Solutions Architect cover letter example

Businesses rely on technology to advance their goals. The IT department supports those goals. When a company looks for new IT components, they first talk to a salesperson, but the solutions architect bridges the gap between the salesperson’s knowledge of products and solutions and the workings of the company’s IT department. They listen carefully to a business’ road map and recommend the specific software, hardware, or infrastructure that will help the company reach those goals.

As a big-picture thinker, you know that all the pieces have to come together to create a unified system that efficiently supports your company’s customers. When you’re crafting your solutions architect cover letter, you should apply those same principles. You need to support your goal of getting that coveted interview with an efficient message tailored to your prospective employer’s needs.

Once you’ve perfected your resume, you can use it as a guide for your cover letters. To get you started, our comprehensive cover letter guide offers general advice, but within this writing guide and the accompanying solutions architect cover letter example, you will find advice on:

• Why a cover letter is worth the extra effort
• A breakdown of each section of your solutions architect cover letter
• Tips and strategies for making the most of each paragraph
• Ideas for making a personal connection with each prospective employer

Before explaining how to write your cover letter, let’s discuss why you should write one at all—even if it’s not a requirement of your job application.

While your solutions architect resume presents your career in its best light, it does not offer much opportunity to illustrate to your prospective employer how you think about IT infrastructure or how you interact with stakeholders during the process of developing a new system. Your cover letter is your best shot at doing this and at impressing upon your reader that you really want the job they have on offer.

Now let’s jump into the specifics.

Best format for a solutions architect cover letter

Most IT projects contain similar elements but with different details. The same is true of a solutions architect cover letter. Once you know what sections to include, you can begin deciding what to put into them.

The format of a solutions architect cover letter should contain the following elements:

• The cover letter header
• The greeting/salutation
• The cover letter intro
• The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
• The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)

Below is an expertly-written solutions architect cover letter sample that you can draw from:

Cover letter header

When it comes to design, your solutions architect cover letter header is it. And while an eye-catching look is important, content rules here. When you impress with your cover letter and you’re on your way to an interview, the recruiter wants your contact information readily at hand.

To ensure a smooth transition to “When can we schedule a time to talk?” include all your vital information: name, title, best phone and email with which to reach you, and any professional social media accounts you maintain—just as you did on your resume. Speaking of your resume, make sure your cover letter design complements it with the same or similar fonts and flourishes. Our cover letter templates correspond to our resume designs to make this process easy.

Cover letter greeting

The first place to make a personal connection with your reader is right up front in your greeting. A solutions architect cover letter should demonstrate how you instill confidence in your advice with stakeholders. A good start is addressing them by their names.

To successfully achieve this, you may need to do a little digging. Not only is it important to address the correct person, but you also must address the correct person correctly. Make sure you know their preferred honorific and pronouns. When in doubt, simply use the person’s full name after the word “Dear”.

If you cannot get a name or are applying to a committee, you may go with “Dear Hiring Committee,” or “Dear IT Department.” Unless you know the hiring manager personally, keep it formal.

Cover letter introduction

You’ve established who you are writing to; now it’s time to let them know the highlights of who they are reading about. The introduction of your solutions architect cover letter must start out with an intriguing statement so that your reader will be motivated to continue.

So what will interest your reader? Most likely it’s a sentence or two about how you envision IT infrastructure and work with customers to ensure smooth installations. Another option is to highlight examples of how you have already engineered solutions for customers in similar situations or industries as those your target employer serves.

While you should include a sentence that summarizes your career and includes a strong adjective that defines your work style, your prospective employer is most interested in how you will help them achieve success.

Cover letter middle part (body)

OK, so you’ve said that you’re the person to architect a great solution. Now you have to expand on that by relating more details about a project you handled. The middle part, or body, of your solutions architect cover letter, offers you 3-4 paragraphs in which to do that.

Remember that all IT stakeholders understand that projects don’t always end on time and under budget. In your letter, you may want to describe not only the project that ran like clockwork from start to finish but a difficult situation that you successfully resolved or an example of how you helped the salesperson understand the intricacies of a client’s needs. Make sure you are addressing your reader directly by choosing examples that relate to the job description.

Use a bulleted list to highlight achievements that don’t need a lot of explanation, but add evidence to your case for employment. This also helps to break up blocks of type and give your reader a visual respite.

How to close a solutions architect cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)

You have reached the final paragraph of your solutions architect cover letter, but a simple “thanks for reading” isn’t enough. When you present your IT plan, you state why it makes sense, offer details, and then repeat your main point. You need to do the same here.

A strong finish reminds your reader of why you’re a great choice for the job. Then, it reminds them that you really want the job by suggesting further action. A sentence such as “I would be grateful for the opportunity to expand upon my IT ideas for your company,” lets the hiring manager know that you are already thinking about their pain points and how to solve them.

Finally, sign off with “Sincerely,” “Best regards,” or something similar, and your full name. A signature is not necessary in an email cover letter.

Basic mistakes in a solution architect application letter (and how to avoid them)

• Using too much technical language. Yes, you are in a technical field, but that doesn’t mean that the first person to read your letter will understand all your jargon. Too much technical language can also make your letter sound robotic.
• Failing to proofread. Every project entails details. Spelling and grammatical errors leave the impression that you miss those important details, and may do so in your job.
• Sending the same letter to multiple companies. Every job is different. While you may not have to completely rewrite each letter, you do need to make sure you use the company name and target your examples to their needs.

Key takeaways

1. A cover letter gives you the opportunity to detail your case for employment in a more personal way than your resume.
2. Communication and rapport are key aspects of your job so make sure you show them off in your solutions architect cover letter.
3. A strong introduction will entice your reader to keep going.
4. Keep your tone professional, but avoid sounding like a machine by using too much technical language.
5. Try an attractive layout with our cover letter templates.