TL;DR: Even with no experience, your cover letter can show that you’re still worth an interview. A good cover letter tells the story of you: Who you are now and where you want to go. You’re showing them your curiosity, your willingness to learn, and the skills you’ve picked up along the way (even if they came from school, side projects, or totally different jobs).

About 90% of hiring managers admit that a cover letter influences their interview decision. They’re looking for a story about why you want this specific role and how you’re a good fit.

A cover letter is your chance to connect the dots between where you have been and where you are heading. In this article, let’s talk about what to include in your cover letter and how to structure it.

Table of Contents

• What Employers Are Looking For in a Cover Letter
• What to Include in a Tech Cover Letter
• How to Write a Tech Cover Letter: Step By Step
• Common Cover Letter Mistakes to Avoid (And How to Fix Them)
• Key Takeaways

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What Employers Are Looking For in a Cover Letter

A cover letter has one job: convince hiring managers that they should interview you. It acts as a  connecting bridge between your resume, portfolio, and the person behind it all.

Hiring managers look for a few things in a cover letter:

• You have genuine interest in the role.
• You have a clear understanding of the job role and requirements.
• A sense of who you are as a person beyond the list of skills.

If you’re a career changer or someone who just graduated from a tech boot camp, this is where you can explain yourself. You’re not apologizing for your non-tech background, you’re showing it off. Explain how your past work experience combines with your new skills and makes you a strong fit for the role.

Don’t just think from your perspective, think from the hiring manager’s perspective as well. They’re scanning dozens of resumes in a day and all of them list similar tools and certifications. 

Your cover letter is the one place where your actual voice and story comes through. It’s often what separates two similarly qualified candidates.

What to Include in a Tech Cover Letter

Every strong cover letter comprises a few key elements. Here’s what you should cover and why it matters.

• An opening hook: Share why you’re excited for this specific role. Highlight your understanding about what the company does and that it genuinely resonates with you.

• Relevant skills and experience: Connect your technical skills, transferable skills, and your background to the job requirements. If the job posting mentions keywords like JavaScript, project management, or client communication, name the experience that matches it.

• A project, achievement, or result that backs you up: Reference a relevant project, internship, or past job achievement. Include a specific outcome or metric wherever you can. For example, “I built a budgeting app that tracks expenses in real time” tells a hiring manager more than “I’m familiar with app development.”

• A clear, confident closing statement: Mention that you’re looking forward to discussing the role further, and thank them for their time.

How to Write a Tech Cover Letter: Step by Step

Ready to bring your cover letter to life? Here’s how to do it, one step at a time.

• Step 1: Read the job description: Pay attention to the key responsibilities, skills, and tools listed. These are the things you’ll want to mention in your cover letter. Use the same language the posting uses where it makes sense.
• Step 2: Research the company: Skim the company’s website, product pages, blog, and careers page. Look for anything that genuinely interests you: a product feature, a mission statement, or even a recent launch. You’ll reference this in your opening paragraph.
• Step 3: Draft your opening paragraph: State why you’re interested in this specific role at this specific company. Mention something concrete you learned in Step 2.
• Step 4: Write your “Why Me” paragraph: Briefly explain your background and list two or three skills or experiences that match what the role demands. This is where you can turn your career change into an asset rather than something to explain away.
• Step 5: Add a specific example or project: Reference a project or experience that showcases something similar to what the job requires. Highlight your transferable skills, certifications, projects, or tools you’ve used. If you have one, link to your portfolio or GitHub.
• Step 6: Close with a clear call to action: End on a professional note. Thank the reader for investing their time, and express interest in discussing the role further.
• Step 7: Edit for clarity: Read your draft out loud. If any sentence sounds stiff or overly formal, rewrite it so it sounds like you. Cut anything that repeats your resume word-for-word. 

Common Cover Letter Mistakes to Avoid (And How to Fix Them)

Even strong candidates lose points on cover letters over small mistakes. Watch out for these issues:

• Being too generic: Mention the company name and specific role. Also add something about their product, mission, or the job posting itself that resonates with you.

• Starting with “I’m applying for…”: Open the cover letter with a sentence that shows enthusiasm or connection instead of just restating the job title.

• Not talking about what you bring to the role: Employers want to know what and how you can help them achieve their company goals, not just what you’ve done in the past.

• Apologizing for your lack of experience: Frame your background as an asset not as a mistake. A career change often means you bring skills a traditional candidate doesn’t have.

• Writing in an overly formal tone: Use conversational language as it builds a connection. You want to sound like a real person, not a legal document.

• Not sharing your projects: Even your school assignments or personal projects can demonstrate real and relevant experience.

• Typos or inconsistent formatting: Double-check spelling and spacing before you hit send. It’s a small thing but can undercut an otherwise strong letter.
• Skipping the cover letter altogether: Especially if you’re a career changer or someone who’s new to tech, this is your chance to stand out. Don’t skip it just because it’s optional.

These same formatting and clarity issues tend to show up on your resumes as well. For a flawless application, look for common resume mistakes to ensure you don’t commit them.

Key Takeaways

Writing a cover letter with no tech experience is all about connecting your existing background to the role in front of you.

Research the company, speak directly to the job description, back up your claims with real projects or metrics, and edit until it actually sounds like you.

You don’t need a perfect resume or a tech degree to write a cover letter that gets noticed—you need a clear story about why you’re ready and one specific example that proves it.

Ready to put these skills to work? Skillcrush’s Get Hired program could be your fairy godmother. It offers hands-on support in turning your cover letter, resume, and job search into a plan that lands you a tech job.

Is Tech Right For you? Take Our 3-Minute Quiz!

You Will Learn:

☑️ If a career in tech is right for you

☑️ What tech careers fit your strengths

☑️ What skills you need to reach your goals