Bricklayer Cover Letter Example
A worked example for a bricklayer application. Units per day, then whether you run leads and lay out your own work.
Hector Sandoval
Operations Manager
Ridgeway Contracting
Dear Mr. Kowalski,
I am applying for the Bricklayer role at Ridgeway Contracting. I have 12 years in the trade, most recently as Bricklayer, and I am available to start on your schedule.
The job I would point to first is that I laid brick and CMU on school, retail and municipal projects, averaging 500 to 650 brick per day on straight runs. The work I run day to day covers Brick and CMU Laying, Running Leads and Mortar Types and Mixing, which is what your posting describes. I have attached my resume, which sets out the rest in the same terms.
[Add one genuine, specific reason you want to work at Ridgeway Contracting — the kind of work the company takes on, or its safety record. One real sentence beats a paragraph of praise.] I would welcome the chance to talk about where I could be most useful.
Thank you for your time. I am happy to come in and show you the work.
Adapting this for a bricklayer application
Paragraph one: licence, tickets and availability
Name the role, then your licence class and current certifications, then when you can start. A contractor reading this is checking whether you are legally able to do the work and whether you are free. Everything else can wait for paragraph two.
Paragraph two: the work, at scale, done safely
Give one job you can describe concretely: what it was, how big, how long it took and how it went. Add your safety record if it is good. Contractors are buying reliability and competence, and a specific job is more persuasive than any adjective.
Paragraph three: why this employer
This is where most letters fail. "I admire your commitment to excellence" could be sent to anyone. Name something real — a product, a recent announcement, how the team works, the type of work the company takes on, or its safety record — and connect it to your own experience. If you genuinely cannot find anything specific to say, that is worth noticing before you apply.
What this field is judging behind the words
Masonry is priced per unit, so the estimator behind the hiring decision is doing arithmetic on your output. Foremen ask about production rates on comparable work, then check quality by asking how you keep a wall plumb and level over a long run. Restoration contractors hire differently again, screening for mortar knowledge, colour matching and a light hand around historic substrates.
Mistakes that cost bricklayer candidates
- Giving no production figures at all, leaving the estimator guessing
- Treating restoration and new construction as interchangeable experience
- Omitting silica control practice, which is now a standard compliance question
Those are resume mistakes, but they apply to the letter for the same reason: both documents are read by someone deciding quickly whether you understand the job.
What this role needs on paper
The trade is generally not individually licensed, though contractors need a licence in most states. Apprenticeship and NCCER masonry credentials document training. Silica exposure control training is now a routine compliance expectation on masonry sites, and scaffold user training is normal. Restoration work often requires additional preservation-specific instruction.
Where this leads if you get it
Apprentice to journeyworker bricklayer, then lead hand, foreman and superintendent, or into estimating and running a masonry contracting business, which requires a contractor licence in most states.
Before you send it
Check every certification date is current before you send anything, since these are verified and an expired ticket ends the application. Reread for the previous company's name, which is the typo that catches people out most. If the contractor uses an online system, our free ATS checker will confirm the resume parses cleanly.
Bricklayer Cover Letter Questions
What should a bricklayer cover letter say?
Keep it to three short paragraphs and put the practical facts first: the role, your licence class and current tickets, and when you can start. Then one job you can describe concretely, then why this company. A contractor is reading for whether you can be on site and useful.
Do employers hiring bricklayers actually read cover letters?
Often not in detail, and many applications in this field never ask for one. Where the posting requests it, send it — an incomplete application can be filtered before a person sees it — but keep it short and put your certifications and availability in it.
What does this field want to see in the letter?
Units per day, then whether you run leads and lay out your own work. Say it in the first two lines rather than saving it for the second page.
Should I repeat my resume in the letter?
No, and there is no need to list every job again. The resume carries the work history; the letter says what you hold, what you can run, and when you can start.
Should I mention my licence or certifications in the letter?
Yes, in the first paragraph. The trade is generally not individually licensed, though contractors need a licence in most states. Apprenticeship and NCCER masonry credentials document training. Silica exposure control training is now a routine compliance expectation on masonry sites, and scaffold user training is normal. Restoration work often requires additional preservation-specific instruction.
How long should it be?
Short. Around 150 to 250 words is plenty, and one screen on a phone is the realistic length, since these applications are often read on the move or between shifts.
Can I copy this example?
Use the structure and the job each paragraph does, but write your own content. The employer and candidate here are fictional, and a letter describing work you did not do will not survive an interview.
Write Your Bricklayer Cover Letter
Guided prompts, a one-click draft, 8 templates and instant PDF, Word or image download — free, no account, no watermark.
Open the Builder — Free