When searching for a job or even a career within green technology, it’s very important that you have the right resume and the right cover letter. While optional, creating a cover letter can make a world of difference when applying to any position. The cover letter is essentially an introduction to the hiring manager about you.
Many people don’t bother with a cover letter because they think their resume says everything an employer needs to know. Your resume, however, does not depict all of your assets that you’ll be bringing to your new job. This is especially important when getting into green technology and green jobs; you’ll want to tell a hiring manager what you have not only while in your previous employment, but what you brought to the company in terms of helping them become green.
A cover letter for an environmental engineer should highlight a career in which you have worked towards helping the environment. Again, your resume should be able to speak for itself, but with the cover letter, you should outline how your ideas helped your company become green or how you discovered something that helps the environment in the long haul.
A sample cover letter could look something like this:
John Smith
1235 N Western Dr.
My Town, TW 12356
202.555.3366
jssmith@emailaddress.com
Ms. Catherine Jones
Director, Human Resources
Greener Earth
2645 Halabasher Blvd, Ste. 32
My Town, TW 52545
May 19th 2011
Dear Ms. Jones,
I would like to express my interest in the open position offered by Greener Earth for an environmental engineer. I feel that I am a prime candidate for this position and as such, I have included my resume for further consideration.
As my resume will show, I have spent many years working to help our environment in many different capacities, advising, researching, and thinking up ideas to involve technology to find ways in which we as a society may preserve the planet.
While working with Proctor Reigns, I headed a small team of engineers that worked on trying to get the company to be greener by cutting down on our electricity use. I also directed the team to set up recycling bins and cut out some of the more harmful lights in the building. We also decided to set up a green garden in our back lot so that employees could enjoy eating lunch outside.
I look forward to speaking more with you or one of your representatives on how I can bring my knowledge and experience to Greener Earth and how together, we can think up creative ideas to help our planet. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
John S. Smith