Learn how to Write an Internship Cowl Letter [Expert Advice & Examples]

It’s been a couple of years since I utilized for my first internship, however I nonetheless bear in mind the difficulties I encountered. After I lastly crafted an eye catching resume, I confronted the daunting prospect of making an internship cowl letter for each utility; I truthfully didn’t know what to incorporate or the tone I ought to strike.

Though I acquired the internship, ultimately, I by no means discovered whether or not my tutorial achievements, expertise, or well-crafted cowl letter acquired my foot within the door. Nonetheless, I’ve all the time been curious.

With the good thing about hindsight — and a few steerage from cowl letter specialists and hiring professionals — I’m right here that will help you write a successful internship cowl letter. Let’s dive in.

Desk of Contents

I’ve seen some creatively designed cowl letters, however for my part, you may’t go improper with the standard enterprise letter format, which you’ll discover in our free cowl letter templates.

Obtain our cowl letter templates …

Enterprise professionals use this format type to use for full-time roles and different functions, so it’s one thing you may reuse sooner or later.

Bear in mind to make use of formal phrases corresponding to “Expensive” and “Sincerely,” and lean in direction of an expert tone in your physique copy. Even when the recruiter personally, all the time use formal salutations as an alternative of “Hey!” or Hello [name].”

1. Embody your identify, date, location, and phone info.

Make sure you present your contact info, corresponding to your cellphone quantity, electronic mail, and placement, in your internship cowl letter.

Because you’ll in all probability be sending your cowl letter on-line (by an electronic mail or net kind), you don’t want to supply your full residence handle — your metropolis and state ought to be sufficient for many positions.

Your Title

Your Deal with

Your Metropolis, State, Zip Code

Cell: 555-555-5555

Electronic mail: identify@electronic mail.com

Date

2. Embody the corporate identify, division, and handle.

Together with your private info out of the way in which, it’s time to showcase your analysis expertise a bit of. Do an web search to seek out the total identify and handle of the corporate you’re making use of to. Attempt to dig deep to seek out the division identify, however go away it out in the event you’re uncertain.

If the internship shall be distant, use the corporate’s basic headquarters handle if the internship shall be distant.

Division

Firm

Avenue

Metropolis, State Zip

3. Deal with the hiring supervisor.

Tempted to sort “To whom it might concern” or “Expensive hiring supervisor”? In your hunt for an internship place, you’ll stand out from the gang by being resourceful. So, channel your interior sleuth by monitoring down the hiring supervisor’s identify.

You may discover their position description on the corporate web site, but when not, your greatest guess is to look by LinkedIn.

Should you can’t discover the hiring supervisor’s identify, otherwise you’re uncertain in the event you’re addressing the fitting particular person, go away the identify out. I feel it’s secure to say that sacrificing a little bit of personalization is significantly better than addressing the improper particular person in your cowl letter.

4. Set the context on your utility.

The primary paragraph could make or break your internship cowl letter and your total utility.

I’ll admit: I’ve all the time discovered opening paragraphs tough, whether or not they’re for a canopy letter, common electronic mail, or a weblog put up, however they’re important for creating a robust first impression and interesting the reader.

First, clarify the way you discovered concerning the firm or place. If anybody on the firm, you may point out them right here. Subsequent, specific your curiosity within the firm and the way it pertains to your objectives and passions. Additionally, be sure to get your fundamental info down, like your identify, training stage, main, and pursuits.

Relying on the corporate and place, you may strive a inventive strategy to get your reader’s consideration. Right here’s one which labored for me early in my profession:

“Can I inform you a secret? I’ve been telling tales since I used to be 5 years outdated. No, not fibbing — actual storytelling …”

A phrase of warning, although: You should definitely analysis the corporate’s tradition earlier than taking an strategy like this. Whereas this opening assertion labored effectively for startups and extra laid-back corporations, a giant accounting agency may discover it culturally off-beat.

Professional tip: Geoffrey Scott, hiring supervisor and authorized skilled resume author at Resume Genius, says, “The duvet letters that stand out to me are ones the place the candidate’s pleasure clearly comes by. After all, the tone should keep skilled, but it surely shouldn’t be boring. If you’re captivated with what you do, it comes by in your cowl letter.”

5. Promote your expertise and personalize your cowl letter.

Your cowl letter isn’t purported to be a abstract of your resume, so go deeper and personalize it on your internship utility.

To start out, learn by the precise place’s description and select a couple of qualities that you just assume apply to you. I don’t advocate selecting all of the descriptors talked about, because it may seem disingenuous and make your cowl letter too lengthy.

As an example, if I see an organization searching for somebody who’s “outgoing, organized, hardworking, and keen to take criticism,” I’d decide the qualities that greatest describe me and concentrate on offering examples within the physique of my cowl letter.

It is best to cowl issues like:

• Related coursework.
• Smooth expertise (e.g., teamwork, problem-solving).
• Extracurricular actions (e.g., volunteering).
• Work expertise (if any).

That stated, be sure to tie them to the internship alternative. For instance, you may say, “I perceive that this position requires that I persistently meet deadlines. I held down a part-time job whereas maintaining with my faculty assignments, which demonstrates my time administration expertise.”

Professional tip: Should you lack related expertise, use your analysis and data to indicate enthusiasm. Daniel House, a human assets enterprise accomplice who has labored with corporations like Spotify and WebMD, advised me he as soon as employed a French main as an alternative of an HR main for an HR internship.

Why? He explains, “Not solely did she clearly articulate how she understood the position … she additionally spent a couple of sentences describing the corporate going by a merger and accurately assuming that her work could be in serving to with that.”

6. Take into consideration your cowl letter’s readers (people and machines).

Based on Jobscan’s analysis, 487 out of 500 Fortune 500 corporations (97.4%) used an Applicant Monitoring System in 2023. Should you’re not acquainted, it is a software used to streamline hiring duties.

Why do they matter for internship cowl letters? Nicely, corporations use these programs to filter resumes and canopy letters based mostly on key phrases.

Ben Lamarche, basic supervisor at recruiting agency Lock Search Group, advised me that his firm screens internship functions utilizing an utility monitoring system.

Once I requested how candidates may get their cowl letters seen by a human, he advisable “avoiding extreme formatting, sticking to a fundamental textual content format, and together with a couple of necessary phrases from the internship description, such because the exact necessities for expertise and data.”

Professional tip: Questioning how lengthy your internship cowl letter ought to be? I like to recommend you restrict it to beneath a web page or round 250 to 400 phrases. Additionally, use shorter paragraphs to interrupt up the textual content.

Right here’s what Indrė Padegimienė, expertise acquisition specialist at Omnisend, has to say on the matter: “Recruiters are fairly busy folks with a whole bunch of functions to overview, so clear and concise communication is essential. A five-page cowl letter gained’t get you a job.”

7. Shut the letter with grace and a name to motion.

If the internship utility doesn’t explicitly state “please don’t contact,” you may select to conclude by specifying how you’ll comply with up, corresponding to, “I’ll name subsequent week to see if my {qualifications} are a match,” or “I’m keen to fulfill with you to debate this chance, and am accessible for an interview at a mutually handy time.”

In your closing paragraph, thank the hiring supervisor for taking the time to think about you, and finish on a optimistic, assured be aware, corresponding to, “I look ahead to talking with you quickly.”

Professional tip: You could even go a step additional and provides the hiring supervisor a name to motion. I don’t assume it hurts to incorporate a hyperlink to your on-line portfolio, web site, or perhaps a YouTube channel the place you show your work and persona.

To see how typically hiring managers comply with by in your calls to motion, observe the variety of clicks in your hyperlink utilizing a URL tracker like Bitly.

8. Proofread, proofread, and proofread.

Once I requested Scott (Resume Genius) concerning the cowl letter pitfalls he encounters essentially the most, candidates’ lack of proofreading stood out.

After describing the duvet letter mistake of merely summarizing what’s in your resume, he shared, “One other frequent error that would find yourself costing you a place is having spelling and grammar errors, particularly if the internship is for something that requires shut consideration to element, like information entry. This appears apparent, however you wouldn’t imagine how typically I see it.”

Even with the provision of spell-checking instruments like Grammarly, internship candidates nonetheless submit cowl letters riddled with typos. Let me put it this manner: You’ve finished the onerous a part of really writing your internship cowl letter, so don’t let small errors put employers off.

Professional tip: Some corporations present AI cowl letter turbines. You merely enter your resume and the job description, and it is best to get a decent-looking cowl letter in seconds.

Simply keep in mind that whereas AI turbines can prevent time, it is best to examine over the whole lot they produce to make sure the AI hasn’t advised any tall tales about your hands-on expertise or ability set or made any errors. As you’ll see in these ChatGPT-generated internship electronic mail examples, warning and revisions are suggested.

Should you’re nonetheless uncertain after your check-up, get a good friend or classmate to proofread your cowl letter for readability and spelling earlier than you lastly log off on it and hit ship.