How to build an excellent quality engineer cover letter
Quality engineers are essential team members in any production or manufacturing environment, helping to ensure the production processes are fully optimized. To earn a position as a quality engineer, you need a cover letter that showcases your skills, qualifications, and professional dedication to the job.
In this guide, we will teach you 5 easy-to-follow steps for writing a cover letter as a quality engineer. Keep reading to learn how to:
- Craft a quality engineer cover letter header & headline
- Personalize your quality engineer cover letter greeting & content
- Write a memorable quality engineer cover letter introduction
- Highlight your best skills & accomplishments as a quality engineer
- Conclude your cover letter with an effective closing statement
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1. Craft a proper quality engineer cover letter header & headline
The first step to writing a quality engineer cover letter is to craft a header and headline.
Your cover letter header is the block of text located at the top of the document that includes:
- Your name and professional title
- Your professional contact information
- The name, department, and address of the company you are applying to
Here is an example of a well-formatted quality engineer header
Joe King, Quality Engineer
(123) 456-7890 | joeking@email.com | linkedin.com/in/joe-king
To: Smith Manufacturing & Production, Quality Engineering Department
1234 Street Address
Naples, FL, 34102
Next up is the cover letter headline, a brief title statement used to attract an employer’s attention as quickly as possible. When writing and formatting this headline, you should always use a keyword related to the position, an eye-catching number or trigger word, a powerful adjective or verb, and a promise.
Here is an example of a quality engineer headline, followed by a quick explanation of its main parts
Need a Talented & Driven Quality Engineer? 3 Reasons Why I am Perfect for Your Company
Trigger Word/Number: Need a, 3 Reasons
Keyword: Quality Engineer
Adjective/Verb: Talented, Driven, Perfect
Promise: Your Company – this detail serves as a promise to the employer that your cover letter has been tailored for this specific job and company.
2. Personalize your quality engineer cover letter greeting & content
Any time you write a cover letter as a quality engineer, it is essential to personalize both the greeting and content for the specific job you are applying to.
To do this, you will need to research the company thoroughly before applying, searching for information such as:
- Which staff member at the company will review your application – this information will later be used to create a personalized greeting
- What core values and goals the company has
- What projects (past, present, & future) the company is involved in
A personalized greeting will address a specific person by name – ideally, either a hiring manager or department head within the company.
Here are 3 examples of personalized greetings
- Dear Ms. Jane Doe,
- Dear Department Head Jane Doe,
- Dear Hiring Manager John Smith,
3. Write a memorable quality engineer cover letter introduction
The introduction of your quality engineer cover letter needs to be as concise and well-written as possible, as it will determine if an employer continues reading or discards your application.
A strong introduction will often include:
- A brief overview of your professional history and goals
- A statement on why you are enthusiastic about applying to this company
- A mutual acquaintance (when possible) – mutual acquaintances help to build rapport and credibility, while also giving the employer an immediate professional reference
Here is an example of an effective introduction from a quality engineer cover letter
Dear Hiring Manager John Smith,
I am a Quality Engineer with more than 3 years of experience working in industrial manufacturing. I recently followed your company on LinkedIn, where I was impressed by reviews left by current and former employees about your work environment and leadership. After connecting with your Lead Engineer, Jack Johnson, Mr. Johnson encouraged me to apply for this position.
4. Highlight your best skills & accomplishments as a quality engineer
We have reached the largest section of your cover letter – the body paragraphs. A good quality engineer cover letter will contain between 2 to 4 body paragraphs that answer key questions such as:
- What excites you about working at this company?
- What relevant skills do you possess and how do you plan to apply them?
- What accomplishments or qualifications make you stand out as an applicant?
- How can you contribute to ongoing or future projects the company is involved in?
This is where that earlier research you did will come in. When describing your skills and accomplishments try to relate them back to the needs of the company whenever possible.
Additionally, make sure to include specific and quantifiable details when describing your qualifications. A cover letter gives you ample room to provide many details, so make sure to use the full potential of this space.
Here is an example of how to describe an accomplishment in a cover letter
As a Quality Engineer for [Former Employer], I developed a new method for product quality testing that reduced defect analysis completion time by 45%. This method is patented in my name, allowing me to apply it at any new company I choose to partner with.
5. Conclude your cover letter with an effective closing statement
Finish off your quality engineer cover letter strong with an effective closing statement that includes:
- An enthusiastic sentence saying you are looking forward to hearing from them
- An additional sentence stating you will follow up, including how you will contact them or how they can contact you
- A formal sign-off
Here is an example of a closing statement from a quality engineer cover letter
I am eager to further discuss my qualifications as a Quality Engineer and how I can apply my skills within this position. I would love to meet within the next week and am available Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The best way to reach me is via email at joeking@email.com or via phone at (123) 456-7890.
I plan to reach out through email next Monday if I have not heard back.
Yours Truly,
[Applicant Name]
Follow this cover letter outline for maximum success.
