Internship cover letter example
A strong internship cover letter connects your best results to what the employer needs, in under a page. The example below is written from the same sample career as our internship resume example, so you can see how a letter and resume work together. Swap in your own facts.
A fictional, illustrative example - not a real person, employer or result.
Internship cover letter sample
Dear Hiring Manager,
Please accept my application for the Internship opening at [Company Name]. I am a third-year economics student at the University of Michigan seeking a finance or data internship.
In my current role as Student Projects at University of Michigan, I built a Python regression model of 2,000 campus rental listings, predicting rent within 8% on test data. I also analysed local unemployment data for a class report ranked top 3 of 45.
Before that, as Investment Club President at Wolverine Investment Club, I lead a 60-member club, running weekly pitches and a $15,000 student-managed fund. The skills I would bring to [Company Name] include Excel (pivot tables, modelling); Python (pandas); and financial research.
Thank you for reading my application. I would be glad to walk you through this work in more detail and learn more about the role.
Sincerely,
Noah Kim
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How to write a internship cover letter
- 1. Open with the role and your strongest match
Name the job and the company, then sum up who you are in one sentence, as the sample does: “I am a third-year economics student at the University of Michigan seeking a finance or data internship.”
- 2. Prove it with one or two results
Pick the achievements that matter most for this employer and keep the numbers. For a internship, a result like “Built a Python regression model of 2,000 campus rental listings, predicting rent within 8% on test data.” says more than a list of duties.
- 3. Show the skills the posting asks for
Mention the tools and skills from the job description that you genuinely have, for example: Excel (pivot tables, modelling); Python (pandas); Financial research; Presentations.
- 4. Close with a clear next step
Thank the reader and say you would welcome a conversation. Keep the whole letter to one page.
Mistakes to avoid
- !Repeating your resume line by line instead of choosing the two results that matter most for this job
- !Opening with "I am writing to express my interest" - start with the role and why you fit
- !Sending the same letter to every employer without naming the company or the role
- !Leaving the resume thin instead of adding projects and activities
Frequently asked questions
- How long should a cover letter be?
- Between 250 and 400 words on one page: an opening, one or two paragraphs of evidence and a short close.
- Who should I address it to?
- Use the hiring manager’s name when you can find it. Otherwise “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear [Company] Hiring Team” is fine.
- Do I need a cover letter if it is optional?
- Yes, when you can tailor it. A short, specific letter is one of the easiest ways to stand out from applicants who skip it.
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