How to Write an Effective Internship Letter for College
Things Your Internship Letter Should Convey:
The internship letter is extremely important for college graduates, because the internship is an important part of the education. In recent years, internships are in greater supply than previously. Many organizations are happy to use the willing hands of an intern to fill basic intradepartmental needs. However, you want to secure an internship at a top spot, so the letter you write will be important. It represents your way to create
a distinct presence in the marketplace.
The internship letter, for some graduates, might be the only way to be unique in a horde of applicants for the same job. Notwithstanding, your grades and academic achievements, most recruiters will take a second look at an extremely well written internship letter. After looking a second time at your internship letter they may draw the conclusion that they want to hear from you further.
Hence, a well written internship should:
A) Impress the recruiting manager with your ability express yourself clearly and in an intelligent manner.
B) Convey the idea that you are an original who did not copy and paste the letter from the Internet. In other words, your personality should shine through the document.
Guidelines
Here are some guidelines to writing your internship letter so your application can be fast-forwarded to that crucial shortlist.
First Paragraph
First paragraph of the letter should include the reason why you are writing and the job which you are applying for. This paragraph should also state if you were referred to the position by someone who is close to the company or its operations.
Example 1- I am applying for the post of marketing assistant in your organization. After reading the required qualifications as advertised on the Southern University bulletin board, I realize that I am an excellent candidate for the position.
Example 2- Mr. Harvey Jones, the head of the department at Southern University and past vice president at your organization, recommended that I apply for the customer service representative position recently posted on your firm’s website. My strong academic achievement for the past two school years, my outstanding rapport with people, and the ability to solve problems under pressure makes me an excellent candidate for this position.
Second/Third Paragraph
The second paragraph of an internship letter should indicate the knowledge, skills and abilities that you have acquired in your college classes and from extra-curricular activities. Here is where you would state previous jobs, no matter how short a time, and also mention any volunteer work done. You may split up paragraphs if you have a substantial amount of material on your class achievements or volunteer work. If you do not have much information, leave it as one paragraph.
Example 1- During my first three years at Southern University, I excelled in all of my business courses, especially sales and marketing. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenges that these courses have provided and I especially loved the practical aspects of marketing and sales. I found myself totally immersed in not only the theory part of the course, but actually practicing the theories on the people I come into contact with as part of my job as cashier in the school’s cafeteria. I was leader of my marketing team project this year, and it had a unique aspect to it; upon the project’s completion, my team made a presentation before several visiting corporate executives at Career Week. The project required strong team work, organizing and planning skills and culminated in us getting the highest grades in the class. In addition, the presentation was well received by faculty and visiting executives.
Example 2 - My volunteer work with the Helping Hands for Addiction as a call center representative has allowed me to fully utilize my people skills and allowed me to use the customer service theories learned in the classroom. After four weeks on the job, my supervisor recommended me for even more hours with clients. I prevented a suicidal man from committing suicide and doing harm to himself or to someone else. This experience helped me to learn how to think on my feet and how to talk to the most difficult customer.
Final Paragraph
This is an opportunity to sum up the letter and your contact details. If the potential employer is agreeable for you to call them, include the follow up time in this paragraph also. By following up with a telephone call, you ensure that your documents are received and you will send a signal to the employer that you are sincerely eager to obtain the internship position and look forward to work with them.
Example - Thank you for your time and consideration. I can be contacted at home (555) 321-7654, on my mobile at (555) 123-4567 or via email email@blank.com (hint- be certain to provide a professional sounding email address!). I would like the opportunity to make a positive contribution to Hoffin Hill while interning as a customer service representative. I will call you in one week to further discuss my candidacy.
Sample College Internship Letter
Your Contact Information
Your Name
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip Code
Your Phone Number
Your Email Address
Date
Employer Contact Information
Name
Title
Company
Address
City, State, Zip Code
Salutation
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name:
Mr. Harvey Jones, the head of department at Southern University and past vice president at Hoffin Hill recommended that I apply for the customer service representative position recently posted on your firm’s website. My strong academic achievement for the past two school years, my outstanding rapport with people, and the ability to solve problems under pressure makes me an excellent candidate for this position.
During my first three years at Southern University, I excelled in all of my business courses, especially sales and marketing. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenges that these courses have provided and I especially loved the practical aspects of marketing and sales. I found myself totally immersed in not only the theory part of the course, but actually practicing the theories on the people I come into contact with as part of my job as cashier in the school’s cafeteria. I was leader of my marketing team project this year, and it had a unique aspect to it; upon its completion my team made a presentation before several visiting corporate executives at Career Week. The project required strong team work, organizing and planning skills and culminated in us getting the highest grades in the class. In addition, the presentation was well received by faculty and visiting executives.
My volunteer work with the Helping Hands for Addiction as a call center representative has allowed me to fully utilize my people skills and allowed me to use the customer service theories learned in the classroom. After four weeks on the job, my supervisor recommended me for even more hours with clients. I prevented a suicidal man from committing suicide and doing harm to himself or to someone else. This experience helped me to learn how to think on my feet and how to talk to the most difficult customer.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I can be contacted at home (555) 321-7654, on my mobile at (555) 123-4567 or via email email@blank.com (hint- be certain to provide a professional sounding email address!). I would like the opportunity to make a positive contribution to Hoffin Hill while interning as a customer service representative. I will call you in one week to further discuss my candidacy.
Sincerely Yours
……………………….
