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Yesterday we looked at a common error in internship cover letters, namely, seeing the internship as an opportunity to benefit the student while neglecting to show what the employer will gain. Today we’ll write a better cover letter.

The three parts of a cover letter

As I mentioned last week, a cover letter (and resume) work together to help get you an interview. A good cover letter should:

• Mention the position, a contact within the organization (if possible), and refer to your resume
• Describe how your experience and qualifications will benefit the prospective employer
• Ask for the interview

The first and last parts are fairly simple. You can find some good cover letter examples here and here that show you how to do this. That said, let’s look at two specific ways to address the most difficult part of your cover letter–expressing your qualifications as benefits to the employer.

1. Watch your "I’s." One way to see if you’re emphasizing the benefits to the employer is to look for all instances of first-person pronouns, especially "I." For example, the second paragraph of your letter might contain this:

I am a hard-working, detail-oriented individual who understands your industry. I worked in a box factory part-time during school where I gained some experience with pre-production layout, copywriting, and design.

Both sentences begin with "I." To highlight your qualifications in terms of reader benefits, substitute your "I’s" with "you’s." You can also revise your sentences so that they don’t begin with first-person pronouns. Here’s a better revision:

You will find in me a hard-working, detail-oriented person who understands your industry. During the school year, I worked part-time at a box factory. Experiences there with pre-production layout, copywriting, and design have prepared me to help your company with its design and layout needs.

Notice that no sentence begins with a first-person pronoun, and the last sentence shows how the applicant’s skills will be put to use for the organization.

2. Be specific. Years ago I took a short story writing course. One of the principles I learned in that class was "show, don’t tell." Good writing is vivid and describes action and characters. Here are two examples:

TELLING: John Smith was tall.
SHOWING: John Smith usually had to duck when passing through a doorway.

The first example is abstract; it fails to tell the reader anything about John Smith’s height. The second example, however, is concrete: we can see John bending down to get through the door, so we know that he is tall.

You can use the same principle in your cover letter.

TELLING: I’m a hard worker.
SHOWING: While taking 15 credit hours each semester, I also worked 20 hours per week at a local restaurant.

TELLING: I have great creative insights.
SHOWING: In my marketing class, I created a project presentation that the instructor praised as "original and inspired."

Remember that the cover letter is intended to show how you’ll use your skills for your future employer. Show those benefits and you’ll put yourself ahead of those who don’t.

Related posts:
Resumes and References: What to Do?
Resumes and Remarkability Revisited
Are you just one of the crowd?
Beautiful Resume Designs

Tags: resume, cover letter, internship

Filed under: Job Hunting, Work by Michael