5 Useful Tips for Writing Your Internship Cover Letter
An internship is a short-term, on-the-job work experience that companies offer. When fresh graduates apply for a job later, having internship experience can give them an edge, even without official work experience. After all, as the job market evolves, it’s important to be a jobseeker with a competitive advantage. Though students usually look for these opportunities, people who want to gain exposure in a particular industry can be interns, too.
Things to Remember When Writing an Internship Cover Letter
Your cover letter is not supposed to be a summary of your resume, so make sure to keep it informative and concise. Here are a few key points to help you write a successful one.
1. Customise your cover letter and use a proper format.
Most cover letters these days are sent via email, which might tempt you to fall into the trap of sending a templated message. However, a little effort goes a long way. Get your internship cover letter off to a good start by customising it. Be resourceful and personalise it by addressing the hiring manager by name, addressing them by their appropriate title, and adding crucial terms from the job description (see the next point).
Though you’re free to choose how you want to style your internship cover letter, a traditional business letter format would be a safe bet – yes, even when you’re sending by email. Don’t be overly casual or familiar. It’s better to err on the side of professionalism.
Make sure to have the contact person's complete name, designation, and email address, as well as the accurate company name and address. In your cover letter, include your name, location, and contact information to make it easy for them to get in touch with you.
2. Maximise keywords and activities to attract interest.
Your potential employers review applications by doing a quick scan of every application they receive. When they see that your internship cover letter matches the criteria they're looking for, you have a higher chance of being shortlisted.
Attract the attention of the hiring managers by mentioning the right keywords and highlighting the right activities. An effective internship cover letter must contain words that would make you qualified for the internship. Find the right keywords by looking at the internship description. Note the required skills as well as the identified responsibilities. Use these terms throughout your cover letter, and include relevant experiences to go along with them.
3. Get into specifics about why you are a good fit.
Introduce yourself in the first paragraph and tell them about how you found out about the internship opportunity. If you learned about it via someone who works in the company, don’t hesitate to name-drop them.
Next, be clear about why you are interested in the position. Detail why your skills and passion are a good fit not just for the internship but also for the company’s culture. Back this up with your qualifications. Add any relevant work experience. If you don’t have any, include your university honours, papers you’ve written (link them, if you can!), school clubs you joined, extracurricular activities that excite you, leadership positions you’ve held, volunteer work you love.
Essentially, input any information that can concretely support the message that you will add value to the company. For example, the articles you did for the school paper can highlight your copywriting skills and passion for research. If you have volunteered for an animal shelter, use it as an example that you are a good team player with good organisational skills. Include non-academic accomplishments, too. If you were part of an organisation that raised the most resources for the community kitchen, use it to bolster your resourcefulness and problem-solving skills.
Then, show your potential employers that you did your due diligence about them by including which among their company values you resonate with. Finally, describe what you would gain from the internship. It will impress on them that you are self-aware about how the opportunity will help you grow professionally.
4. End the letter by being proactive, and if possible, include a CTA.
Unless the internship explicitly requests that you should not follow up on your application, end your internship cover letter by informing them about how you intend to do just that on your application. You can say that you will call them to see if your application is successful or that you are eager to meet with them at their earliest convenience to discuss the internship opportunity.
Another option is including a call to action and sending a link to an online display of your work, like a website or maybe even your YouTube channel. If you want to see how often recruiters actually view your materials, you can include a URL tracker like Bitly, which can provide you with this data. By the way, before sending out any links about yourself online, make sure to clean up your social media profiles. Recruiters tend to look through these during background checks.
5. Proofread, proofread, proofread!
The last step you need to do before sending your internship cover letter is to proofread it. Though a typographical error or a misspelt word will not disqualify you from the internship, a careless mistake will show that you are not attentive to details.
Ask a friend to check your cover letter. A set of fresh eyes can easily spot simple errors you may have overlooked. You can also use software, such as Grammarly, to check your document for mistakes.
Sample Cover Letters for Internship
You can either hand-carry, send by post, or email your internship cover letter along with your well-written resume. Here are two templates that you can use for the printed as well as the digital version.
Template for a hard copy of an internship cover letter
Valerie Lee
53 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 7
Singapore 543210
+65-555-xxxx
May 21, 20xx
Ryan Wong
Director, Human Resources
XYZ Company
123 Orchard Road
Singapore 123456
Dear Mr Wong,
When reviewing your post about the Summer Graphic Design Internship position listed on the JobStreet Portal, I was very pleased to discover that your requirements align well with my qualifications. I believe I am an ideal candidate and am quite certain that the internship is an opportunity for me to grow professionally.
Currently, I am a graduating Graphic Design student at Singapore International Media School. At university, I have been voted President of the Alliance of Media Students for three consecutive terms. With my 3.98 GPA, I belong to the top two per cent of my batch. In addition, I served as the University Representative to the nationwide network of Graphic Designers for a Better Singapore last year, an experience that taught me the value of collaboration and organisational skills.
Last semester, I received full marks and the award for Best Student Design for my work in analysing and redesigning our school's online ads, print materials, and press packets. I know that the development of promotional campaigns is a component of this internship, so I am confident that my experience and academic accomplishment in this field will make me a prime candidate for the role.
I will call next week to see if you agree that my qualifications seem to be a match for the position. If so, I hope to schedule an interview at a mutually convenient time. Before then, please consider visiting my website to look at my portfolio.
Thank you for your consideration,
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Valerie Lee
Template for an internship cover letter that you will send by email
Most cover letters are sent via email these days. The format slightly differs from the one you print and send in person.
First, you need to list your name as well as the details of the internship in the subject line of your email. Second, your contact information will be in your email signature and not at the top of the email, unlike a hard copy.
Subject: Bernard Go - Biology Research Intern Position
Dear Ms Loh,
I am writing to apply for the Biology Research Intern position at 123 Research Solutions Inc. that was mentioned to me by Mr Clarence Chan, the current Marketing Manager from your firm, and I also saw your posting on JobStreet.
As an honours student in my final year at Raffles Research University, I have completed upper-division coursework in research and analysis management in biology, both in the lab and the field. Most of my research is in bio-engineering, a leading component in this internship, according to the information I found on your company career website.
My current coursework includes on-site research with our school’s outdoor laboratory to assess the improvement we can make in our biodome experiment that has been running for the last five years. Last semester, I worked as a biology research assistant at the National Park, where I coordinated research work for the country’s top research facility, The Singapore Biological Trust. At the end of my three-month assignment, I received a special commendation from the organisation’s Country Director for my dedication to research as well as my attention to detail.
Your internship will provide me with the ideal opportunity to advance my research skills in the field in which I am most passionate. In addition, I believe that my educational experience will be an asset to your program.
Thank you for your time and consideration. Please feel free to look at my research portfolio for more detail about the community work and academic awards I have received.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best regards,
Bernard Go
+65 555-xxxx
Whether you are writing for an internship or long-term employment, cover letters give your potential employer a better understanding of your suitability for a position. Remember, this letter is only the first step. You can also train your Q&A skills via our Interview Practice Tool or understand industry rates better with Compare Your Salary. If you want to know more about the company you’re interested in, find testimonials on them from former employees. You can do so many things to prepare yourself while jobseeking.
To get more tips on how you can #SEEKBetter to build your career, check out the Explore Careers section of JobStreet and get access to more tips and templates that will help you in navigating your career, as well as find work opportunities that can maximise your full potential.
