With an awesome technical writer cover letter, you can stay three steps ahead of other applicants. There’s no doubt that both your professional resume and cover letter are essential steps in your job search journey. The cover letter accompanies your resume to provide the recruiter with extra details about your personality, skill set, and how you can help the company.
Our guide has all the tips you’ll need to apply to land technical writer jobs and achieve your career goals. Keep reading to learn how to create both an ideal technical writer resume and cover letter to impress any hiring manager.
Technical Writer Cover Letter Guide
Not every cover letter is going to look the same, however, all good cover letters require some essential components to make you look professional. Check out our guide on how to write and format a cover letter for your next interview.
Why Does Your Technical Writer Cover Letter Matter?
Becoming a technical writer sought after by recruiters and employers requires writing a good cover letter. The cover letter creates the first impression a recruiter will have about you. Hiring managers tend to prefer resumes accompanied by a cover letter detailing personal and professional details, so never forget this crucial step in the hiring process.
The central aim of a cover letter is to demonstrate your unique attributes as the best candidate for the job. The cover letter also shows the recruiter your passion for the position, which is difficult to express with a resume. A well-written cover letter lets the recruiter know that you encompass all the necessary attributes to land the job.
Essential Components of Your Technical Writer Cover Letter
A technical writer’s cover letter must have specific components to be professional. Even if your grammar and formatting are excellent, not including key features may not get you scheduled for an interview. See some of the details encompassed in a technical writer cover letter below.
- Address and Name. Your cover letter should provide your contact details for the recruiter or hiring manager. Make sure to use appropriate contact information for both yourself and your employer.
- Salutation. You need to greet the recruiter or the employer at the beginning of your letter. The most standard way is “Dear Hiring Manager,” but make sure to include their formal name and title if you can find it online, as this shows you spent the time to research the company and position.
- Introduction: The introduction of the cover letter can explain where you heard about the job position and express your passion for working in the field.
- Body: The body of the cover letter is supposed to explain why you are suitable for the position. Try not to be generic. Make your cover letter unique and align it with the job description by describing your experience and skills using key words listed in the description.
- Closing Statement: Conclude your cover letter by encouraging the hiring manager to contact you, and express your gratitude for their time and consideration.
5 Tips for Writing a Strong Technical Writer Cover Letter
Although an ideal cover letter should not be more than a page, it can be challenging to develop something good. The word count of a cover letter should ideally be less than 500 words, and you should fit in as much relevant professional experience and evidence of your skills as possible. To write a cover letter as a technical writer seamlessly, take note of these tips below.
- Uniqueness. You need to write a custom cover letter for every job. Some recruiters are experts in detecting generic cover letters. Hiring managers throw out generic cover letters, so target the cover letter to fit into the specific position.
- Formatting: The first impression a hiring manager has about your cover letter is the way it was formatted. If you send a hard copy to the recruiter, use a business letter format. A cover letter structured within an email may look different, but three to four paragraphs are typically sufficient.
- Proofread and Edit: You can download a content reader to read what you have written out loud or get a trusted friend to preview it. Check for grammatical errors and make sure that important details like names, addresses, and dates are accurate.
- Job Posting Requirements: Pay attention to the job posting requirements as you draft your cover letter. Some job descriptions may require that you send your cover letter and resume via email, whereas some companies prefer physical copies. If you fail to follow the recruiter’s instructions, they may see you as unfit for the job.
- Show Personality: As much as you want your cover letter to be professional, include enough personality to share who you are. Stay away from generic phrases and tenses that don’t feel natural, and shift more energy to display your professional abilities.
Technical Writer Cover Letter Example
If you are familiar with drafting a formal or business letter, then a cover letter will be a little bit easier. Nevertheless, a cover letter is difficult because you are trying to create an excellent impression to land a job. To understand how to write a technical writer’s cover letter, look at this generalized example below.
Technical Writer Cover Letter Sample
Jane Doe
1234 Address St.
City, State, Zip Code
(123) 456-7890
emailaddress@email.com
Dear [Insert Name],
I saw your publication for the position of technical writer you posted on your website. I’m very interested in applying for the job of technical writer in your firm. I have three years of technical writing experience and am highly focused and attentive to detail. I always strive to surpass my employer’s expectations.
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in English and worked with companies such as XXX and XXXX. I was responsible for creating technical content for several of their publications, including XXX and XXX. I always met my deadlines and produced professional and factually-accurate work.
I have acquired skills in all common technical writing software tools and can work quickly and diligently to use my talents to add value to your company. You can see examples of my publications in my attached portfolio.
Thank you for your time and consideration of my application! I look forward to hearing from you.
Jane Doe
Technical Writer Resume Guide
Crafting a winning resume that will impress a potential employer can be difficult. Focus on highlighting your professional strengths and communication skills, and emphasize how your background makes you qualified for the specific position you are applying for.
Why Does Your Technical Writer Resume Matter?
A resume is the best way to demonstrate your set of technical writing skills. Compared to the cover letter that focuses on why you are the perfect candidate for the job, the resume is designed or supposed to speak volumes of your skills.
Remember, the technical writing skills required of a writer are varied, and might change depending on the field. You can curate your skills to target the job description. Altering your resume to fit each role you apply for will give you a better chance at making it to an interview.
Essential Components of Your Technical Writer Resume
As you may have noticed, a resume is quite different from a cover letter. A good resume must include a few essential components described below to impress your hiring manager and make you a strong candidate.
- Header: This is the section on the resume where you need to include your name, address, phone number, and email. Usually, employers contact job seekers via their phone number or email.
- Summary: This section will give the recruiter a brief overview of your strengths as an applicant, and will be the first thing they look at. It should only take up one or two lines.
- Education: Use this section to highlight your educational background. Start with the highest level of education you have attained down to the list. You may include the dates of attendance if the job description requires it. Notably, include your GPA if it’s above 3.0 and any other academic achievements.
- Experience: Most job recruiters love to look at this section of a technical writer’s resume. You need to include the prominent clients you have worked for and what you did as a technical writer to improve their business. You don’t need to include all your previous experience. Add only those that relate to a technical writer position.
- References: Only include references if the job description requests it. Include people who would speak well about your technical writing skills. Two or three referees are appropriate, except the job description states otherwise. List the referees in alphabetical order and include their phone numbers and email addresses.
5 Tips for Writing a Strong Technical Writer Resume
There are various approaches to writing a resume. To write a solid technical writer’s resume that would land you a job, highlight your major skills and relevant experience. Use these tips highlighted here to create the perfect resume for a technical writer.
- Be Strategic: Outline all the jobs you have ever had may not be helpful. You should highlight the experience or skills you have that would help you land the current job you are applying for. Tailor your resume to skills that capture your problem-solving abilities as a technical writer.
- Be Consist: Whichever format you adopt from the beginning, remain consistent till the end. Use a professional font and keep the formatting the same for every section. It is especially important when applying for a role as a technical writer to show your attention to detail.
- Don’t Forget Soft Skills: You can include unrelated jobs if you can explain how they helped you gain relevant soft skills, such as leadership skills or time-management skills. This is especially true if you don’t have technical writing experience.
- Think Like a Recruiter: Assuming you were a recruiter, will you hire yourself? Put yourself in the position of the prospective employer or recruiter. Think of what they want from you as a technical writer.
- Visual Balance: The form and format of your technical writer’s resume should help the employer quickly scan through. The employer may have numerous applications to look through. If your resume’s format is clumsy, then it may be thrown aside. An overwhelming amount of text is not ideal for a resume.
Technical Writer Resume Examples
A good resume should convince the recruiter that you are the best candidate for the technical writing position. If you are struggling to get started, check out our sample summary section of a resume and full resume template below. Following a resume template is a great way to ensure your document includes all the necessary information and looks professional.
Technical Writer Resume Sample: The Summary Section
Detail-oriented and organized technical writer with over three years of experience crafting digital operating instructions. Holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and can accurately distill jargon-heavy information into user-friendly content.
Sample technical writer Resume Template
[Full Name]
"Career Karma entered my life when I needed it most and quickly helped me match with a bootcamp. Two months after graduating, I found my dream job that aligned with my values and goals in life!"
Venus, Software Engineer at Rockbot
[Address]
[Telephone]
[Email address]
[Date]
Objective
[State clearly why the recruiter or employer should hire you for the position. This section is where you should emphasize your primary skills and experience.]
Education
[Outline all your degrees, certification, or training you have acquired that is in tune with the position you are seeking for.]
Work Experience
[State your work history and experience. However, state your work experience that is closely related to the position you are applying for]
Skills
[Outline the various technical skills that would make the recruiter employ you for the job. You can add a few other skills after you have listed those tailored to the job description.]
References
[Add a few people who you have worked alongside and can attest to your professionalism. Add their contact details too. Include this part if the job description requests you to do so.]
Technical Writer Resume Template Resources
- ResumeGenius: You can find lots of resume samples on this website to get you started on this complex process. There are several formats of resumes for technical writers to draw inspiration from for their own documents.
- Indeed: Get a free resume template from this site and work on your technical writer’s resume. You can also customize the resume to suit your job application.
- WorkBloom: This website offers a massive collection of resumes to accommodate various professions. You can download templates to help you craft professional job application documents.
Importance of a Technical Writer Cover Letter and Resume
The best way to describe your potential, skills, and experience as a technical writer is to craft an impressive resume and a cover letter. Both must create a good impression of your work and work ethics to get you through the hiring process. A poorly drafted resume or cover letter could stall your chances of landing a lucrative position or furthering your career.
Technical Writer Cover Letter and Resume FAQ
If the submission guidelines for the job position state that you send a single document, you should do so. Usually, cover letters and resumes are submitted as separate documents since they serve two different purposes.
To write a technical writer’s resume you need to stay focused on your most relevant experiences. If you can, quantify your accomplishments with relevant facts. Avoid repetitions and end the resume by leaving the door open for the employer to contact you.
Yes, it is important to have a well-written cover letter and resume because hiring managers base their decisions on these documents. A cover letter is crucial because it explains things that you may miss out on in your resume. In most cases, recruiters tend to pay more attention to the cover letter because it creates the first impression about you.
Spelling errors, bad grammar, poor formatting, and exaggerating the truth are common cover letters and resume mistakes. You should also attempt to only include information that is relevant to the job you are applying for as you write your cover letter.
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