Paragraph by paragraph
I'd like to put myself forward for the Senior Design Engineer role at JCB. I have worked on vehicle structures at Jaguar Land Rover since 2020, after two years on the Rolls-Royce graduate scheme, and I am a Chartered Engineer with the IMechE.
His title, his institution and the move
The role, his two employers and his registration in two sentences. A reader sees the level straight away, and that the title is backed by an institution.
On our electric vehicle platform I design structural components in CATIA V5, and every one has passed FEA validation on its first submission. I also led a design for manufacture review that cut the part count by 22%, which our business case valued at £1.8m in manufacturing savings.
Design work and one saving
The CAD tool and the validation record show his design work is sound. The part count is his result; the money is put down to the business case, which is honest about who calculated it.
I coordinated a team of 12 engineers to deliver a suspension upgrade on schedule, and I introduced parametric CAD templates across six subassemblies, which shortened our prototype testing cycle by a quarter.
Leading without the title
Coordinating 12 engineers shows he can run part of a project. The templates are a process improvement with a clear effect.
At Rolls-Royce I rotated through turbine design, manufacturing and testing. In design I worked on cooling channel changes that improved blade thermal efficiency by 8%, and I produced drawings to BS 8888 for more than 15 components.
The graduate scheme, kept useful
Rotations show breadth. The efficiency figure and the drawings standard are specific enough to discuss at interview.
JCB designs and builds many of its machines in Staffordshire, and having the factory that close to the design office is a big part of why I'm applying. I live in Birmingham and my notice period is three months.
Why this employer
A reason drawn from how the company works, then location and notice. Three months is common for engineers and worth stating, because it affects start dates.
Chartered, incorporated or working towards it
The Engineering Council keeps the UK registers for Engineering Technicians (EngTech), Incorporated Engineers (IEng) and Chartered Engineers (CEng). You register through a licensed institution, such as the IMechE, the IET or the ICE.
- Write both: the title and the institution, such as "Chartered Engineer with the IMechE", or after your name, "CEng MIMechE".
- Working towards it: say which stage you are at and when you expect your professional review. Many employers support the final steps.
- Abroad: if your registration is from another country, give the body and say whether it is recognised in the UK.
For an engineering recruiter
Engineering recruiters send a short profile to the client before the CV, so this version is short enough to paste into that email.
Cost savings an engineering manager will believe
Engineering managers have seen too many savings that disappear when someone asks how they were calculated. State the basis with every figure.
| Say | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Per part, per vehicle, per year or over the programme | £2 per vehicle and £2m a year can describe the same change. |
| Who calculated it | A business case or finance sign off is stronger than your own estimate. |
| What you changed | Part count, weight, material or tooling, so the reader can follow the logic. |
| Your part | Led the review, proposed the change or did the analysis. |
Don't add savings from different projects into one total. Each one has its own basis, and a combined figure invites questions you can't answer.
Other engineering roles and their openings
Graduate engineer
Give your degree, your project and any placement, with one result.
I graduate from the University of Birmingham with an MEng next summer, and my final year project redesigned a bike frame lug to cut its weight by 18%.
Manufacturing or production engineer
Show line performance, scrap and downtime, with numbers.
I look after two machining cells running three shifts, and this year we cut scrap from 4.1% to 2.3% by changing how we hold the parts.
Test or validation engineer
Describe the rigs, the test standards and what your testing changed.
I run durability testing on our suspension rigs, and last year a test I designed found a bracket failure four months before production.
Moving into energy or renewables
Show which of your skills carry over, such as structures, fatigue or thermal work.
Five years of fatigue analysis on vehicle structures is the experience I want to bring to wind turbine components.
Engineering lead or manager
Talk about the team, the decisions and one result across the programme.
I lead a design team of nine, and this year we released our chassis drawings two weeks ahead of the programme gate.
Tools and standards worth naming
- CAD and analysis: name the systems the advert mentions, such as CATIA, NX, Creo or SolidWorks, and ANSYS or Abaqus for FEA. Say what you did with them.
- Drawings: BS 8888 is the UK standard for technical product documentation, and its current edition dates from 2020. GD&T experience is worth a line if the job involves tolerancing.
- Methods: DFM, FMEA and lean tools mean more with an example, such as the review that cut part count.
Five mistakes in mechanical engineering letters
Savings with no basis
A big number with no period or source is the first thing an interviewer will question.
Say per what, over what period and who calculated it.
Software without the design
Ten CAD and analysis tools tell the reader nothing about what you designed.
Name the main tool and what you did with it.
A title without the institution
"Chartered" alone leaves the reader to check which institution and register.
Write Chartered Engineer with the IMechE, or CEng MIMechE.
Taking the team’s result
Engineering managers know how much of a project one person usually does.
Say what you led and what the team delivered.
No reason for the sector move
Moving from cars to machinery or energy leaves the reader wondering why.
Give one reason about the work itself.
Length and the details engineers check
- Length: one page. Liam's letter is about 205 words.
- Numbers: units and bases written consistently, such as £1.8m and 22%, with what each one measures.
- Who reads it: usually the engineering manager for the team, so technical words are fine as long as each one is doing a job.
- Confidential work: describe programmes by type, such as an electric vehicle platform, and leave out code names.
The main points from this page
- 1Give your registration title with the institution.
- 2State the basis of every cost saving.
- 3Name the main tool and what you designed with it.
- 4Separate what you led from what the team delivered.
- 5Give a reason for a move between sectors.
Frequently asked questions
What should a mechanical engineer cover letter include?
The role and company, your professional registration, the products and systems you design, one or two results with their basis, the tools you use and why you want this role.
How do I write Chartered Engineer on a cover letter?
Give the title and the institution, such as Chartered Engineer with the IMechE, or CEng MIMechE after your name.
How should I present cost savings?
With the basis: per part, per vehicle, per year or over the programme, who calculated it and what you changed.
Which version of BS 8888 is current?
BS 8888:2020, which replaced the 2017 edition.
How long should a mechanical engineer cover letter be?
Keep it to one page and save the technical detail for the interview.