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Cover letter for an internship
For an internship, you don't have a career to write about yet, and no one expects you to. An internship coordinator wants to know what you're there to learn, what you already know from your studies, and why this particular company. Below is a letter that does exactly that, followed by four tips and answers to the questions students ask most often.
Sample cover letter for an internship
Dear Mr. Jansen,
Starting in February, I'm looking for a twenty-week internship for my Communications program at Hogeschool Utrecht. Your job posting for a content marketing intern lines up exactly with the direction I chose in my third year: writing for online channels, and measuring whether it works.
Over the past year in my program, I wrote the student association's newsletter, every two weeks, for 600 members. By testing subject lines, I raised the open rate from 31 to 44 percent. I also manage the Instagram account for a sports club, where I learned that posting consistently does more than a single great post.
What draws me to your agency is that interns take part in real client projects, as I read in the experiences of past interns on your site. I want to learn how a content strategy comes together and how you present it to a client, and I bring a fresh perspective on what younger audiences read.
I'd welcome the chance to explain what I hope to achieve in twenty weeks. My resume and a few samples of my work are attached.
Sincerely,
Sanne Bakker
The names, the agency, and the figures in this example are made up. The letter you have written here will use your own studies and the actual internship posting.
How to approach an internship cover letter
- State the timeframe, duration, and type of internship in the first sentence. A coordinator plans months ahead and wants to know right away whether it's a fit.
- Write about what you want to learn, not just what you already know. An internship is a place to learn; showing you understand that makes a good impression.
- Use your studies as experience: projects, a minor, a part-time job, or volunteer work. Add a number wherever you can.
- Show that you've looked into the company. One specific reference to a project, a client, or the way they work says more than a paragraph of compliments.
Frequently asked questions about a cover letter for an internship
- How long should an internship cover letter be?
- One page, three to four paragraphs. A coordinator reads dozens of letters; whoever makes clear in ten lines what they're there to do stands out.
- I don't have any work experience yet. What do I write instead?
- Your education, projects, a part-time job, volunteer work, or a board position. The point is to show how you work: on time, independently, with results. Even a part-time job at the grocery store can show that.
- Should I mention my grades?
- Only if they're notably good or if the job posting asks for them. A concrete project with an outcome tells a supervisor more than an average grade.
Upload your resume and enter the internship posting; you'll get a letter in your tone, free to view on your screen first. Don't have a resume yet? Create one first, it only takes a few minutes.
Get your internship cover letter written