Writing a good internship cover letter might be more important than having a perfectly written CV. If you don’t have tons of remarkable achievements, finding the right way to impress recruiters with your candidacy can be tricky.
Most major companies use internships to recruit for full-time roles. It’s incredibly competitive, and to land the best offers, you need a cracking cover letter for an internship to help get your foot in the door.
This guide will show you:
- Internship cover letter examples better than 9 out of 10 others.
- Internship cover letter tips that will let you show off your strengths and abilities.
- An easy step-by-step guide on how to write a cover letter for an internship.
- Why a carefully targeted and researched internship cover letter is key to success.
Want to write your cover letter fast? Use our cover letter builder. Choose from 20+ professional cover letter templates that match your resume. See actionable examples and get expert tips along the way.
Sample Cover Letter for a CV—See more cover letter templates and create your cover letter here.
An internship cover letter is not quite what you’re looking for? See our other guides:
- Graduate Cover Letter Example
- Speculative Cover Letter Example
- Customer Service Cover Letter Example
- Graphic Design Cover Letter Example
- Consulting Cover Letter Example
- Engineering Cover Letter Example
- Architecture Cover Letter Example
- Career Change Cover Letter Example
- Motivation Letter Example
- Sales Assistant Cover Letter Example
What is an internship cover letter?
I must start with its definition to properly teach you how to write an amazing internship cover letter.
An internship cover letter is a formal letter that introduces you to the recruiter. It shows who you are, why you are interested in the role, and why you’re a perfect candidate. A well-written cover letter should be tailored for the job you’re after and convince the recruiter to read your CV.
And there you have it. Without further ado, let’s start today’s lesson by seeing a great internship cover letter example!
Pro tip: To tailor your cover letter for a specific job, read the job ad carefully and mirror it, by answering their requirements directly. Using the company’s name and mentioning the same skills the job ad mentioned is a great tactic.
Internship cover letter sample
Jane Newman
101 New Cross Road
London
NW10 5NJ
0777 777 7777
jnewman_zety@gmail.com
6th May 2020
Christine Kane
Marketing Manager
The Useful Agency
9 Millers Lane
London
SW1 1AG
Dear Ms. Kane,
I am writing regarding the summer marketing internship with The Useful Agency. I am particularly interested in this internship due to your dedication to cutting-edge multichannel marketing approaches. The Useful Agency is the leader in the field of bespoke campaigns for small to medium-sized tech startups, and its role in assisting the growth of the ‘unicorn’ fintech firm Bazillion is legendary. My personal interest and academic focus on effective marketing for startups make me the ideal candidate for this internship.
Your job advert says you’re looking for an ambitious final-year marketing student with a solid knowledge of the marketing challenges facing tech startups. Here’s why I will be the perfect fit for this internship.
- Experience. Hands-on experience in the sector, having undertaken three work experience placements with London-based tech startups.
- Knowledge. Set to graduate with first-class honours and have undertaken modules in Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Digital Marketing. Currently working on a dissertation on the needs of digital businesses.
The reason I’m so excited about this internship is the opportunity to see how you create unique approaches for each client. The consistently exceptional testimonials you get from your clients are proof of your mastery of this approach, and I would love the opportunity to learn from you.
Thank you for taking the time to consider me for this role, and please contact me at your convenience so that we can discuss this opportunity further. I’d love to show you how my eagerness to build on my existing knowledge and experience would make a valuable contribution to your team.
Yours Sincerely,
Jane Newman
That’s exactly how to write a cover letter for an internship. It’s safe to say Jane’s name is already shortlisted.
Now, let’s see how to write a cover letter for an internship that’s just as good.
Your internship cover letter doesn’t have to be long. Learn more: Short Cover Letter Examples
1. Use the best internship cover letter template
Having a properly written internship cover letter is crucial for landing the internship you're after. It's a perfect way of showing your future employer your interest in the position. It also helps you highlight all the skills, education, and qualifications that might be useful during that internship.
Since it's an internship, your potential employers will focus mostly on those qualities and not on your work experience—given that it's probably not yet as impressive as your other strengths.
That’s why an internship cover letter might be even more important than an internship CV. But how can you ace it? Let’s break down your internship cover letter using this template. It’s a simple guide to the structure you should follow:
Cover letter template for an internship—checklist
- Your personal details, contact info, and the date
- The company’s contact info
- Salutation: Dear (hiring manager name). Using their name will instantly activate their brain, helping your cover letter get their full attention.
- First paragraph: a well-researched and targeted introduction
- Second paragraph: your key skills (both hard skills and soft skills) and why you fit the internship
- Third paragraph: show your passion and why you want to intern at this company
- Fourth paragraph: your call to action (CTA)
- Sign-off: Yours Sincerely/Faithfully plus your full name and signature.
Okay, so you know what to include in a cover letter. Now, let’s talk more about your cover letter format.
Internship cover letter format
75% of managers want employees with good written communication skills. And you can instantly nail that requirement with a professional cover letter layout.
Here’s how to do it properly:
- Get your cover letter address right. Your contact details and the date need to be right-aligned. Also, make sure the date is formatted correctly e.g. 5th May 2020.
- Then left-align the rest of your letter. Don’t justify it, as it’s against the standard business letter style.
- Set your margins to one inch on each side of the page and space between paragraphs. This creates plenty of white space, to frame your content and make it easier to read.
- Choose a professional font set at 11–12pt in size. Good CV fonts are perfect for cover letters too.
We’ve covered (pun intended!) what your cover letter should look like. Let’s dive into what should be its content.
Send your internship cover letter with an equally impressive CV. Read more: Internship CV Example & Guide
2. Start your cover letter for an internship right
Here’s the thing with internships. The best companies are flooded with candidates, and recruiters haven’t got the time for substandard applications. They’ll spend an average of 7 seconds looking at your application papers. If you don’t grab their attention instantly, it’s the ‘no pile’ for you.
So how can you impress them within those 7 seconds? By starting your cover letter perfectly.
Here’s how to start a cover letter for an internship:
- Write a professional internship cover letter header. Include your name, address, phone number, and email address. Add a date. Write down your addressee’s address.
- Open with a personal greeting. That’s how you engage with your reader from the start. Try to add some information about the company you're applying to, to make them realise it’s not another generic cover letter, and you want that specific internship, not just any other.
- Show that you’re excited to have an opportunity to learn something with them. Some good ego-boosting won’t do you any harm, on the contrary, it might be a great start for your internship.
You know how. Now let’s see an example of an internship cover letter that will get you work experience at the company of your dreams.
Cover letter examples for internship—first paragraph
| Right |
|---|
Jane Newman 101 New Cross Road London NW10 5NJ 0777 777 7777 jnewman_zety@gmail.com 6th May 2020 Christine Kane Marketing Manager The Useful Agency 9 Miller’s Lane London SW1 1AG Dear Ms. Kane, I am writing regarding the summer marketing internship with The Useful Agency. I am particularly interested in this internship due to your dedication to cutting-edge multichannel marketing approaches. The Useful Agency is the leader in the field of bespoke campaigns for small to medium-sized tech startups, and its role in assisting the growth of the ‘unicorn’ fintech firm Bazillion is legendary. My personal interest and academic focus on effective marketing for startups make me the ideal candidate for this internship. |
Now that’s going to give the hiring manager pause for thought.
What makes it impressive? Meticulous research. As you progress in your career, your internship cover letter should start with eye-catching professional accomplishments. But as you don’t have any professional experience yet, you need to explain why you want this internship with this company.
That’s where your research skills come in. Look at their corporate website, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor. Search for current news using Google’s news aggregator, and look for insights from previous employees and interns on forums like Quora and Reddit.
Here’s what to find out when researching the company you’re applying to:
- The history of the company
- News and current events the company is involved in
- Major projects the company is undertaking
- Company vision and corporate values
- Background info on the manager you’ll be working under
As you can see, that example is meticulously researched and laser-focused. Compare it to this one.
| Wrong |
|---|
To whom it may concern, I am writing regarding the summer marketing internship with The Useful Agency. As a final-year marketing student, I am looking to gain practical experience to put the knowledge I have gained from my studies into practice. I am due to graduate with first-class honors and believe I have the skills and determination to succeed in this internship role. |
It’s not terrible, but it’s not great. The problem is that it comes across as an obvious copy-paste that the candidate uses for everything. There’s no targeting the company and no research.
Don’t be lazy and generic. Make every application targeted and unique. And always avoid the “to whom it may concern” opening line, as it’s just plain lazy.
Find out more details about gaining your recruiters’ attention from the very first sentence of your cover letter. Read our guide: How to Start a Cover Letter
3. Write a compelling internship cover letter middle
So you’ve just written a perfect cover letter opening. The hiring manager is well and truly hooked. But unless you keep up the pace, it’s still a one-way ticket to rejection. Stay in the race by including more proof of your passion and skills.
To do that, you need to write a cover letter middle which shows:
- Your understanding of the internship duties. That alone will prove that you're an excellent candidate for an internship.
- How you can excel at those duties. It’s how you show you have given it a thought and have a plan for your career development within that company.
- Why you want this internship and not just any internship. That’s what makes it personal, and that’s what makes the reader feel appreciated and acknowledged. It’s also what makes them think you’re a good investment, someone who can soon turn an internship into a full-time job.
Look at these internship cover letter examples:
Cover letter examples for internship—first paragraph
| Right |
|---|
Your job advert says you’re looking for an ambitious final-year marketing student with a solid knowledge of the marketing challenges facing tech startups. Here’s why I will be the perfect fit for this internship.
The reason I’m so excited about this internship is the opportunity to see how you create unique approaches for each client. The consistently exceptional testimonials you get from your clients are proof of your mastery of this approach, and I would love the opportunity to learn from the best. |
That’s going to keep the recruiter fully engaged. Do it like that internship cover letter example, and you’ll get your career started in style.
But the next of our internship cover letter examples will get you nowhere fast.
| Wrong |
|---|
| I’m fascinated by marketing because I love the process of promoting innovative new products and services, particularly the market research aspect of the business. I’d love to be able to gain professional experience at a firm that specialises in working with tech startups as it is a sector I am particularly interested in. |
It’s ok. But it’s not going to get you an interview. Sure, it’s got passion, but the first half of it sounds like it was taken from a textbook definition of marketing and the rest of it feels far too general. There’s no understanding of the needs of the company and no proof of the claims being made. It just won’t cut it.
By this point, you might be wondering how long should a cover letter be. Aim for 300 words maximum. And since we're getting close to that number, let's see how to end a cover letter perfectly.
4. End your internship cover letter with a call to action
You’ve impressed your recruiters with a perfect cover letter layout. You’ve gained their attention with perfect opening lines. They kept on reading through the amazing second and third paragraphs of your internship cover letter. Now it’s time to end it strongly and make them remember your application.
Here’s what you should remember when closing an internship cover letter:
- Once again, express your excitement about the chance to start your career in such a prestigious company.
- Write about how your skills and passion might help the company if they accept you for an interview. After all, from their perspective, that’s exactly what you’re there for.
- Ask for an interview. It’s not as bold as may seem. And convincing them the ball is in their court will press them to take action.
Let’s see some examples:
Cover letter sample for an internship [ending]
| Right |
|---|
Thank you for taking the time to consider me for this role and please contact me at your convenience, so we can discuss this opportunity further. I’d love to show you how my eagerness to build on my existing knowledge and experience would make a valuable contribution to your team. Yours Sincerely, Jane Newman |
That’s a strong finish.
It thanks the reader, which isn’t just good manners, it motivates a positive response, too. Then it makes it clear you want to proceed to the next stage of recruitment, plus cements your passion and commitment to contributing to the employer.
Compare it to this.
| Wrong |
|---|
| Thank you for your time. Please find attached my CV. Once again, I’d love the opportunity to work with you and as you can see I’m perfectly qualified for this position. |
Not so good. It even uses the dreaded please find attached my CV. Don’t start with a bang and end with a whimper by using that sort of ending.
And remember, it’s Yours Sincerely if you address your cover letter to a named person and Yours Faithfully if it’s addressed anonymously, as in Dear Hiring Manager. Don’t use anything else, cover letters need to retain a certain level of formality.
End your cover letter in style and make a great last impression. Read more: How to End a Cover Letter
Plus, a great cover letter that matches your CV will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Key takeaway
Let’s sum up how to write an internship cover letter:
- Create a professional header, including your full name and contact information.
- Add a date, location, and company address below.
- Address the hiring manager directly by their full name.
- Express your interest in this specific job, and mention how you've heard about the opening and why you think you'd be a perfect fit.
- Mirror the job ad in your cover letter by mentioning the skills and experience they are looking for in a candidate.
- Finish your cover letter with a professional sign-off and a call to action, offering a date for your interview.
Thanks for reading. What else would you like to know about writing a cover letter for an internship? Do you want to discuss something more specific like a cover letter for a law internship or a cover letter for a fashion internship? Let me know in the comments section and I’ll be happy to help.
About Zety’s Editorial Process
Our editorial team has thoroughly reviewed this article to ensure it follows Zety’s editorial guidelines. Our dedication lies in sharing our expertise and providing you with actionable career advice that offers you real value. Every year, the quality of our content attracts 40 million readers to our site. But that’s not all – we conduct original research to gain a detailed understanding of the labour market. We take pride in being cited by top universities and leading media outlets in the UK and worldwide.
Sources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1647299/
- https://www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/2018/04/what-are-soft-skills
- https://u.osu.edu/ehedesigntips/2015/04/06/design-101-white-space/
- https://www.hrdive.com/news/eye-tracking-study-shows-recruiters-look-at-resumes-for-7-seconds/541582/
- https://www.umkc.edu/facultyombuds/documents/grant_gino_jpsp_2010.pdf
