How to Write an Internship Cover Letter (Cover Letter Writing Tips + Templates) 2024

Are you searching for an internship job, but don’t know how to write a cover letter?

As discussed in this article, unemployment rate in Nigeria is at it's peak.

If you are applying for an internship, then you are probably lacking ‘tangible’ work experience. I guess that is why you need an internship in the first place.

Your internship cover letter may not look like the regular cover letter. Since you don’t have a tangible work experience as an intern, you have to put in x2 of the effort you would require to write a regular cover letter.

We understand that writing a cover letter that grabs the attention of the recruiter could be a daunting task especially if you don’t have an experience.

It can also be quite difficult for you with no work experience to prove that you would be an asset to the company, but with the right guidance and approach we can help you write a cover letter that will stand out.

You want to know how?

To help you write an attention getting cover letter for that internship position, we created this awesome guide to help you learn

• What a cover letter is all about

• Why you need a cover letter

• Internship cover letter writing tips

• Internship cover letter structure (image)

• Internship cover letter example

• Internship cover letter templates

• How to send a cover letter

 

What is a Cover Letter?

Before we go ahead and help you write that amazing cover letter, it is important you understand the meaning and importance of a cover letter.

A cover letter is formal document that provides the recruiter an additional information about a job candidate's skills and experience.

 

Why Do I Need a Cover Letter?

A cover letter is very important because it gives you the opportunity to convince the recruiter that you are the best person for the job.

When applying for an internship job, you may be asked to write a cover letter. This is an opportunity that you should never overlook especially as an intern.

Since you don’t have a real work experience, writing a cover letter will give you the room to provide other details about why you are qualified for the position. Don’t see your cover letter as another formal document, see it as a sales pitch that would eventually get you an interview invite.

A cover letter will help you do the following:

• Emphasize that you are best person for the job.
• Cover up a CV error for you.
• Help you expresses yourself beyond the information that you gave on your CV.
• It will help you target the employer and the company of your dreams.
• It will help you express your skills and abilities better to the employer on a more personal level.

 

Internship Cover Letter Writing Tips

To make your cover letter stand out amongst the others, then you would have to put in all the effort that is needed to write a good cover letter.

Writing a cover letter for an internship position follows the same format of a regular cover letter, the only difference is that you don’t have a job experience.

These tips will guide to writing a good cover letter.

• Introduce yourself: Just like a regular cover letter, you have to introduce yourself and also explain why you are interested in the position and what you are bringing to the table.
•  Always emphasize the skills and qualification that will attract the employer to you. Since you don’t have a ‘real’ job experience, you can talk about other experiences like; your educational experience, real life experience that relates to the role you are applying for. Don’t also forget to add skills that you have acquired.
• Give the recruiter a background information about what you are studying or what you studied if you are out of school.
• Let the recruiter know about your interest in building a career in that job field.
• Don’t forget to mention something that you researched or found out about the company. It could be a project that the company is working that you would love to be a part of, or a change that the company is currently undergoing that you want to be a part of.
• Pick out keywords from the job description, and give examples of times that you exhibited those skills and competences.
•  Let the recruiter know from your cover letter that you are passionate about how the position will help you achieve your career goals.
• When you are closing your cover letter, don’t forget to state why you would love to be a part of the company. Show the recruiter that you are enthusiastic about the role, the company and what you would learn taking the internship position.

 

Internship Cover Letter Structure     

For your cover letter to stand out, some details needs to be in place for you achieve that spark you want from your cover letter.

You will have to tailor your cover letter in line with the cover letter structure. Following a structure when writing your cover letter will help you properly organize your thought to achieve coherence.

Your cover letter should have this structure:

Opening Paragraph (Introduce Yourself/ Talk about How You Heard about the Position

In the opening paragraph, you should tell the recruiter how you heard about the internship position. You can also include some basic information about yourself like; your educational level, and the reason you are applying for the internship.

 

Second Paragraph (Sell Yourself to the Recruiter)

In the second paragraph of your cover letter, you will have to sell yourself to the recruiter. Just like we said earlier, your cover letter like a sales pitch.

At this point, you would want to tell the interviewer that you are the best fit for the job. Here you can talk about some of your skills and abilities that makes you the best person for the job.

Since you are an intern, you can talk about your educational experiences, life experiences, and volunteering experiences that emphasizes that you are the best person for the job. These experiences should be related to the job that you are applying for.

Don’t forget to talk about the your skills or abilities that would be useful to the company.

 

Third Paragraph (See Yourself in the Company)

In this paragraph, you have to tell the recruiter how your skills and abilities can benefit the company. In this paragraph, in addition to telling your interviewer about how your skills will benefit the company. You have to let the interviewer know that you are enthusiastic about the role.

You can research about the company to find out about the company and what the company is currently doing and see how you can be a part of the project.

 

Fourth Paragraph (Anticipate the Interview)

Here, you have to show the recruiter that you are passionate about the role and the company. This should form the closing part of your cover letter. After this, you can do a proper closing for the cover letter.

The structure of your internship cover letter should be built around these "four key areas" since you don't have a tangible work experience.

 

Internship Cover Letter Example

Since the beginning of this post, we have been talking about how to write an internship cover letter. We understand that it may not be easy for you to have a full grasp of how you can write a good cover letter.

So we decided to show you an example of how an internship cover letter should look like so that you can have a full grasp of it.

(Internship cover letter example)

Internship Cover Letter Templates

To help you write a stunning cover letter, we decided to create this cover letter template for all job fields just for you.

Just before we get into the different cover letter templates for all job fields, we want to make sure you understand what a cover letter template is.

A cover letter template is a cover letter form that helps you with the layout of your cover letter. The cover letter template will guide you on the elements you should include and remove from your cover letter. The cover letter template helps you customize your cover letter following a pattern.

See cover letter templates for different jobs fields;

1. Finance/Accounting/Audit Internship Cover Letter Template

Finance / Accounting / Audit Internship Cover Letter

 

2. Human Resources Internship Cover Letter Template

Human Resources Internship Cover Letter

 

3. Medical/Healthcare Internship Cover Letter Template

Medical / Healthcare Internship Cover Letter

 

4. Project Management Internship Cover Letter Template

Project Management Internship Cover Letter

 

5. Sales/Marketing Internship Cover Letter Template

Sales/Marketing Internship Cover Letter

 

6. ICT Internship Cover Letter Template

ICT Internship Cover Letter

 

7. Media/ Advertising/ Branding Internship Cover Letter Template

Media / Advertising / Branding Internship Cover Letter

 

8. Law/Legal Internship Cover Letter Template

Law/Legal Internship Cover Letter

 

9. Engineering/Technical Internship Cover Letter Template

Engineering / Technical Internship Cover Letter

 

10. Customer Care Internship Cover Letter Template

Customer Care Internship Cover Letter

 

11. Administrative/ Secretarial Internship Cover Letter Template

Administration / Secretarial Internship Cover Letter

 

How to Use an Internship Cover Letter Template

It is pretty simple to use a cover letter template, but you need to follow some guidelines to ensure that you make the best use of the template. These tips will sure guide you;

• Fill in the necessary details: Just like we said earlier, a cover letter template is a cover letter form that guides you to create your own cover letter. Sometimes, the template may contain ‘dummy’ text. So you have to be careful to fill in your information correctly and in the right place
• Always edit the information in the template: As easy as a cover letter template makes cover letter writing look, you should never forward a template to your hiring manager, always change some information to tailor the cover letter to suit your need and the particular job that you are applying for
• Check for errors and typos: A cover letter template may not be perfect and error-free. So it is important for you to always check for errors and typos before sending it out.
• Always include keywords: The template may not contain specific keywords from the description of the job that you are applying for, but you can always add the right keywords. Remember you have to read the job description well to know where and how to use the right keywords.
• Name your cover letter appropriately: It is important for you to rename your cover letter with the appropriate name other than the name it came with to be on the safer side.
• Save your files in compatible formats: It is important for you to save your files in compatible format that anyone can open without using a special software. You can save your files in either PDF or Word format.

 

How to Send an Internship Cover Letter

• Follow the company’s instruction: Cover letters can be sent in a variety of ways depending on what the company prescribes. It can either be attached to the mail or added to the body of the mail. So always read the job description to be sure of what to do. When it is not specified, let the cover letter be in the body of your email.
• Use a professional email address: It is important for you to always use a professional email address. Your email address should not put the hiring manager off. It is safe for you to use your names when creating your email address.
• Add a good subject line: A good subject line will go a long way to determine if the recruiter/hiring manager will open your mail. Always add a subject line to your mail before you send it out.
• Include a brief email message: Including a brief message to the mail will help the recruiter have a background information on what the mail is all about before the person reads the mail.
• Save your files correctly: makes sure you save your files correctly. Save your file as either a Word doc. Or a PDF so that you don’t lost the look of your original file, and so that it can be easily assessible. Also name your cover letter properly, you can use this format: first name + last name+ cover letter.

Writing a cover letter is a step ahead to getting the internship opportunity of your dreams. Following a cover letter writing guide will making the cover letter writing process less rigorous.

If you feel more comfortable writing a cover letter after using this guide, then it is time for you to take the next step and apply for amazing internship opportunities. You can also take a look at this CV templates.

Using a cover letter template makes cover letter writing simple and easy, but you still need to be sure the information on your cover letter is correct and accurate. You can make use of a cover letter writing service to be double sure.

You will also need to prepare well for your interview right? Take a look at this Top 100 Interview Questions and their Best Answers