Ready to get your geek on? Landing a job at Google is a crowning achievement for many technology professionals. With cut-throat competition for these tech jobs, an astounding Google cover letter is the minimum requirement to get your foot in that hallowed interview door.
But what do you say to a company that has heard it all before? Telling them how amazing you are won’t make you stand out, so just go with the depth of what makes you great and hope that this is what they are looking for. If the fit isn’t quite there, you likely wouldn’t last long anyway. Share the very essence of who you are and what you can do for them.
A Google cover letter should start the conversations that you wish to continue during an interview. They are an entrepreneurial company, so while you seek to ‘fit’ the job description. If you feel that you can add value in certain ways, tell them about it.
Technology cover letters should contain a wealth of technical experience but remember to blend it with your behavioural skills. Check out our other cover letter examples and writing guides to give you a broader idea of writing approaches. A long list of programming languages and project deliverables won’t do. You need to weave a compelling narrative.
Here are some things that we will cover in this Google cover letter example guide:
While you have likely seen many weird and wonderful applications to Google, showcasing your core experience and skill-set is vital here. Don’t go too wild and follow the standard cover letter format. The content of your cover letter is what matters most. It should include:
The three-hit structure of the intro, middle part and conclusion will allow you to pick three main stories from your career. Do your research into the role in question and think about the biggest challenges that you will be facing. Then picture yourself telling the story in front of the Google hiring manager during an interview. Pick out the most compelling narratives.
There is more to writing a cover letter than telling a good story — our comprehensive cover letter guide shares insights into the choices that an applicant has when organising the letter. The adaptable cover letter example below may offer some ideas:
Dear Mr. Abrokwa,
As a lifelong digital enthusiast, I have a proven track record of embracing new technologies and staying ahead of the curve. This is why I am writing to apply for the opening on your digital marketing strategy team.
From creating top-ranking blogs as a teen in the 2000s, to being an early adopter of platforms like YouTube when it was just a startup, I have always been a strong digital innovator. After graduating in political sciences, I’ve used the strategic thinking that it taught me to help a range of companies to better reach their audiences online. On my last project, I led a team in redesigning a marketing funnel which led to a 400% increase in click-throughs.
While my results speak for themselves, I credit my success in the field to an inquisitive mind and not being afraid to push the boundaries. I know these are values that match well with Google’s modus operandi. For instance, in my first copywriting role I created a social media content strategy for the company owners. Upon implementation, brand engagement doubled from one month to the next as a result.
While I know when to pitch my ideas with confidence, I balance this with an understanding of when to be a team player. I am a senior marketer, however, it was insight from our most junior team member in my last job that helped us to make an important change to a recent landing page. Their idea in changing the structure of the page’s calls to actions sped up the user journey, taking them from a ‘warm lead’ to a paying client faster than had been initially planned.
I believe my mix of boundary-pushing and team building skills would make me an excellent asset. I would love the opportunity to discuss this role further with you, please do not hesitate to contact me for an interview.
Sincerely,
Emma Lewes
Everything at Google needs to be done by the book, so the cover letter header should be functional and unobtrusive. Share your full name, email, and mobile number in text (no fancy graphics) so that they can be easily recognised by the ATS software.
Google probably knows where you live anyway, but there is no job search reason to include your full home address — there are potential data protection issues. You can share it when you get to the offer stage. Unless you want to be incredibly formal, there is also no reason to give the inside address of the employer.
Picking the right greeting for your cover letter is vital. When an application needs to go perfectly, this is not something that you would want to stumble on. Check the title of the hiring manager and make sure that you spell the surname correctly.
Google is a massive organisation (and somewhat formal in the early interview stages), so it may be that you do not know to whom the cover letter should be addressed. Avoid the impersonal ‘To whom it may concern’ greeting and opt for a warmer “dear (department) team.” Your cover letter will likely be read by multiple people, so this is acceptable.
Get to the point in the introduction. Lead with your biggest achievement and the one thing that will catch their attention. If you start in a rambling and mundane manner, they won’t read any further. Impress with detail, offer some context to your greatest accomplishment.
If you want a job at Google, the whole introduction should read like a persuasive work of art. Be deliberate in your word choices, deploy only the most impactful action verbs and remember to keep it brief. You won’t intrigue them with five lines of waffle. Showcase yourself as a technology leader who is in demand.
Check out the cover letter sample for inspiration:
Dear Mr. Abrokwa,
As a lifelong digital enthusiast, I have a proven track record of embracing new technologies and staying ahead of the curve. This is why I am writing to apply for the opening on your digital marketing strategy team.
Any Google applicant will be brimming with career stories. You will likely have many more than you can fit into a brief Google cover letter, so pick only the ones that will set you apart from the competition (and go into a little detail on each one).
No hiring manager wants to read a long list of accomplishments — give them some juice on how you went about hitting the heights and a sense of what it is like to work with you.
It is this sense of uniqueness and personality that is welcomed by a top company such as Google. The success of their culture lies in the attraction of the most brilliant minds, so don’t feel that you need to conform to any sort of standard. Being different is not a bad thing – as long as you can explain how your differences help you to attain results.
The middle part of a Google cover letter can also touch on your educational achievements. Any technology-related job is likely to have a long list of developmental requirements, so only share the skills that are genuinely rare.
The middle of this cover letter sample strikes all the right notes:
From creating top-ranking blogs as a teen in the 2000s, to being an early adopter of platforms like YouTube when it was just a startup, I have always been a strong digital innovator. After graduating in political sciences, I’ve used the strategic thinking that it taught me to help a range of companies to better reach their audiences online. On my last project, I led a team in redesigning a marketing funnel which led to a 400% increase in click-throughs.
While my results speak for themselves, I credit my success in the field to an inquisitive mind and not being afraid to push the boundaries. I know these are values that match well with Google’s modus operandi. For instance, in my first copywriting role I created a social media content strategy for the company owners. Upon implementation, brand engagement doubled from one month to the next as a result.
While I know when to pitch my ideas with confidence, I balance this with an understanding of when to be a team player. I am a senior marketer, however, it was insight from our most junior team member in my last job that helped us to make an important change to a recent landing page. Their idea in changing the structure of the page’s calls to actions sped up the user journey, taking them from a ‘warm lead’ to a paying client faster than had been initially planned.
Someone applying to Google will want to use every last word of the cover letter well. Having said this, it is important to end on a note of optimism and self-confidence — say you are looking forward to the potential of finding out more at an interview.
Don’t be presumptuous and definitely don’t beg — simply find that middle ground. Have a look at our Google cover letter example conclusion:
I believe my mix of boundary-pushing and team building skills would make me an excellent asset. I would love the opportunity to discuss this role further with you, please do not hesitate to contact me for an interview.
Sincerely,
Emma Lewes
When you work for Google, mistakes are a core part of the job. Since you are pushing for amazing outcomes, regular setbacks will happen. Basic mistakes, however, are not acceptable. Make sure that you avoid these common errors in your Google cover letter:
With Resume.io, writing your cover letter is as easy. Our carefully market-researched cover letter templates let you skip the fiddly formatting and simply start writing. If you’re looking for additional inspiration for cover letter writing, you can check out our related cover letter examples below.