How To Write A Biochemist Cover Letter (+Templates)

Biochemistry jobs can involve working in government, academia, or for pharmaceutical companies – and all of these jobs will require a cover letter tailored to each role. Having a well-written cover letter can make you stand out during the hiring process and get invited to interviews. Whether you’re interested in working in academic, research or industry, your cover letter as a biochemist is an opportunity to share your scientific expertise, problem-solving skills and passion for applying your biochemistry knowledge to a real-world job. 

We’re going to go over ways you can tailor your biochemistry cover letter depending on the type of role you’re applying for, including some examples to help you get started.

Biochemist Cover Letter Templates

1) Biochemist Cover Letter for Pharmaceutical Company Roles

If you’re interested in working for a pharmaceutical company, your cover letter should focus on your lab skills, familiarity with biochemical techniques, your research history, and passion for pharmaceutical development. 

As you can see, this biochemist cover letter focuses on skills, experience and leadership, which allows recruiters to match this application to the job posting’s criteria.

2) Biochemist Cover Letter Template for Academic Roles

Roles in Academia require more specialised knowledge of a niche in biochemistry, as well as previous research experience or interest in a relevant area. Cover letters for academic biochemistry roles need to focus on these areas, and make sure you draw on your personal achievements as an academic as well.

An academic cover letter is much more letter-like compared to a typical cover letter. Usually, the professor or academic in charge of the lab or department will be reading your cover letter themselves, so make sure you use a more personal tone when sharing your experience & skills.

Biochemist Cover Letter Template for Government Roles

If you would like to work in a government role, you can tailor your cover letter to suit the goals & guidelines set out by the job posting. Government roles usually have stricter application requirements – be sure to mention specifics in your cover letter.

Governmental biochemistry job postings will likely have very detailed job requirements, which you can mention directly in your cover letter. By focusing on your skills & experience, you can show ways you meet all of the requirements before a recruiter even starts reading your resume.

Final Tips for Writing Biochemist Cover Letters

If you’re wanting to use our templates for your biochemist job applications, go ahead! Writing a cover letter can be a stressful part of the job application process, so we hope our templates can make it a little bit easier for you. But, before you get started, here are some more things for you to keep in mind as you start writing a cover letter: 

1) Tailor Your Cover Letters

Aside from tailoring our templates with your information, make sure you go an extra step further and tailor your cover letter to every role you apply to. Make sure you read every job posting carefully, and mention the skills, education, certifications & experiences they are looking for. Many people use the same cover letter for every role, changing only a company name or job title before sending it out. A generic cover letter won’t answer the specific requirements set out by a role, and recruiters will simply skip over the rest of your job application if your cover letter doesn't stand out. Always adapt a cover letter so it reflects your personal skills, qualifications, and the job posting itself!

2) Use Specific Examples

Make sure you elaborate on your past experience to demonstrate your skills & qualifications. Mention any specific career achievements, and use metrics or awards to back up your statements. Job postings will list minimum requirements to qualify for the job – so you can use your personal experience to stand out even more for competitive roles. Using specific examples in your biochemist cover letter can allow recruiters to gain more interest in you before reading more about you in your resume, and can also give you some interesting talking points for your interviews as well.

3) Show Enthusiasm

Make sure you add some details about your enthusiasm, passion or excitement about the role or company you are applying to. You don’t need to go too far – but mentioning that your skills align with a company’s mission or goals can show recruiters you are very interested and committed to a role. This also needs to be tailored based on the role you are applying to, but will only take an extra few minutes of research. Many companies have an “about us” or “mission” page where they share company values & goals, so you can check there to see what you can include when writing a cover letter. Remember, you want to tailor every cover letter as much as possible!

Writing a cover letter for a biochemist role involves elaborating on your skills, education and experience, and aligning it with job postings and company values. By tailoring our templates, you can ensure that your biochemist cover letters reflect the job posting for every role you apply for. Remember to also use specific examples to stand out amongst other applicants, and share your enthusiasm and passion for a particular career to show your commitment to a role. If you want to learn more about applying to jobs, and writing cover letters or resumes, check out Cake for more free info!

— Originally written by Bronte McNamara —