Internship application letter
You are applying for an internship and need a cover letter.
An internship cover letter says which internship you want, why you, and when you are free. It sits on top of a CV and does the job the CV cannot: making the case in your own words.
Be specific about the role and what you would bring. A letter that could be sent to any company reads as one that was.
Your letter is never uploaded, because it's built in your browser. Nothing you type here is saved, so refreshing starts again.
I am writing to apply for.
I have attached my CV, and I would welcome the chance to talk.
Still to fill in: your full name, company name and address, the internship you want, why this internship, and this company.
A finished example
The same template with every field filled in. The names and details are invented.
I am writing to apply for the summer data internship, which I saw on your careers page. I am second-year Economics at the University of Nairobi.
Your work using mobile-money data to model small-business credit is exactly the kind of applied economics I want to learn, and I have followed your published case studies through my coursework.
I would bring a statistics course with a project in R, Treasurer of the university economics society and A data-cleaning project on Nairobi matatu routes.
I am available from June to August, full time.
I have attached my CV, and I would welcome the chance to talk.
Application for the summer data internship Dear Ms Chen, I am writing to apply for the summer data internship, which I saw on your careers page. I am second-year Economics at the University of Nairobi. Your work using mobile-money data to model small-business credit is exactly the kind of applied economics I want to learn, and I have followed your published case studies through my coursework. I would bring a statistics course with a project in R, Treasurer of the university economics society and A data-cleaning project on Nairobi matatu routes. I am available from June to August, full time. I have attached my CV, and I would welcome the chance to talk. Yours sincerely, Grace Wanjiru
Questions
- How long should an internship cover letter be?
- One page, three or four short paragraphs: the role you want, why you and why them, what you bring, and when you are free. The CV carries the detail.
- What if I have no work experience?
- Lead with coursework, projects, societies and anything you have organised. An internship is where experience starts; what a reader wants is evidence you will be useful and keen.
- Should I name the person?
- Where you can find it, yes. A named letter reads as one written for this company. If you cannot, the letter opens "Dear Sir or Madam" and closes accordingly.
- Do I still send a CV?
- Yes. The letter makes the case; the CV lists the facts. This letter says a CV is attached, so attach it.