How to Write a Career Change Cover Letter

Wondering how to change careers? Start by explaining your value in your cover letter.

By Camilla Andersson, Monster Contributor

Writing a career change cover letter poses a few challenges, but by focusing on your unique strengths and motivations, you can create a cover letter that sets you apart—even among candidates who have worked in your new field before.

When you're actively pursuing a career change, it's not like you're abandoning your existing skills altogether. You’ll be taking your hard-earned talents and experience to a new industry and learn how to apply them in a new setting.

But still, a lack of industry or role experience can give hiring managers pause when they look at your resume. That's why it's especially important to include a career change cover letter that explains exactly how you’ll use your transferable skills and past accomplishments to succeed in your new role.

In this article, we’ll walk you through how to write a cover letter for a career change and send you off with a career change cover letter example that will show you how it’s done.

How to Write a Career Change Cover Letter

When you write a cover letter for changing careers, make sure to address a hiring manager’s concerns about your lack of experience, including why you’re changing careers and how your past experience is relevant to the new job. Not sure how to start? Here’s how to write a career change cover letter.

1. Introduce Yourself

Start your career change cover letter with a compelling sentence introducing yourself and what position you’re applying to. Address the fact that you’re transitioning into a new career early in the letter. You may know that recruiters and managers only take a few seconds to review each cover letter. But this doesn’t mean you can gloss over your career change. Discuss why you’re changing careers so hiring mangers know that you’re serious about it.

”I am writing to express my interest in the junior web developer position. My experience as a project manager in fintech makes me an excellent candidate for this job. During my five years in finance, I’ve worked closely with engineers developing the latest fintech products. I’m ready to transition into a new role working on the tech side of fintech, and I’ve taken several courses in web development and coding to prepare for this career."

2. Show Your Dedication to Your New Career

When you change your career, the employer’s main concern might not be your lack of experience, especially if you’re only applying for entry-level positions. Instead, they may be worried that you’re a job hopper who won’t stay at the company for the long haul. Recruiting and training new employees costs time and money; the employer wants to know that you’re dedicated to your new career and that the costs will be worth it.

Discuss why you want to start the new career (instead of why you want to leave the current one) in your career change cover letter. If you’ve tried out a similar role before, in an internship for example, make sure to mention this.

”In my career as a news reporter, I’ve covered many social issues affecting our city. Now I want to stop talking about social justice and start doing by directly advocating for change. Im particularly passionate about eradicating child poverty because I’ve seen firsthand how malnutrition has a direct impact on children’s development, both mentally and psychologically. I want to directly combat this problem by taking on the role of public relations manager for your nonprofit.”

3. Detail Your Accomplishments at Past Jobs

Just because you’re starting over in a new career doesn’t mean your past accomplishments are no longer important. Discuss one or two of your achievements at past jobs in your career change cover letter, even if they’re not directly relevant to your new job. Your accomplishments demonstrate your determination, work ethic, ability to meet goals, and other soft skills.

”At my past job I increased our customer base by 30% by leveraging my people skills along with my ability to identify and offer solutions for clients’ pain points. I would apply the same determination to this job. My goal-oriented personality will help me meet and exceed performance metrics.“

4. Include Transferable Skills

Transferable skills are skills that apply to many different types of jobs, as opposed to specific skills. Highlight your transferable skills in your career change cover letter to help hiring managers understand how your prior experience will help you succeed in your new job, even when you don’t have industry experience.

Transferable skills can be soft or hard skills. Remember that a cover letter for changing careers should show, not tell, whenever possible. Back up your soft skills by describing specific situations where you used them. If you know that your references will mention your soft skills, include this as well.

Here are some transferable skills you might want to add to your cover letter for a career change:

  • teamwork
  • public speaking
  • negotiation
  • researching
  • teaching
  • mentoring
  • planning

When it comes to hard skills, write about on-the-job training you participated in, licenses you hold, and classes you've taken.

”In my current role I often have to think on my feet to come up with creative solutions to clients’ problems. My ability to improvise, solve problems, multi-task, and work well under pressure will be highly useful as I tackle unexpected challenges as a customer service manager. My references include clients who I’ve worked with closely to develop targeted solutions that increased their sales numbers by 20-30%. They can provide further detail on my skills in this area.”

Career Change Cover Letter Example

Maria Gonzales
123 Main St.
Denver, CO 80027
Phone: (555) 555-5555
maria@email.com

Month XX, 20XX

Richard Taylor
VP Business Development
Company One
123 Ocean Ave.
Denver, CO 80013

Dear Mr. Taylor,

I am writing to you to apply to the position of HR manager at Company One. I am currently a sales manager but am looking to transition into a career in corporate human resources. Although successful in my sales career, I have realized the aspects of my work I find most rewarding are all in HR-related functions. The following offers a few highlights of my qualifications:

  • Solid foundation in HR affairs: As senior account executive, I have handled a number of HR functions, including recruiting, interviewing, hiring and training new employees. A quick learner of complex concepts and legal issues, I am eager to broaden these competencies.
  • Dynamic communication style: I am adept in building relationships, consensus and a shared sense of purpose. I am known for my ability to quickly establish trust with employees, mediate disputes and motivate others into action.
  • Experience in corporate training: A constant throughout my sales career has been my passion for the design and delivery of staff development programs. Comfortable and experienced giving both large- and small-group presentations, I have conducted hundreds of training seminars for diverse audiences across all organizational levels.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Kind regards,

Maria Gonzales

More Tips for Writing a Cover Letter for Changing Careers

There’s a lot to consider when you write a cover letter for a career change. But first, review general advice for writing cover letters to make sure that yours checks all the boxes. These are some important points to keep in mind:

  • Address the cover letter to the right person. Do some research to find out who does the hiring for the position, when possible.
  • Align your cover letter with your resume. Your cover letter should answer questions the recruiter may have when reading the resume and expand on points that don’t fit into the resume format. This includes why you’re changing careers and exactly how the skills and work experience presented in your resume have prepared you for your new career.
  • Proofread your letter more than once. It can be hard to find mistakes in your own work. Put it away for a few hours and come back to it with fresh eyes.
  • Customize your cover letter to the employer. You don’t have to write a brand-new letter for each job but make some changes so that its unique and relevant to the job posting. For example, target the specific skills mentioned in the ad and mention why you want to work for the specific employer.

Give Your Cover Letter a Monster Makeover

Give your cover letter a real upgrade, just like your career, with Monster’s writing services. Our services can help your letter stand out by showcasing your unique value proposition, even when you’re new to a career field. Upload a draft of your career change cover letter—or even a bulleted list of ideas—and we’ll write you a new version optimized for your new career and written by an expert familiar with the industry.