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When you apply for an internship, the first thing you have to go through is writing cover letters. Here is where the question arises of, how to write a cover letter for an internship? Well, honestly, no one likes to write cover letters. But, no one can escape it, right? It is the very first step towards the career.
If you are here to know how to write a cover letter for an internship, then hang in there! I am about to disclose all the important things that you need to keep in mind while writing the cover letter for an internship and how you can shoot your shot to fix your spot.
Points To Remember While Writing A Cover Letter For Internship
At the beginning, everyone who is new to this wonders how to write a cover letter for an internship. So, for starters, when you are applying for an internship, you need to understand that every company has its own policies regarding the hiring process. They have their own ways in which everything is carried out. Some companies may have their prime focus on the cover letter, while some may not even bother asking for one.
However, what you need to keep in mind is that you have to be ready with an impressive cover letter along with your resume and all the required documents. A resume is merely a document that describes your education details, skills, and work history. It is not very interesting as it is a classic formal document that sticks to formatted information.
Unlike the resume, a cover letter is a means by which you can stand out from others and actually sell yourself to why you are the best for the job. It is a document that describes you and why you should get the internship as it displays your past accomplishments which are relevant to the job that you are applying for.
You can create a header for your cover letter that is matching with your resume. It will make it look like your resume and cover letter are cohesive documents which are meant to go one after the other. Simply mention your name and your email address or contact number on the header.
Moreover, while writing a cover letter keep in mind that you need to show that you are looking forward to it or you are excited for the same. Even if you are doing the internship just for the sake of doing it, you need to portray yourself as if you are really interested. You have to make it look natural and not something a robot would write.
How To Format A Cover Letter?
Now, a cover letter is a business document. As an individual who is looking for an internship, you must know how to write a basic business letter. A cover letter is nothing different than a formal business letter.
To begin with, the company address, you may or may not mention that on the top left corner. I am saying this because you probably would be sending your cover letter via email or uploading it on some website. So, even if you don’t mention the company address then it is completely fine.
The next thing is your date. Mention the date in the top left corner, leave a couple of lines and now is the turn for your subject of what you are writing about. Say for instance, you are applying for a product management internship at Google then your subject would be; ‘Regarding Google product management internship.’ It is just a formal step to introduce the reason for your letter.
Then, after leaving a line or two, you have to address the person or team you are writing the letter to. Start with ‘Dear,’ and the name of the addressee. If you have a name then sure go ahead with name. But if you don’t, you can simply address the team like, ‘Dear Google team’ or ‘Dear Google product management team’, whatever may be relevant in your case.
The next thing is the main part of your cover letter. There are usually four paragraphs in which you have to describe and sell yourself to the company. The four paragraphs are divided in, the introduction, the experience and requirement, story about your experience, and lastly a concluding paragraph stating that you are looking forward to it.
Details On How To Write A Cover Letter For An Internship
Let’s now get deep into what exactly needs to be written in those four paragraphs that I mentioned earlier. I will explain each paragraph step by step so that it is easy for you to understand and that you don’t make any mistake in your cover letter. So, let’s begin!
1st Paragraph Of The Cover Letter
The very first paragraph of your cover letter is going to be the introductory paragraph. You have to start off with a good opening line because it is sort of a deciding factor of your cover letter. It is after reading your first line itself, that a company will decide to read forward or move forward with the next application.
Avoid using the very basic sentence like, ‘I’m Merissa from some university…’. Rather, you can begin with something like, ‘I recently came across your article and I am truly inspired by…’. Now, you will have to do a little research on this and just write about their work, this will show that you are really interested in the internship and they would want to read forward.
If you have some connections in the company you are applying for, you should surely go for that reference if they are okay with it. In such a case, you can start with, ‘I recently had a conversation with/met Mr. Hart and I found your internships very interesting as he recommended to apply for…’. Mentioning someone’s reference will definitely have an impact as the opening sentence.
After the opening sentence, you have to introduce yourself. Who you are, what school or university you are from, and what are your majors or relevant details corresponding to the job you are applying for. Keep in mind that you have to stick to the company requirements.
Then you have to wind up the first paragraph by mentioning what position you are applying for. Try to be as specific as you can here. If the company has multiple internships then make sure that you specify which internship you are talking about.
2nd Paragraph Of The Cover Letter
Moving on to the next paragraph, here in the second paragraph, you have to focus on the keywords. You have to pick up these keywords from the internship description of the company. Pick up those specific words which describe the job and that you can link to your experience.
If you are a student and think that you don’t have any experience, just think. You always have some experience with some volunteering, part time job, or some activity that you participated in. You may not realize it but all these things do count for an experience as a fresher.
Next in this paragraph, you have to show that you know about the company and that you have done your research before applying for the internship. You can do this by giving certain references to some articles, social media, or some blog posts. Basically, you just have to show that you pay attention and are here for a purpose.
3rd Paragraph Of The Cover Letter
The third paragraph mainly focuses on what you are good at, your skills, your strengths and your accomplishments (if any). The key here is that you don’t just state them in a very standard boring way. You have to express it in a form of a short 2 lines story. Yes, you read it right, a story! It is because expressing these details in a brief story is much easier, attractive to read, and most importantly people can remember it.
For instance, instead of simply stating that you are good at adapting new things, you can mention how easily you adapted something in the past. You have to focus on how you are good at a certain thing rather than just stating that you are good at it, which pretty much anyone can say. Your story can be from any of your relevant past experiences.
The next thing to look at is how you are the best fit for the job. Make it more about the company and less about you. Keep focusing on how you can prove to be an asset for them and how would they benefit from your set of skills. Just remember to keep the company as the prime focus in your sentences.
4th Paragraph Of The Cover Letter
Finally, the last and concluding paragraph. This is the most simple one as all you have to do is remind them how excited you are for the internship. Also, you have to mention how you will work towards the betterment of it and how you will adhere to the mission of the internship as well as the company.
You can do a little research and find out the company’s mission statement and use it to mold your closing sentences accordingly. This helps to show that you are not here just for the sake of the internship but you care about working with the company and are really excited for the same.
Lastly, you have to close this paragraph by saying that you are looking forward for their response. Along with that you have to ask if they need any additional documents or information from your side.
Signing Off For The Cover Letter
Once you are done with all the four paragraphs, you have to sign off the letter professionally. You can write sincerely or regards with your name under it and it will do the job the for you. Just ensure that you don’t miss out on this step.
Important Things To Remember On How To Write A Cover Letter For An Internship
So far you must have gotten a fair idea about how to write a cover letter for an internship. Now, there are a couple of things that you have to remember while writing a cover letter. I am mentioning them here separately as these are some mistakes that people make and end up ruining the cover letter.
- Once you are done writing your cover letter, make sure that you read it once or twice. It is important that you leave no room for any mistakes in there. If you have someone who can proof read your letter for you then go ahead and ask them to. This will help you rest assured that your cover letter is perfect and ready.
- Always keep an eye on possible spelling and grammatical mistakes. No one would want to continue reading or even consider reading if they spot a spelling or grammatical error in your letter. Also, ensure that you maintain an appropriate formal tone. If these things aren’t right, it won’t even take seconds before your letter is discarded. So, make sure that you check on the tone, spellings, and grammar.
- It is always best to save your cover letter in PDF format. If you are specifically asked to submit it in any other format then do follow their instructions. However, if not then PDF format is the best option.
- If you have an up to date LinkedIn profile that is presentable then do not forget to add your profile URL to the header of the letter. Although, if you do not have an up to date profile then do not unnecessarily stuff it up there. You have to keep yourself as professional and presentable as possible.
- Keep your letter as subtle and concise as possible. Remember that no one would want to read a letter that is more than one page. Ensure that you keep it short and simple.
Cessation | How To Write A Cover Letter For An Internship
Well, that was all about how and what should be done with the cover letter. I hope that I have covered all possible questions and doubts regarding how to write a cover letter for an internship. If you feel like I have missed out on some points, you have some questions or doubts regarding the same then do not hesitate to mention in the comments section.
