in question. You could even call up the company and ask about it.
Doing all this may seem like a lot of effort for what appears to be a minor detail in your cover letter for an IT job. However, by going the extra mile, you’re communicating your resourcefulness to the recruiter. Moreover, addressing the hiring manager directly in your letter will have more impact. This can help you to stand out from the other job candidates.
Keep in mind that there will be occasions when you simply can’t learn the person in question’s name. For example, if the job advert has gone through a recruitment agency, these details may have been intentionally withheld. In such instances, you can simply write “Dear Hiring Manager.”
Now, after the salutation, you need to craft a compelling introductory paragraph.
Remember: IT hiring managers have to read a very high volume of applications. Consequently, if you don’t quickly make an impact, it’s easy to lose out.
To maximize your chances of capturing the hiring manager’s attention, provide a succinct outline of how your background makes you the right candidate. Also, briefly include your motivation for applying, making this as punchy as possible.
Richard’s IT cover letter example here shows how this can look:
Dear Terry,
I am writing in response to the IT project manager vacancy on Indeed, because I believe I have the expertise you're looking for. In line with the job specifications, I have a bachelor’s degree (network administration) and five years of experience with managing large, diverse IT teams for Honeywell. Specifically, I have led teams of IT professionals in ensuring the security of the company’s databases, which is one of the key aspects you’re looking for.
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4. The Body of Your IT Cover Letter
After your knockout introductory paragraph, you must now capitalize further with an equally engaging cover letter body.
For information technology cover letters, you can approach this in two ways: either write two or three paragraphs or divide the letter into sections of text with accompanying bullet points.
If you want to speak at length about how specific areas of your experience are relevant to the position, opt for the former structure. Only use the latter to draw attention to multiple achievements in less depth.
Bear in mind that your cover letter for information technology jobs is only one part of your application, as it goes alongside your CV, LinkedIn profile, and perhaps an online portfolio. Don’t replicate what you’ve written in your IT resume draft. Instead, use the cover letter to enhance your resume with additional points, details, or other items your IT resume might not have been able to include.
One final note: it’s often a solid idea to talk about how you’ll fit in with the company’s culture in your IT security cover letter. Fitting in with the company’s values and culture is a huge selling point. Many people forget to even mention anything about the organization’s culture, and yet recruiters often look for it.
Here’s an example from Richard’s IT cover letter:
I was brought in at my previous job to deal with a security loophole that the company was struggling to close. Upon arrival, I assembled my team, set high expectations, and got everyone working around the clock to solve the problem. It took 6 months, but we produced a robust solution that higher management gave high praise for. Since then, I've regularly managed small and large IT projects alike, often simultaneously, and all with my personal adaptation of the PMI framework.
Given the job specifications provided, I think that my experience would be a good fit for this IT project management role. I love coaching and mentoring other people, whether they're on my team or not. I pride myself on building strong teams of IT professionals, creating consensus, and driving actionsforward. I’m a natural go-getter, and so I’d love to be part of the ambitious culture and environment your colleagues are creating.
5. Ending the Information Technology Cover Letter
Finally, you need to write a concluding paragraph. This should be a short yet comprehensive summary of why your IT skills and achievements make you the perfect candidate. Follow this with a call to action.
After that, end your IT job cover letter with “Sincerely,” followed by your name.
Here’s Richard’s IT cover letter example ending:
In summary, I am confident that I have the combination of technical expertise, effective leadership experience, and soft skills needed to excel in this role. I would welcome the opportunity for an interview to discuss how I can immediately start contributing as a project manager at Nvidia. Sincerely, Richard Solomon
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Top IT Technician Cover Letter Tips to Remember
1. Avoid Unprofessional Fonts
Spend a bit of time thinking about the best font and font size to use. Of course you know to avoid cartoonish or unprofessional fonts such as Comic Sans. Any of the most common fonts should be fine to use, including Times New Roman, Calibri, and Arial.
Keep the font size to around 11px or 12px, and leave room between each cover letter section and paragraph. That white space helps keep it easy for them to read!
2. Avoid Excessively Complicated Language
It’s imperative to only use appropriate language. While this might seem an obvious point, it trips up more people than you’d think. This not only means avoiding slang or informal words and phrases but also means steering clear of overly complex terms or unnecessary jargon. Keep it simple, polite, and professional so that it’s easy to understand.
3. Speak About The Business You’re Applying To
Do some research on the business, its history, and achievements, and include this information in the letter. Expand on precisely what it is about this organization that impresses you and has motivated you to apply. This demonstrates your desire to specifically join this team and earn this role, rather than an interest in simply finding a job.
4. Always Save A Copy Of Your Cover Letter
After sending your application to the employer, make sure to save a copy of your IT cover letter for yourself. Interviewers often refer directly to the content of a cover letter. So, it’s a good idea to go through your cover letter before an interview in preparation for potential questions. Consider what they might ask about the experiences you’ve detailed in the letter.
5. Reread The Application Instructions
Although many job applications proceed similarly, sometimes, a company will have specific application instructions. These can include anything from sending a letter of recommendation to stating your notice period in your cover letter.
There may even be explicit instructions regarding the length and format of your cover letter. Make sure you’re always following these precisely. Failure to do so will almost certainly mean a rejected application.
Wrapping Up Our IT Cover Letter Guide
With the information provided here, you should now find it easy to put an outstanding IT cover letter together.
Should you have any questions or feedback on how to write an IT cover letter, please leave us a comment below. Or, if you have any stories or experiences of your own on getting jobs in IT that you’d like to share, we’d love to hear from you.
Happy job hunting!
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