Looking for an internship and getting an offer can seem like a mammoth and hard task. How do you distinguish yourself from your competitors? Do you know how to do it? As you know, there are always a number of applicants. So, truly speaking, one way to achieve this is through a powerful cover letter. Writing a good one is also a challenging task that requires great effort to overcome.
A good cover letter articulates your enthusiasm about the company and substantiates how well you fit the job description. And in this part of our ultimate guide to internships, let’s see what you need to include and what you don’t need to include in a college internship cover letter.
What is the Purpose of a Cover Letter?
If you want to get an internship, it is important to prepare a resume and cover letter. As you know, your resume outlines your skills and experience, and it is through the cover letter that you get to express your excitement about applying for the internship and show that you understand its role. In plain, strong words, you should persuade and declare why you are best suited for this position. Writing a good cover letter is like climbing a steep hill, but the rewards are worth it!
Take in mind that when you can send your cover letter, send it. If it isn’t necessary, also send it. It is always advisable to send it because this is your chance to be different from others. And please, don’t be shy and lazy. Your future may depend on your actions.
Writing a Cover Letter for an Internship
Let’s take a look at some useful tips you need to remember:
Focus on the organization and your job application
While writing your cover letter, you can make sure it is appealing by considering the company. Evaluate their operations and establish why you are a good match for them concerning the position at hand, as well as why you are interested in working for them. Looking at their mission statement can give you a sense of what kind of brand they have. Let them know how you fit into their culture and what makes this company special. Moreover, if you are doing research and understand that this company doesn’t fit your values, try to find another one.
Just Show Relevant Experience And Coursework
Most students apply to internships to get practical experience. This reality isn’t lost on hiring managers who recognize that interns generally don’t have years of experience on the job. They want to see relevant experience gained through extracurricular activities, volunteer work, school projects, or courses taken.
Reflect on skills that you acquired that are most relevant to the specific position that you desire. It would be great to list down some achievements from college. You may also mention coursework in relation to the job or industry covered in this application letter.
Focus on Relevant Skills
Don’t shy away from describing your skills and abilities that are relevant to the job position. A cover letter allows you to show your confidence, enthusiasm, and determination. Check out the skills listed in their job description, and then go through all your life skills. You can always find something important and useful! Include soft skills as well as hard skills.
Understand Why You Are Right for the Job
You need to tell this company the reasons why it should offer you an internship. You should convince them to take you on an internship program over hundreds of other applicants in just a few sentences. Don’t be afraid of your own shadow. When you write my paper, mention your distinctive capabilities and experiences that are appropriate to what this employer needs.
Bear in mind that most companies want hardworking interns who are enthusiastic about the position and company, possess a good attitude toward work, and can demonstrate that they can make use of or build on technical knowledge acquired during coursework.
What are your hopes for the internship?
Most employers come up with an internship program to have a helping hand in certain projects and tasks. In this way, they give an opportunity for students to obtain experience, and understand that the best-suited intern in the future may become a company worker. According to statistics, there are more than 70 percent of employers who offer interns full-time job positions later on.
The main thing you need to do is understand what you expect from this internship. Is it hard enough for you to understand? Never mind, ensure that what you want is in line with the job being offered. For example, “I would like to use my sports skills discovered at school for the training and fitness campaigns.”
Try not to mention lack of experience
Don’t mention anything about your lack of experience in a cover letter relating to an internship. Whether applying for an internship or a full-time job, never point out your weaknesses. You need to draw attention to what you’re good at. So, the cover letter provides opportunities for people to present their best abilities and argue why they fit perfectly for the role.
Ditch the Template
Can you imagine how many cover letters recruiters see every day? Can you imagine how many applicants use cover letter templates? Yeah, there are numerous templates as well as applications. So it is highly recommended to be original and don’t use templates.
The use of a template indicates to an employer that you don’t think highly enough of the position to spare a few moments to develop a unique or customized cover letter.
How to Format a Cover Letter for an Internship?
Pay attention to the length
A well-written cover letter should provide recruiters with the main points. It’s like writing a good book – you have to stop on time so that the reader doesn’t lose interest.
A cover letter should provide detailed information in about 3-4 paragraphs. The first paragraph explains why you are applying while others go further to talk about your relevant skills and experience.
Use a Professional-Looking Font
The type of font you use also affects readability and displays your level of professionalism. Use the same font for both your resume and cover letter to maintain a consistent and polished look.
Some standard fonts ideal for both cover letters and resumes include:
- Times New Roman;
- Arial;
- Courier New;
- Calibri.
Depending on the font, set the text size at either 10 or 12 pts.
Establishing Margins, Line Spacing and Alignment is important
To create an expert cover letter, align to the left side all text. Moreover, your contact information needs to be placed in the top-left corner and also left-aligned. In case the employer doesn’t accept attachments, then paste the letter into the body of your email and put your contact information under your email.
Retain 1-inch margins on every side. Also, use single space through the text, leaving a line between paragraphs. Take care to look out for any specific formatting instructions that may have been provided by the company or organization concerned.
Writing cover letter seems difficult. However, our tips can help you improve this process and get the internship of your dream.
