Internships are an excellent way to kick-start your professional career. They are essential because every firm wants to hire an employee who has prior working experience. A cover letter for an internship is the foremost thing you need to work on.
The more striking and brilliant a cover letter is, the more quickly you can convince the recruiting heads that you have what it takes to be a part of their company.
A great cover letter gives you an edge over other candidates. So, you should a cover letter that can persuade others to choose you for the internship position over others. This guide highlights some essential tips and methods for writing an enticing cover letter that will definitely score you some excellent internship opportunities in the future.
Writing An Internship Cover Letter: In a Nutshell
Before starting our guide on how to write a cover letter for an internship, here are a few important points you must keep in mind:
- Your internship cover letter should instantly grasp the attention of your hiring manager from the very first line.
- It should consist of the right choice of keywords.
- You must exhibit your best and most relevant skills and abilities.
- It should hint towards the specific position you are submitting your application for.
- It should include some information about your coursework and education.
- Your cover letter should make the hiring manager see why you are perfect for the internship position.
- It should be able to explain how you feel the organization’s values are consistent with yours.
- It should explain to them how it will be beneficial for the company to hire you.
- Your cover letter must pitch a call to action, such as requesting the recruiter to schedule a meeting or call.
- Your cover letter should be focused and related to the position and role you are expected to play.
How to Write an Impressive Internship Cover Letter
It is essential to know that every other candidate declares the same thing and makes the same promises to work hard as you do. However, there would not be a need to post a job ad if these organizations could go with just anybody. Hence, your internship cover letter should stand out and convince the hiring managers that you are perfect for this role.
Introductory Section
The introductory sentence in your cover letter should be fascinating enough to make a lasting impression on your recruiter. If it does not impress them, they will simply move on to the next applicant.
The first statement demonstrates what your biggest achievement(s) is. You should then include a brief section in which you should reinforce your achievements altogether to create that “wow” element. For this, you should:
- Write down other achievements relevant to the internship.
- Introduce yourself through your actions.
- Stand your ground that you are a good match for this position.
- Explain that the firm’s values match with your own.
Middle Section
The second paragraph is where you need to tell the company that you have everything it takes to be there. In the middle section, you should emphasize all the information based on what your internship requires.
This might include you being a student with a 3.5 GPA with an ability to take on a leadership role, and display a goal-oriented attitude with excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
The Final Wrap-up
The cover letter’s ending is equally important as the beginning. Note that it is entirely acceptable to ask questions as long as you do it professionally. You can end your cover letter on a note by mentioning the name of the one who referred this position to you as a way to build rapport.
Lastly, you can recommend a specific time or place to meet and indicate that you also have something to give back.
➔ READ MORE: How to Write a Cover Letter: Banking, Finance & Accountancy
Useful Tips for Writing a Cover Letter for an Internship
Always Use a Business Letter Format
A correct business letter format is a must to use when writing your cover letter via mail. You must add your personal contact information on the top, along with the employer’s contact information and date.
Do not forget to include the proper salutations and your signature and name in the end. If you are emailing it, you just need to add your contact information as a fragment of your email signature in the end.
Personalize Your Cover Letter
You should prepare a distinctive cover letter for different internships that you intend to apply for. Based on the position, you should emphasize your abilities and skills relevant specifically for that internship.
Your cover letter’s utmost goal is to convince the recruiter that you will be nothing less than an asset to their firm as an intern.
Target Relevant Keywords
The best way to tailor your cover letters is to look up valuable keywords from the internship catalog. This way, you can include the most relevant keywords in your cover letter concerning various internship positions.
Provide Specific and Relevant Examples
You should always back your unique skills and abilities with relevant or specified examples from your academic, extracurricular activities, and prior work experience.
Emphasize Your Academic and Extracurricular Experience
If you have minimal working experience, you can always make your cover letter more impressive by highlighting your academic and extracurricular experience. You can add some examples from your school/college/university to show the recruiters that you do have the relevant skills.
Suppose the internship demands you to work together in a team. In that case, you can include an situation where you demonstrated excellent team-leading skills in a group project for one of your courses.
You can even mention the time you did some volunteer work and displayed strong organizational and interpersonal skills.
Proofreading and Editing
This is indeed the most essential tip that can make or break whether you get the internship position. It is vital to do comprehensive proofreading of your cover letter once you have completed it. This usually uncovers several grammatical and spelling mistakes that you might have overlooked.
Several internships are cut-throat, so even a tiny error can take away your chance of scoring an interview. Keep the material concise and try to convey your intention and relevant information in exact words.
We assure you that you will easily create an excellent cover letter for your internship with these essential tips and guidelines.