Data Center Nukes Cover Letter Template

This cover letter template is based on the advice of Dave Alpert, a recruiter who has worked at several data center companies, including most recently at Meta, where he has reviewed tens of thousands of resumes and cover letters. You can listen to the podcast episode where we discuss the art of a cover letter here, or just take a look at the template below.

Generic Cover Letter Template

Dear [Company Name],

Short Opening Paragraph: Express your enthusiasm for the company and highlight what makes them stand out in their industry based on your research. For example, “I am excited to be applying for the [Position Title] role. [Company Name] is a leader in [Industry/Field] for [Specific Reason/Achievement].” Feel free to expand upon this for a sentence or two here. The more specific and niced-down in the “industry/field” and the “specific reason,” the better. Telling a data center company “…I understand that [Company Name] is a leader in the data center industry for AI” is so generic as to be useless. I provide an example of a good intro paragraph see the example below this template. 

Second Paragraph: Very briefly outline outline how your skills and experience align with the job requirements. Use no more than 2-3 lines of text here (similar to the summary section on your resume. Then use bullet points to match your qualifications to their listed requirements.

  • Requirement 1: [Describe your relevant experience that meets this requirement, quantifying achievements where possible]
  • Requirement 2: [Describe your relevant experience that meets this requirement, quantifying achievements where possible]
  • Requirement 3: [Describe your relevant experience that meets this requirement, quantifying achievements where possible]

Very Short Closing Paragraph: Express your interest in discussing your qualifications further and thank the reader for their consideration. 

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Remember, your cover letter is useless1 unless you tailor each and every cover letter to the specific job and company you’re applying to, highlighting relevant experiences and quantifying achievements where possible. The key is to demonstrate how your skills and experience directly match the job requirements, while also expressing enthusiasm and interest in the company.

Sample Job Description

Since each cover letter has to be customized for a specific job, I am going to paste the relevant parts of a job description from a recent Microsoft Senior Data Center Technician (SDCT) job post I found on LinkedIn. It pays $32.40/hr – $60.96/hr, but I know that for this particular type of job (and with nuke experience) you can expect to earn near the top end of this. Add in overtime, stock, bonuses, etc… which makes this a ~$150k/yr job. This job is easily accessible to any one tour Navy nuke, so take a look at the job description first, or you can jump the cover letter example below:

About the job

As a Senior Data Center Technician (SDCT), you will demonstrate expertise in standard processes and procedures for preparing, installing, performing diagnostics, troubleshooting, replacing, and/or decommissioning equipment, as well as a holistic understanding of the functions of, and interactions between, network and server equipment2. You will provide input for suggested modifications to these processes and procedures as needed to improve service quality and efficiency while providing guidance to other technicians.

Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation (CO+I) is the engine that powers our cloud services. As a CO+I SDCT, you will perform a key role in delivering the core infrastructure and foundational technologies for Microsoft’s online services including Bing, Office 365, Xbox, OneDrive, and the Microsoft Azure platform. As a group, CO+I is focused on the personal and professional development of all employees and offers training and growth opportunities including Career Rotation Programs, Diversity & Inclusion training and events, and professional certifications.

Our infrastructure is comprised of a large global portfolio of more than 200 Data Centers in 32 countries and millions of servers. Our foundation is built upon and managed by a team of subject matter experts working to support services for more than 1 billion customers and 20 million businesses in over 90 countries worldwide.

With environmental sustainability and optimization at the forefront of our data center design and operations, we continue to grow and evolve as we meet the ever-changing business demands that hold Microsoft as a world-class cloud provider.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities

Datacenter Operations

  • Demonstrates expertise in and participates in providing guidance on standard processes and procedures for preparing, installing, performing diagnostics, troubleshooting, replacing, and/or decommissioning IT datacenter technology(ies) and equipment. Maintains expertise with the functions of, and participates in providing guidance on the interactions between cabling infrastructure, network, server, and storage equipment.
  • Provides guidance to other technicians on changes to processes and procedures. Reviews Process Change Notifications (PCNs)3 and proactively shares relevant information to enable efficient workflow and evaluate impact on work execution to and identify and mitigate impact changes to their area of work will have on others4. Asks questions when they do not have required information, resolves others’ questions in a timely manner, and may provide feedback on changes to processes to direct-line management.
  • Complies with Data Center business unit policies, procedures, and deadlines with guidance from experienced technicians and/or direct-line management. Escalates issues related to compliance or operational assurance activities to direct-line management.
  • Completes assigned tickets efficiently and in alignment with relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) per task type independently5. Provides guidance and/or assists less experienced technicians with complex tickets or tasks, and appropriately escalates challenging or complex tickets to internal business partners as needed. May coordinate and assign tasks to other technicians on temporary basis, (i.e. in absence of direct-line manager availability and/or ticket assignment automation,) providing direction as needed, to ensure work is appropriately allocated to meet Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) per task type.

Service Delivery

  • Provides guidance to less experienced technicians for, and develops/employs own effective execution order strategy(ies) for assigned tasks. Prepares, stages, sets up, and performs basic startups and shutdowns for hardware (e.g., racks, hard drives, switches) according to specific written instructions provided via checklists, guides, standard processes, emails, while providing guidance to less experienced technicians, with direction from management where applicable. May perform tasks in tandem with other technicians to comply with procedures and safety requirements.
  • Performs discrete quality control activities and assessment of work, to compliance standards and process adherence, performed by other technicians. Regularly performs post-execution verification of grounding, staging, labeling, and cabling to align with all safety protocols, deployment standards, and planned Network Design Templates (NDTs). Identifies errors in deployment standards or Network Design Templates (NDTs) and escalates to relevant technicians, specialists, or internal business partners to coordinate corrections as needed.
  • Applies advanced diagnostics and troubleshooting expertise and/or leverages standard procedures to quickly and efficiently identify the cause(s) of technical issues and replace faulty components in network, storage, or server equipment with zero-to-minimal customer and/or business disruption. Maintains advanced awareness of conditions, circumstances, and scenarios which may reflect significant customer or business impact within the Data Center environment, and escalates observations of imminent incident risks or potential situations immediately to direct-line management.
  • Follows procedures to immediately communicate, report, and escalate data center technical or safety related incidents to direct-line management. Participates in bridge calls to provide details on incident status and executes on-site follow-up actions as directed if necessary. May leverage learnings to contribute to the improvement of quality of service and support.
  • Directly performs decommissions, simple changes (e.g., memory upgrades, OS rebuilds) complex changes (e.g. upgrading entire racks) and refreshes of infrastructure cabling, network, storage, and server equipment, following standard procedures with minimal-to-no guidance. Processes and verifies compliance with standards and procedure for data-bearing devices (DBDs) destruction and/or confirms any-and-all such devices (e.g. hard-drives, solid-state drives, flash cards, etc.) contained within network, storage, or server equipment has been identified for eradication or destruction. May engage as needed to execute work as defined by organizational standards project timelines as communicated, with guidance from direct-line management and appropriate notification to stakeholders.

Managing Service

  • Escalates and/or seeks guidance from experienced technicians or direct-line management regarding client interactions.
  • Maintains an awareness of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) through reporting dashboards, systems, for personal monthly performance discussions as needed.
  • Develops a comprehensive understanding of cross-functional Data Center processes to support partnerships with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Completes required training aligned to job focus areas and workloads (i.e., Break fix, Deployment, Simple Change, Decommission, IT Critical Environment) in a timely manner per direct-line management assignment(s). Actively mentors and supports training of other technicians through on-the-job training (OJT) and by providing direct guidance on specific job focus areas and workloads (i.e., Break fix, Deployment, Simple Change, Decommission, IT Critical Environment). May complete additional or supplemental training to obtain or maintain relevant industry or technical certifications.

Datacenter Work Environment

  • May conduct, assists in conducting, and/or participates in daily safety briefings. Completes required Environmental & Health Safety (EHS) training, provides other technicians with guidance to comply with safety procedures (e.g., equipment use, lifting, electrical hazards, ladder/rolling stair use), completes required Task Hazard Analysis (THAs), and uses appropriate equipment and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for assigned tasks. Adheres to and promotes a culture of safety, taking proactive action to alert others of safety concerns, near-misses, and/or incidents. Participates in the regular cadence of proactive safety observation reporting processes and systems.
  • Completes required security and data management training while complying with security and data management procedures/policies with guidance from direct-line management. May escort third party vendors or IT support on-premises at data centers or network sites. Appropriately takes action and reports physical security access concerns and/or incidents to direct-line management or via established reporting methods.
  • Reinforces a positive and effective team environment by sharing information and best practices with other shifts/technician teams, assisting as needed in cross-discipline collaborations, staying apprised of the status of others’ work to respond to questions regarding work-window adjustments, internal business partner inquires, and other team members, while partnering with other shifts of technician teams to complete smooth transition and effective handover of ticketed work. Provides, responds to, and encourages providing feedback regarding on ways to work more effectively or enhance efficiency within their team and adopts best practices shared within-and-across shifts or technician teams.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

  • High school diploma, GED, or equivalent and basic knowledge of computer hardware and components AND 2+ years’ experience supporting IT equipment or related technology.
    • OR equivalent experience.
  • Ability to work 12-hour shifts, including shift assignments during non-standard business hours that will include 7pm-7am Wednesday through Saturday, evenings, nighttimes, weekends and/or holidays.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Associate degree in computer science or other field and/or equivalent work experience.
  • 3+ years’ experience supporting IT equipment or related technology.
  • 2+ years’ experience working in a production, mission-critical 24x7x365 data center environment.
  • Applicable certifications: ASICS/Inventory Control, CompTIA (A+, Server+, Network+), Basic Structure Cabling (BSC), Data Center Foundation Certification (DCFC), Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP), Vendor-Specific Network Certifications.     

Customized Cover Letter Template

A customized example cover for the above job description is letter below. Take a look at the footnotes here because I explain the logic behind amost every sentence I write in the cover letter.

Dear Microsoft CO+I team,6 

I am excited to be applying for the Senior Data Center Technician (SDCT) role. Microsoft’s Cloud Operations & Innovation team is the world leader in core infrastructure and foundational technologies that power the productivity for billions of people around the world7. Microsoft AI research is among the best in the world, and it all relies on the ability of data centers to maintain massive scale and operational excellence8.

My background as a Navy nuclear technician has provided me with rigorous training in operating complex systems with stringent procedures and safety protocols critical to mission-critical environments9. I developed an extensive skillset that aligns with the SDCT role’s responsibilities. This includes expertise in following standard processes for equipment preparation, installation, diagnostics, and troubleshooting to maintain critical systems. I have experience providing guidance to less experienced technicians on optimizing processes and procedures. My background also covers performing quality control inspections, verifying compliance with standards, and identifying areas for improvement – essential for ensuring adherence to deployment specifications and network design templates.

  • Educational, Experience, and Scheduling Requirements: My 6+ years in the Navy’s nuclear program provided intensive technical training equivalent to an Associate’s degree10, providing rigorous technical training on complex systems, hardware, networks, and production-level 24/7/365 operations – directly aligned with this role’s requirements. Specifically, I bring 4+ years of hands-on experience supporting mission-critical equipment and over 2 years working in a demanding 24/7 environment while ensuring continuous uptime, mimicking a data center setting. While I do not currently hold industry certifications, my Navy experience and commitment to professional development make me an ideal candidate to pursue relevant credentials such as CompTIA, DCFC, and vendor-specific certifications11. I am well-versed in working extended hours across fluctuating schedules and this will not be an issue for me12.
  • Demonstrates expertise in standard processes and procedures for preparing, installing, performing diagnostics, troubleshooting, replacing, and/or decommissioning equipment13: As a Navy nuclear technician, I received extensive training and hands-on experience in meticulously following procedures for operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting the nuclear reactor and associated mission critical equipment14. This included performing regular diagnostics, safety inspections, and equipment replacements to ensure continuous operational readiness and compliance with stringent nuclear regulatory requirements.
  • Maintains expertise with the functions of, and interactions between cabling infrastructure, network, server, and storage equipment: My role involved developing an in-depth understanding of the integrated systems and equipment that powered the submarine, including electrical distribution systems, computer networks, servers, and data storage components. I gained hands-on experience maintaining and troubleshooting these interconnected systems to minimize downtime and ensure seamless operations.
  • Provides guidance to other technicians on changes to processes and procedures: As a lead technician15, I was responsible for training and mentoring junior personnel on proper procedures, process updates, and best practices for equipment maintenance and operations. This involved conducting briefings, developing training materials, and providing on-the-job coaching to ensure consistent adherence to standards across the team.
  • Completes assigned tickets efficiently and in alignment with relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) per task type independently: In the Navy, I consistently delivered on maintenance tasks and equipment overhauls within specified timelines and quality standards. My commitment to efficiency and attention to detail enabled me to complete an average of 3016 work orders per week while meeting all operational readiness targets.
  • Performs discrete quality control activities and assessment of work, to compliance standards and process adherence: A critical aspect of my previous roles involved conducting rigorous quality assurance inspections on completed maintenance activities to verify procedural compliance and identify any potential issues or areas for improvement. This responsibility underscored the importance of strict adherence to protocols in ensuring the safe and reliable operation of mission-critical systems17.
  • Applies advanced diagnostics and troubleshooting expertise to quickly identify and resolve technical issues: Troubleshooting complex equipment malfunctions was a core responsibility that required synthesizing information from multiple sources, analyzing system interdependencies, and rapidly implementing solutions to restore operability. For instance, following an unexpected equipment failure, I utilized advanced diagnostic techniques to isolate the issue and implement a temporary repair, preventing a critical system emergency shutdown18.

I am truly excited about the prospect of joining Microsoft’s world-class data center team19. My background has instilled in me the technical expertise, leadership, commitment to safety and compliance, and ability to thrive in a mission critical environment. I would appreciate the chance to elaborate on how my skills can elevate data center operations20. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

  1.  Or perhaps worse than useless because you wasted your time making it.  ↩︎
  2.  Ignore the “network and server equipment” part of this. Everything in this first sentence are things you have done extensively. You may even have done it with networks and servers if you were an ETN. But regardless of rate, in the very first sentence, Microsoft just told you the summary of the skills they are looking for. Right off the bat you should be feeling confident. ↩︎
  3.  Sounds familiar to me… ↩︎
  4.  Ever done any maintenance deconfliction? ↩︎
  5.  Aka, do your assigned maintenance. Easy day. ↩︎
  6. I am using the slightly more specific team name since Microsoft is a huge company and the job description tells me in the very beginning that it is the CO+I team doing the hiring. ↩︎
  7.  This sentence is literally just repeating back in condensed form what the first “About the job” section said about the company. This section of any job description tells the world what the company wants people to know about it, so very briefly repeat it back to them in your own words. I used chatGPT to generate a bunch of options and then picked and slightly modified the best one for this sentence. You can do this too if you’re feeling lazy. However, as of now (2024), ChatGPT will only make you a generic and average cover letter. Spend the time making a good one. ↩︎
  8.  After about one minute of Googling (sorry Bing) I found a press release where Microsoft says exactly this. I rephrased it and used it here. Keep this paragraph short, no need for anything else. ↩︎
  9.  In the very first sentence of this paragraph I have directly tied experience as a nuke to experience in a “mission-critical environment” (aka data center) which is a term taken directly from the job description. ↩︎
  10.  Obviously if you have a degree, especially a relevant one, even better. If you have any relevant certifications this would be a great place to very briefly list them. ↩︎
  11.  Use a sentence like this if you have no certifications, but I’d recommend getting at least one! ↩︎
  12. This bullet knocks out the education, experience, and scheduling hard requirements. Make it as brief as possible and move on. ↩︎
  13.  Notice how each bullet (except for the first which summarizes the experience, education, and certification requirements) starts with an exact quote from the job description which I bold. This makes it very easy for a recruiter to pick out your qualifications and say “yes.” ↩︎
  14.  Note how I use this “mission critical equipment” phrase often. It is what ties nuclear experience to data center experience. ↩︎
  15.  This can be Navy equivalent of an LPO, WCS, or any similar role. See the thesaurus here. ↩︎
  16. Even though you might have done 200/wk, don’t count the super small things. It makes your numbers seem unrealistic. ↩︎
  17.  There is that phrase again! ↩︎
  18.  You prevented the plant from SCRAMing. ↩︎
  19.  Excitement and flattery never hurts! ↩︎
  20.  Summarize what they want to hear. All taken directly from the job description. Keep this paragraph nice and short. ↩︎

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