Internships are a great opportunity to earn experience from different workplaces in a short duration. Students often search for internships during their studies. The reasons for doing an internship are many. Internships are often done for experience, skill learning, on-field exposure, and money. But whatever the reason is, getting into an internship requires you to have an impressive resume and a cover letter.
What Is a Cover Letter?
So, you just came across a great internship opportunity. Now it is the time to apply for the internship. Since the internship is awesome, there will be many other applicants. So, how will you outshine others? The answer is through a convincing cover letter.
A cover letter is an important tool to cast a great impression on your interviewers. The cover letter goes through the points mentioned in your resume in detail. It highlights all your important career points, projects taken and responsibilities during the project. A cover letter is a description of your resume and takes the interviewers on a journey of your career path and important episodes of your career. A cover letter is an important document just like your resume. Including a cover letter shows your professional attitude and dedication towards getting the internship.
Tips for Writing a Cover Letter
Often, people get confused about how to write a cover letter for internships that can showcase all the career points in a defined and pleasing structure. There are some tips to follow while preparing your cover letter.
Use Proper Structure
- Keeping your cover letter systematic and according to the common norms is important. Start your cover letter with the contact information. Include both your information and the employer‡s information on the top of the cover letter.
- In the first paragraph of the cover letter, try giving a short introduction about yourself. Write about basic academic details, the post you are applying for, and your career goals.
- The second paragraph will be more specific. Include information about why you will be right for the job. Describe your past jobs, projects, and achievements to emphasize your point.
- Moving on to the third paragraph, write about how the company‡s goal aligns with yours. Describe how you will benefit the company in the future.
- Finally, end it with a small paragraph thanking the employer for the opportunity and write something like “hoping to hear from you”. A good sign off will increase your chances of getting a call.
Sell Yourself Gracefully
A cover letter is a way of selling your services to employers. When you need to hire a laborer, you often ask for quotations for the job. This quotation contains information regarding the price and skills of the potential workers. The cover letter is a similar document. You have to highlight your career achievements and the reasons why you should be hired. Keep in mind to show your skills in a way that you look professional and not overconfident. Be confident in your letter but not arrogant.
The people judging your cover letter will be much more experienced. So, be respectful and sell your value to them simultaneously.
Avoid Certain Things
- Typing errors are a big no-no. A resume and cover letter with typing errors are often ignored and rejected by the employers. It is highly unprofessional and undesirable. Keep your cover letter free from typing errors to increase your chances.
- Avoid any grammatical errors. Most internships require flawless English proficiency. Grammar errors will reduce your chances of selection.
- Do not mention the other job applications you have sent out currently. Focus on the relevant information only.
- One important thing to remember is that the cover letter should be different from your resume. Rewrite the resume information in a new and detailed way instead of just copying paragraphs from resume to the cover letter.
- Do not write the word “I” again and again. Try to include the whole organization in your speech patterns. The employer wants the organization‡s benefit and you have to convince him that hiring you is good for “we”.
Show Your Reasons to Join Internships
Include your goals and expectations from the internship on the cover letter. This establishes you as an individual who knows what is right and what he wants. Write a detailed and honest answer about the reason you want to be selected for the internship. Keep this section brief and sweet. Do not be blatantly honest like “I need money”. Describe your expectations which match with the company’s goal. For example, you may write “I look forward to improving my expertise and skills as well as financial conditions while I give your company my best efforts”. This is a more inclusive statement and less selfish. It is still a very honest statement.
Page Formatting
To keep the cover letter professional, you need to decide common formatting for the whole page.
- Keep the color fonts black throughout. Use only Bold and underline on the headings.
- Setting margins are important too. Setting the margins to between 1” and 1.5″ gives right room between words, thereby preventing the crammed look.
- Keep the font size constant and not too small. Anything below 12 points makes your document tough to read. Keep the font style professional. Calibri or Arial is right for cover letters.
- Constant alignment makes the document more readable. Keep a left alignment in your cover letter.
Conclusion
A cover letter will play an important role in landing your dream internship. Writing the letter in a correct structure and flawless English is essential. You can refer to different samples available on the Internet. Observe them and use them as a template for letter writing. You can take help of your seniors who have made a cover letter for internships in their past. Moreover, there are cover letter services online which provide you with a world-class cover letter for your internship applications.
In the end, your career prospects will also be crucial in making your cover letter more appealing. Make sure to include all the achievements and big projects you have worked on.
