work placement

Cover letter for a work placement

For a work placement you don't yet have a career to write about, and nobody expects that. A placement supervisor wants to know what you're coming to learn, what you can already do based on your studies, and why this company in particular. Below is a letter that does exactly that, followed by four tips and answers to the questions students ask most often.

Example of a cover letter for a work placement

Dear Mr Jansen,

From February, I'm looking for a twenty-week work placement for my Communications course at Hogeschool Utrecht. Your vacancy for a content marketing placement student fits exactly with the direction I chose in my third year: writing for online channels, and measuring whether it works.

During my studies this past year I wrote the study association's newsletter, every two weeks, for 600 members. By testing subject lines, the percentage of readers opening the newsletter rose from 31 to 44 per cent. I also manage the Instagram account of a sports club, where I learned that posting consistently achieves more than a single good post.

What appeals to me about your agency is that placement students work on real client projects, as I read in the experiences of previous placement students on your site. I want to learn how a content strategy is developed and how you justify it to a client, and I bring a fresh perspective on what younger audiences read.

I'd be glad to explain in an interview what I want to achieve in twenty weeks. You'll find my CV and a few examples of my work attached.

Yours sincerely,

Sanne Bakker

The names, the agency and the figures in this example are fictional. The letter you have written here will use your own studies and the actual placement vacancy.

How to approach a placement cover letter

  • Mention the period, the duration and the type of placement in the first sentence. A supervisor plans months ahead and wants to know straight away whether it fits.
  • Write about what you want to learn, not just what you can already do. A placement is a place to learn; those who understand that stand out positively.
  • Use your studies as experience: projects, a minor, a part-time job or volunteering. Add a figure wherever you can.
  • Show that you've researched the company. One concrete reference to a project, a client or the way of working says more than a paragraph of compliments.

Frequently asked questions about a cover letter for a work placement

How long should a placement cover letter be?
One page, three to four paragraphs. A supervisor reads dozens of letters; those who make clear in ten lines what they're coming to do stand out.
I don't have any work experience yet. What do I put in my letter?
Your education, projects, a part-time job, volunteering or a committee role. The point is to show how you work: on time, independently, with results. Even a part-time job at a supermarket can show that.
Should I mention my grades?
Only if they're notably good or if the job advert asks for them. A concrete project with an outcome tells a supervisor more than an average grade.

Upload your CV and provide the internship vacancy; you'll get a letter in your tone, shown free on screen first. No CV yet? Create one first, it only takes a few minutes.

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