An internship is your first chance to get real-world experience, improve your work, and make a real difference in your area. Both paid and free internships are available, but they are hard to get. A well-written cover letter can help you stand out from the other applicants. You will have a better chance of being chosen if you emphasize how much you want the job, your skills, and how well you fit the role. Here are some tips from pros on how to write a cover letter for an internship.
1. Know how long your cover letter should be
Your cover letter needs to be clear and to the point. Sometimes, one page is enough instead of many. One page on MicrosoftMSFT+1.5% Word equals about 500 words, which should be plenty of room for your cover letter to discuss your experience and skills. Keeping your writing to one page shows you can quickly get your point across. The cover letter doesn’t have to be an entire page; quality should be more important than length.
2. Learn a lot about the company
Suppose you look into it before writing your cover letter. In that case, it shows that you are interested in becoming an intern for the company. Once you know the company’s purpose, values, and culture, you can decide if you want to work for them and if their goals and needs are the same as yours. So, the company will know you are serious about the job if you show them you have studied the subject.
Knowing that many people are looking for the same internship is helpful. You should write an interesting and attention-getting first line to make yourself stand out. Start your cover letter with a strong, confident sentence that shows why you want the job. Talk about how you learned about the job opening through a personal link, a job website, or the company website. Additionally, show you are excited (not desperate) about wanting to play the part.
4. Pay attention to what’s important in your cover letter
In the letter’s main body, talk about your experience, skills, and qualities that make you a good fit for the job. Write about your academic background, accomplishments, and interests outside school. Talk about how your knowledge and skills are relevant to the job and give specific examples to show what you can do. If you don’t have any work experience, talk about what you’ve done for free. Talk about important projects or coursework that show off your skills. You can also use this space to talk about soft skills, which are very important in any workplace and include problem-solving, teamwork, and conversation.
5. The last sentence of your letter
Take advantage of the power of the closing line to say how much you want to help the company and how excited you are about the internship. You should say that you’d like to have an interview to talk more about the job. Thank the person for their time, and then end with something formal, like “Thank You” or “Yours Sincerely.” Include how to reach you so the hiring manager can contact you.
Last, make sure your cover letter has no spelling or grammar problems by proofreading it. Also, have someone else read it to ensure you didn’t miss anything. If you have to send a letter, use recorded delivery to keep track of it and send a second letter online.
