Better internships are difficult to come by. Particularly, it is true if you want to work for a reputable company. If you are a student with very little or no experience at all, it can be difficult to persuade employers that you are the right candidate for the position. This is where an internship cover letter might help. Besides, adding an additional cover letter to your internship application is an excellent way to compensate for your lack of expertise. Moreover, your cover letter allows you to express your enthusiasm for the work and emphasize relevant talents and education that may not be visible on your internship CV. That said, read the following article to learn more about how to write an internship cover letter.
What is an Internship Cover Letter?
Are you applying for a new position? There are a few things that you need to do. One of the most important things is writing a cover letter.
In your internship cover letter, you may outline your greatest traits, talents, accomplishments, and experiences to demonstrate to potential employers that you have the expertise required to flourish in the position. By following these guidelines, you may create an engaging cover letter and go one step closer to obtaining the internship you desire.
Besides, you need a few things to make sure that your cover letter for your internship is just as perfect as your thesis.
- Your contact details
- Contact information of the company you are applying to
- Greetings (Respected + Hiring manager’s name)
- Paragraph #1: Introduction with all of your achievements to make sure you create a strong hook
- Paragraph #2: Your relevant skills that tell your reader why are a perfect fit for the position
- Paragraph #3: Your goals and passion and how the company needs your services
- Paragraph #4: Call to action
- Salutation
Do You Really Need a Cover Letter for an Internship?
First and foremost, if you are curious whether a cover letter is required for your internship application, you might feel overwhelmed knowing that yes you need to write a cover letter.
An internship application is similar to any other recruiting procedure in that a manager will review your résumé, cover letter, and sometimes references to determine whether you are suitable for the position.
Contrary to popular belief, recruiters actually read your cover letter. A cover letter is preferred by 56% of recruiters when submitting an application.
This is understandable that a cover letter enables you to provide information that a resume does not include. Furthermore, it explains in words how your experiences relate to the career you’re looking for.
As a result, a cover letter is required as part of your application while you are applying for an internship. Now that we have cleared things up, let’s review how to write a cover letter for an internship.
How to Write a Cover Letter for an Internship
Many believe that resumes and cover letters are becoming extinct. Instead, digital portfolios are the future of resumes. I completely agree! LinkedIn profiles, personal websites, and overall Online presence including on social media are all taking over.
However, for the time being, you should focus on your résumé and cover letter. Because let us admit, good resumes and cover letters still work like magic. With that said, let us learn how to write a cover letter for an internship.
Step 1: Figure Out Who You are Writing to
While I urge you to find out your audience, I mean that you should not only predict who just might read your cover letter but also acquire a feel of who your audience can potentially be more widely. Besides, you should consider altering your tone to match the job description. After all, receiving a stuffy, professional letter at a laid-back startup might be just as off-putting as receiving a chatty message at a company where protocol dictates a serious tone.
Hence, the first thing that you should do is find out who you are writing to. You can do so by going over the company’s website or social media profile. Moreover, as I have mentioned earlier that it is always useful to thoroughly go through the job description to understand what they are seeking as recruiters.
Step 2: Write a Strong Opening
By now we consider that you have found out who you want to write about. Thus, you are good to describe the position for which you’re applying and how you learned about it. For instance, “I am writing with interest about the Marketing Associate opportunity at XYZ organization. I discovered the posting in the newspaper and was instantly fascinated”.
Otherwise, if you want to be more casual, try something like, “I’m writing to convey my excitement about the Marketing Associate position at the XYZ organization. I would like to believe that providence brought this opportunity to my notice, but I discovered it in the XYZ newspaper.”
Besides, make sure that you have thoroughly read the job description before writing the opening. Otherwise, you will not be able to create a strong opening sentence.
Step 3: Mention the Right Things
When examining your application, hiring managers will examine your cover letter or CV for terms that will qualify you for the internship you’re looking for.
For example, if you’re applying for a position in graphic design, the recruiter would most likely be looking for phrases like “Photoshop,” “Illustrator,” or “InDesign.”
As a result, it’s critical to incorporate the correct keywords in your cover letter. You may wonder how you may locate these terms. It is quite simple: look over the job description, go over the needed abilities and duties, and find the keywords that you believe the recruiter is searching for.
Include a few of these keywords in your cover letter. When possible, back each of them up with personal experience. For example, instead of just saying “I am good at Photoshop,” explain how you have taken three separate Photoshop classes and utilized Photoshop for two distinct projects.
Besides, do not include terms that do not pertain to you. Because doing so will make it appear as though you are copying and pasting from the job description.
Other common soft talents that recruiters seek in applicants for the position you’re looking for should be researched and added. If you’re looking for an internship as a communications assistant, you will almost certainly require great communication skills even if it’s not explicitly stated in the job description.
Let us consider that you are applying for an internship that requires the following skills:
- Leadership
- Ability to meet deadlines
- communication skills
- Teamwork
So, you can incorporate the above keywords in the following way.
“While I was working as the chief editor of my university’s newspaper, I got a great chance to enhance my communication skills. Since I was leading 8 other students, it helped me develop leadership skills and teamwork. Besides, we all would agree that university is time-consuming. Thus, while being a full-time student and managing my university’s newspaper, I have significantly proved to be good at managing deadlines and getting things done on time.”
Step 4: Highlight Your Education
If you lack job experience, your schooling and related courses are your greatest chance to demonstrate that you are a suitable fit for the internship.
Informing the recruiter about the courses you have taken that are related to the internship you are seeking will be a huge boost for your application.
Assume you are seeking a position as a graphic designer intern. Make sure to include any relevant courses and accomplishments in your internship cover letter to make it stand out.
A good example would be:
“As a Visual Design student, I took various classes that helped me develop my professional portfolio. I believe that the theory and practice of design & Layout along with Visual Communication are most useful. I also obtained important experience performing the layout of the campus newspaper for four years. Besides, I have worked on the layout of various books as independent projects.“
Step 5: Highlight Your Relevant Skills
We all would agree that claiming that you have great skills and proving them are two different things. After all, anyone may claim to be great at anything. However, what truly distinguishes you is your ability to put your money where your mouth is.
For instance, instead of simply saying that you have excellent time-management abilities, back it up with a previous experience that supports it in your internship cover letter.
You can use the following as an example:
“During the summers, I got a chance to assist my cousin as the wedding planner. Meanwhile, I learned a lot about time management. After all, for businesses such as wedding planning, one requires to manage every detail. Hence, I have learned how important it is to pay attention to little details.”
Step 6: Tell Your Reader Why You are a Good Fit
In addition to telling your recruiter about your skills and education, also let them know why you are a good fit for the position. This means that you need to connect the dots between what your recruiter needs and what you can potentially offer in terms of services.
For instance, let us consider that you are applying to a Human Rights Organization. One of the most important things that you need to have to qualify for the position is being able to effectively categorize the files that the organization has previously worked on.
Hence, you have to showcase how you can be helpful with that particular job. Here is how you can do so:
“I have previously worked at XYZ for course consecutive summers. There I had to sort and categorize books in terms of author, topic, and year of publication. Besides, I also had to remember where each section fits. With that said, I believe that the skills that I have developed over there can be really helpful if I get a chance to work at your organization.”
Step 7: Illustrate Your Professional Growth
Next, you should be able to explain how getting the placement will profit you in addition to demonstrating your skills and how you can benefit the company.
Internships are frequently used to help students and young professionals gain in-depth knowledge of the market and industry. Besides, it also aims to build a network and cultivate skills that will assist them throughout their careers.
So, it will undoubtedly assist you in making a stronger impression if you demonstrate that you are self-aware of what you will gain from the internship in addition to how it will assist you in developing professionally.
Here is an example of how you can illustrate to your reader that the internship will help you grow professionally.
“I am looking forward to winning this opportunity. Because it will undoubtedly equip me with the required skills and network to help me get better professionally in my career path as a customer service manager.”
Step 8: Proofread
The last step of learning how to write a cover letter for an internship is to proofread your draft. After everything has been written and completed, the final step is to ensure that your cover letter is error-free.
A spelling or grammar error is highly improbable to disqualify you. However, it is a red flag for recruiters that you are not paying enough attention.
As a result, you can have a friend spell-check your cover letter. Or you can choose to use spell-checking software like Grammarly, ProWritingAid, or Hemingway.
Internship Cover Letter Example
Date
Manager’s Name
Company’s Address
Company’s City and State Name
Dear Hiring Manager,
I am writing to inquire about a marketing position that has just become available. I saw the position description on your company’s website and was happy that my academic credentials met all requirements. This intriguing opportunity piqued my interest since I am looking for a tough yet rewarding internship.
As a sophomore marketing student at the University of _____________, I have learned about marketing, public relations, product creation, and market research. I now hold a GPA of 3.7 and have been on the Dean’s List almost every semester.
While attending business college, I deliberately concentrated my study on the following key segments:
- Marketing management
- survey research
- Integrated Marketing Communications
- Marketing Analytics
- Strategic Internet Marketing
I have developed an advertising campaign for a pet rescue and grooming business that produced the greatest return on investment. These are based on a budget as far as my information is concerned. Besides, the campaign was extremely received and I came in third place in my university’s business plan competition.
I would be honored to have the chance to speak with you in person. Graciously take the included résumé and do not hesitate to contact me as soon as possible. I appreciate your consideration and time.
Yours Sincerely,
Name
Signature
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