Software engineer cover letter: example and tips

A complete cover letter for software engineer jobs in Switzerland, what recruiters in the field look for, and the openings available right now.

What the recruiter wants to read

The technologies you use every day, with a concrete project for each.
A measurable result: response times, deployments, fewer incidents, users served.
Your German or French level, often asked for, and your work permit status.

A complete example

Names and facts are made up: replace each one with your own. A copied letter shows, an adapted one gets read.

Example

Subject: Application for the full-stack developer position

Dear Ms Favre,

Your listing for a full-stack developer stood out to me: Lacustre Software is rebuilding its booking platform in Python and React, the stack I have used for four years.

At Datavaud SA, I build and maintain a management application used by 3,000 employees. I migrated its API to FastAPI and PostgreSQL, cutting the response time of the heaviest pages by two thirds, and set up the continuous integration that lets us ship every week.

The way you work in small autonomous teams, as described on your engineering blog, is how I want to grow.

My notice period is three months. I speak fluent French and German at B1 level. I would be glad to discuss this with you in an interview.

Kind regards,
Thomas Perrin

Enclosures: CV, work references, diplomas