Career Change Cover Letter

Making a career change can be exciting, but it’s not without its challenges—like, for example, that some less open-minded hiring managers might have a hard time understanding how your work history fits with their current needs. So you’ll want to do everything you can to help sell a prospective employer on why you’re the right person for the job. Cover letters are a potent secret weapon for career changers.

How do you write a cover letter for a career change? 

Check out these tips to write a cover letter for a career change:

Write confidently about your ability to transition to a new role.

Hiring managers need to feel that, despite your untraditional experience, you have what it takes to assume the role—and that you won’t need excessive training. One way to encourage confidence is to learn as much as you can about the role and write assuredly about how you’ll approach it.

Communicate what your unique experience can bring to the company.

Having a unique background can work to your advantage, helping you stand out from the crowd. You may have different or more advanced skills than other candidates. You may have a unique perspective that the company is lacking. Whatever the case, make it your goal to point out how your career thus far can inform and improve your work in the new role.

Be specific about your interest in the company.

Hiring managers appreciate when candidates have done their research. Read up on recent press releases and follow the company on LinkedIn for updates. In your cover letter, mention the things that excite you about the company and why you think it’s a great fit for your skills.

Highlight your transferrable skills.

You may be tempted to write about the impressive skills you’ve acquired in your career, but unless these skills align with the job description, you’re better off leaving them out. Or, if that doesn’t feel right, then at least find a way to mention them concisely and move on. The main focus of your career change cover letter should be on the skills that the new position requires. Even if you don’t possess the exact experience the role calls for, you can pick skills that closely align and map them to the required skills in your cover letter.

Sample cover letter for a career change:

Here is written a sample cover letter for your convenience and ease:

Dear {{Name of the Hiring manager}}, 

I wish to apply for the role of {{Job Title}}, currently being advertised on {{website}}. Please find enclosed my CV for your consideration. 

As you can see from my attached CV, I have over {{time period}} experience in the {{old sector}} industry. Having worked my way up to {{position}}, I’m ready for a new challenge in the {{new sector}} industry, and see this position as the perfect role to help me achieve this. 

I’m particularly interested in working in {{new sector}} because {{reason for change e.g. my passion for X/I’ve always had a keen interest in X}}, and I feel that I have achieved all that I can in my current industry. 

Throughout my previous positions, I have always enjoyed {{duties which could be related to the new role}}. I believe that this interest, coupled with my {{transferrable skills}} built up during my career, make me the perfect candidate for building a long-term career in this role.

In my previous role as a {{job title}} at {{employer name}}, I was responsible for {{Insert a quantifiable and notable achievement/s - e.g. an x% increase in revenue}}, and despite being in a different industry, I am confident that I can bring this level of success with me to your organization and help {{company name}} build upon their reputation as {{state their position in the market – learned through your research}}. 

Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to meeting with you to discuss my application further. 

Yours sincerely,

After downloading this sample cover letter and filling in the blanks, you can easily customize the style, typography, details, and appearance of your Call sheet template. If this isn't the right letter that you are looking for, then certainly take a look at the other letters that Bizzlibrary.com has to offer. We have many letters ranging from cover letters to business letters and thank you notes.