24 SEP 2020
How to write a cover letter for an internship
Our team has been coordinating Erasmus+ internships in Spain for more than 10 years (including the former Leonardo da Vinci programme). Since then, we have read thousands of covering letters coming from students and recent graduates that are applying for a workplacement in a real company. Unfortunately, a 70 percent of these motivation letters have no relevant information so they are rejected by the companies. For that reason, we always read the student’s covering letter before we send it to the company. We work with the student to improve the introductory letter. So he can be aware of the significant information he must focus on.
At this point, there is a list of main questions to take into account when writing a covering letter for an internship in Spain.
7 Questions To Take Into Account When Writing a Cover Letter
1.- First of all, you must be clear when describing the exact position/s you are applying for. Some students write: Erasmus internship or Electronics position. This does not help; you should be more specific. For instance, if you are applying for Electronics field, you should describe the area where you are more self-confident (electronics device repair, programming electronic machines, air conditioner technician…).
2.- Explain why you are applying for a position (list the benefits you will gain from this internship).
3.- Take care with vocabulary and use the right terms when describing both your personal and professional skills.
4.- If you are going to write a covering letter with no experience, don’t forget to include significant school works done during your professional course. If you have some vocational experience, don’t forget to describe the tasks performed during your previous internship.
5.- Focus on relevant skills related to the position you are applying for to highlight that you will fit for the said position.
6.- Do not forget to check the covering letter before sending it (grammar, vocabulary, content and your signature).
7.- Don’t send the same covering letter as your friend. ¡ Your motivation letter must be original!
Now that you have a clear idea of which questions you must mention in your letter, we are going to propose an easy reading structured letter. This is quite important, since companies do not have much time to waste. Thus, they appreciate letters to be well resumed and be as simple as possible. For that reason, it is essential to include only relevant information summarized in 3–5 paragraphs (no more than 400 words) where you must include: personal introduction, body and conclusion.
What to Include When You Write A Cover Letter
- Header of the letter: on top, first write your full name, personal information and date. Then you must address the letter to the company and state the expected position.
- Greeting: Dear Mrs./Mr + surname of the person (if you know the name). Try to avoid the classic “Dear Sir/Madam”
- Introduction:as we have comment before, your text must be clear and simple, enhancing your main skills and using appropriate terminology related to the position you are applying for and why are you writing this letter. As a summary, you should provide a short personal introduction.
- Body of the letter: try to write 2-3 paragraphs including your educational background, soft-skills and professional skills related to the internship you are applying for. You must demonstrate that you are matching perfectly with the required position.
- Conclusion: You should remind why you will be the best intern for that internship and thank the addressed person for taking into account your application. You should demonstrate also to be eager to schedule an online interview with the company supervisor.
We help schools to organize internships in Seville and training courses for learners and staff. We assist students during the application process so they are trained about how they should write a proper CV and covering letter when applying for an Erasmus+ internship.
Please, contact us to ask for information about our training programmes for Erasmus students in Spain.