If I could choose one tip to pass along about writing an internship cover letter, it would be this: write for the reader.

Ask, the question: “Who is going to be reading my internship cover letter?” And think: how can I get the reaction from this reader that I want.

This is critical. The reader’s emotions and motivations will drive a decision. It’s not a machine that is reading these thousands of internship cover letters, it’s an actual human being. This goes largely overlooked. Students must think about the reader and write an internship cover letter that fits into the reader’s worldview. So, what do I mean?

Let’s take for example a university recruiter from Exxon and compare it to the hr lead at a local 30 person ad agency. The difference is night and day. The Exxon university recruiter will care less about creativity and more about, can I justify this person to our hiring managers. Professionalism is important. But, for the ad agency, it may even be the president that reads your cover letter. She will want to know about you as a person, whether or not you can generate revenue, and maybe even a funny story that the president can share with the office.

Readers are different. Don’t treat them the same. Craft your internship cover letter to the reader.
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5 internship cover letter mistakes and 7 tips for an effective internship cover letter.