Front End Developer Cover Letter

If you’re trying to find opportunities for becoming a Front End Developer, you will have to figure out a way to introduce yourself to organizations that have openings at the position. The trick is settling on how you can introduce yourself, your talents, and your accomplishments in a single package. 

In the good old days, before the world had become dependent on computers and smartphones, you might have just picked up the phone or gone directly to a company’s headquarters to knock on its doors. However, another method that was effective in getting a foot in the door then and remains effective even today is to submit a cover letter. This article will explain why and how a cover letter is essential for finding work. Basically, writing a strong cover letter is an effective way to introduce yourself to potential employers.

How to Write a Front End Developer Cover Letter

While many people think of a cover letter as simply a summary of a resume, it serves a different function. A resume catalogs your skills and talents for working at a position like Front End Developer. A cover letter serves a different purpose.

The cover letter provides a narrative that tells the tale of your work history within a short space, which is important in helping you appeal to potential employers. It is critical that a cover letter is no longer than one page and highlights your background and experience, explaining why you are the best candidate for the position being offered. Additionally, you should shape the language of your cover letter to match the job description for the position you’re seeking in order to make a blip on the radar with recruiters searching for someone to fill that position. 

You can look at writing a cover letter like baking a cake, which requires specific ingredients. The basic ingredients here include your name, who you are, and why you’re seeking the position. You should then briefly discuss your skills and experience for the job and close by restating the purpose of your cover letter.

In writing your cover letter, you should be informed on not only the position but the organization offering the job. Your cover letter should introduce who you are by discussing your skills, talents, and experience as they correspond to the position being offered.

Because you are writing the cover letter to get hired as a Front End Developer, your writing should focus on wording relevant to that occupation. The letter should focus on your knowledge and experience related to front end web development along with what else you have to offer if hired.

Writing Your Cover Letter

Below is a breakdown for structuring a cover letter. It might be helpful to think of a cover letter as like an essay in that you’re trying to convince your audience that you’re the best candidate for the job they are offering and that hiring you would benefit their organization. The basic format for a cover letter is one page and single-spaced with extra spaces between paragraphs instead of a first-line indentation. 

Again, the length of your cover letter is important because you will need to grab the attention of the person whose job it is to handle cover letters at a glance, and the first letters usually rejected are the ones that are longer than a single page. It’s important to adhere to the basic format discussed below:

The Header

The header should be at the top of your cover letter and displays the date, your name followed by your contact information, including phone number, home or mailing address, and email address. You normally place your first and last name at the top of your cover letter because the main point of the letter is to get you hired. The date posted provides information on when you submitted your document and could play a role in how relevant an organization looking to fill their opening finds your letter. The contact information following your name should be arranged based on your preference as long as the company hiring can use any of the options to get in touch with you.

Address and Information about the Company

The information below the header should focus on the company you’re looking to work for. Gathering this information may require some research, which includes finding the organization’s mailing address and phone number as well as the name of whoever’s supervising the hire. While some of this information may not be readily available, providing it in your letter might help in creating a connection with the hiring organization by indicating your diligence and seriousness about the position. Knowing the name or names of a person or people responsible for the position will also help you with your salutation.

Salutation

The salutation for your cover letter provides the first direct address between you and the company you’re hoping to work for. Having the name of a person to directly address can provide a personal touch. Of course, in many cases there may not be a particular name available from the company making the hire. In those cases, instead of addressing a single person, you should address the hiring department or use whatever information you might have about the party responsible for hiring the position.

Introduction

Your introduction should be short and simple. Introduce yourself by giving your name and the reason you’re applying to the position. Mention your relationship to the job with wording like “having worked as a Front End Developer for several years at…” if you are currently working in the profession or have worked at the position. If you have never worked as a Front End Developer but are attempting to shift over from a similar line of work, you should use language indicating that in the introduction. Either way, it’s important to provide a clear introduction that is separate from the main portion of your letter, which is where you should go into the details about your ambitions for getting the job.

Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs for your cover letter should state your qualifications and experience to work as a Front End Developer for the company you’re writing to. It’s important that you state clearly and confidently why you’re the best candidate for the position. Don’t be shy about discussing your qualifications. A cover letter is your sales pitch selling you to your potential employer with the goal of securing an interview.

And while your cover letter should present nothing but honest information about your credentials for working as a Front End Developer, there is no need to bring up anything negative about your work history. Your cover letter is your sales pitch, not your confession. Details of your work history is something that you might discuss during the interview you’re hoping to get.

Conclusion

You should conclude your cover letter by thanking its recipient for taking the time to read it. You might also include information about which of the contact is the best way for getting in touch with you, where it’s a phone call, texting, or email. It’s also good to briefly repeat what you stated in the introduction by restating how and why you’re the best candidate for the position. Mention how you welcome hearing from the company soon.

Complimentary Close

You should provide a complimentary closing for your letter with something simple like “Sincerely,” “Cordially,” or “Respectfully.” Beneath the complimentary portion should be your full name since a cover letter is a formal document. Simply writing your first name alone is too familiar and informal, which is inappropriate given the circumstances of hoping to get an interview that could lead to a job. Remember to keep your letter polite and simple.

5 Front End Developer Cover Letter Tips

In constructing your cover letter to find work as a Front End Developer, you should consider several approaches to getting the letter completed: 

Tip #1: Find a Job Announcement That Inspires You to Apply

The first step in applying for work as a Front End Developer is finding the right job to apply for. Working as a Front End Developer requires training and experience in web development with an emphasis on the user-side of building websites and applications. While the job requires skills for coding using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, the role also demands knowledge in JavaScript libraries and frameworks. For example, expertise in Vue.js, a JavaScript library, is a key for developing interactive user interfaces by providing data-reactive elements and flexibility for straightforward APIs.

Tip #2: Gather Information

It’s important to gather as much information about any company you’re submitting a cover letter to. Learning about where the organization is located, what it does, and who might be responsible for hiring you could go a long way towards persuading someone to contact you about an interview. Information gained from the job description along with your detailed research should be used in wording your cover letter. The research also helps you in matching your skills to what the company may be looking for.

Tip #3: State Who You Are, and Explain Your Purpose

Your cover letter is supposed to give the company you’re hoping to work for a good idea about who you are and why you're qualified for the position they’ve made available. Your introduction should be short and simple, beginning with your name and the reason you’re applying for the position. Be sure to include your skills and experience related to working as a Front End Developer in the body paragraph section of your cover letter. Be sure that your wording closely matches what the company looking to hire has written in the job description, including how they may spell a position or other words that tend to have alternate spellings.

Tip #4: Proofread and Rewrite

After completing the cover letter, it’s a good idea to thoroughly proofread your letter and rewrite portions to better articulate your points for being interviewed or hired. Proofreading is simply checking spelling, the names of people addressed in the letter, and that sentences are coherent. The rewrite for your cover letter is simply to ensure that your writing comes across the way you had intended.

Tip #5: Get Feedback

After getting your cover letter completed, you might seek out someone like a colleague or teacher to take a look at what you’ve written. Many universities and online education providers offer help with students transitioning into the workforce. For example, Noble Desktop provides one-on-one mentoring where you would be able to have someone review your cover letter reviewed by experienced professionals.

Learn the Skills to Become a Front End Developer at Noble Desktop

People have several options for learning to become a Front End Developer, which include in-person and live online training courses, bootcamps, and certificate programs that provide real-time hands-on instruction. Noble Desktop offers several live online Web Development courses.

For example, with hardly any prior coding experience, an individual could complete the Front End Web Development Certificate and get headed in the right direction for their new career with training in how to build the user side of a responsive website. This course aims to keep class sizes small so that students can receive tailored advice and guidance from their instructors.

If you would like to learn about designing websites or email programs from coding with HTML, CSS, or JavaScript, you can train for the Web Design Certificate. In addition, this course will teach you how to build websites using WordPress.

If you would like to learn about more options for building websites or apps from scratch through skills in front end web development, Noble Desktop provides information on their Learn Front End Web Development page, which can guide you through learning about several options for becoming a Front End Developer, including what free resources are available and career advice.