How to write a cover letter for an internship

When you apply for an internship, the employer could request a cover letter along with your resume, application, and references. Even when it's not a requirement, understanding how to write an effective internship cover letter can help you highlight your skills and stand out from other candidates. In this article, we'll discuss why cover letters are important and how to write an excellent cover letter for an internship.

Why is a cover letter important?

A cover letter can help you introduce yourself to potential employers and provide a quick summary of your qualifications. People often send cover letters with their applications and resumes, and they give you a chance to explain why your skills and experience make you the best choice for an internship.

In many cases, your cover letter will be the hiring manager's first impression of you. It can provide details about your personality, why you can fit in well with the rest of the team and the company culture, and the reasons why you want to work in an internship. A cover letter can also show recruiters that you're willing to make an effort to achieve your goals.

Use a thoughtful salutation

Before the body of your cover letter and after the header, include a thoughtful salutation like "Dear Hiring Manager." If you know the name of the person who reviews applications and cover letters at a company, using it can help you get their attention. Avoid using "To whom it may concern." Many people view this salutation as old-fashioned or impersonal.

"Starting your cover letter by describing the position you're applying for makes it clearer and easier to read. It also shows that you created an original cover letter for your application instead of sending a generic template."

Mention why you want to work at the company

Employers want to know why you want to work with them. They often want to assess applicants' motivations for applying for an internship and to hire someone who expresses a sincere interest in the goals of the company and the duties of the job. In your cover letter, you can mention that you admire company policies like recycling or improving the energy efficiency of their products. You can also say that you enjoy using the company's products or services and that current employees of the business report enjoying their work and their relationships with coworkers and supervisors.

Explain how working in an internship will help fulfill your career goals, interests, and passions and what you hope to learn during the internship. To show that you've done some research about the business, discuss some of the latest particular products or services that you find appealing or innovative. You can also mention the names of some supervisors or employees that you hope to work with and learn from. If you're not sure who your supervisor would be, you can say that you want to learn from some of the leaders in the industry who work at the company.

Describe the exact role you want

Starting your cover letter by describing the position you're applying for makes it clearer and easier to read. It also shows that you created an original cover letter for your application instead of sending a generic template. If you're applying for multiple internships, make each letter unique to make it more persuasive.

Use the right keywords

Many employers use applicant tracking software (ATS) to review applications and cover letters quickly. This software searches for keywords and buzzwords and sends cover letters and resumes containing certain requested words to the hiring manager. Hundreds of people often apply for the most popular internship positions. If your cover letter or resume doesn't contain the right keywords, the recruiter might never read it. You can refer to the job description and look at the company website to get some hints about which keywords you should include. Here are some examples of keywords that could enhance your cover letter:

Collaborated
Communicated
Developed
Implemented
Initiated
Succeeded
Analyzed
Improved
Contributed
Secured
Increased
Achieved
Gained
Established
Reached
Upgraded
Innovated
Organized
Recorded
Awarded for
Updated
Chosen for

You can use many of these words when you talk about your skills and accomplishments. For example, a recent college graduate could mention that they achieved membership in their school's honor society. These organizations usually only admit people with high grades and other achievements.

Include relevant projects or courses

Many people who apply for internships are recent graduates without much work experience in their industries. If you're one of these individuals, you can talk about your accomplishments in college or high school. Mention any projects or courses that are relevant to the internship, and list any licenses or certifications you earned. You can also talk about your previous volunteer experience. This allows you to highlight your skills while showing readers that helping others is important to you.

Discuss your skills

Along with relevant courses and projects, discuss your skills. Even if you don't have relevant experience in an industry, you can list more general skills. Soft skills or interpersonal skills are valuable to employers in many different industries. Here are some soft skills that hiring managers often look for.

Communication includes expressing your thoughts and feelings clearly and avoiding misunderstandings. Good communicators are often successful at dealing with customers and clients. Being an effective communicator also includes being a good listener. People sometimes call this skill active listening, and many individuals interpret taking notice of what others say as a sign of respect. Active listeners often avoid interrupting others, maintain eye contact, and ask relevant questions to show that they're paying attention.

Teamwork skills are important for internships because the intern needs to work with a variety of people and get along with them. Interns may also need to follow orders from many different employees and customers. Empathy can help with teamwork. This is the ability to see things from others' points of view and understand the reasons for their decisions. Having a positive attitude is a valuable skill as well. People who are more optimistic are often willing to work hard to achieve their goals. They also collaborate better with customers and coworkers.

Use a call to action

A call to action (CTA) is a polite request to the hiring manager to consider all the things you mentioned in your cover letter. It often asks the recruiter to contact you for an interview. You can also use a CTA to let people know that your resume is attached and you completed an application online.

For example, you could say "With your help, I believe I can become an outstanding intern at your company, and learn valuable skills that will help me for the rest of my career. Please contact me so that we can discuss this exciting opportunity." Then, mention your phone number, email address, and any other relevant contact information. If you don't want to place your contact information at the end of the cover letter, use a professional header at the top. These headers are usually centered, and some people use the same font as in their resumes.

Review your cover letter before you send it

Before you send it, review your cover letter carefully and correct any spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. If possible, ask someone you trust to review your cover letter and let you know about any errors you missed. Several types of software or apps can help you with editing as well.

A cover letter can help you persuade an employer to hire you for an internship that will help you advance your career. To apply for internships, you can upload your resume to CareerBuilder.