Participating in an internship program during your college is one of the most valuable things you can do for your future career. You don’t want to be the person who has nothing to show for their skills and accomplishments when applying for jobs after college. The job market is highly competitive as it is. You don’t need additional hurdles to keep you from employment.

Internships are an excellent indicator of your aptitude and competence. A recruiter would certainly prefer a candidate who has prior experience in the field. This is why you need to get busy during your college days.

Finding internships can be somewhat of an ordeal, and often times it would depend on your networking with some luck sprinkled in. However, there are some things you can do to increase your chances of getting accepted.

The primary method of applying for an internship is to send a cover letter to the hiring party. Your cover letter contains all the information on why you are a good fit for the job. Let’s go over some essential tips that make your cover letter look professional.

Structure is important

Nothing screams unprofessional more than a poorly structured cover letter. Your cover letter allows the recruiter to learn about you and determine whether you meet the requirements or not. A well-written cover letter should highlight relevant skills and experiences that make you a good candidate.

Here is how your cover letter should be structured:

• Date and contact information
• Salutation/greeting
• Opening paragraph
• Middle Paragraph
• Closing paragraph
• Complimentary close and signature

Following is a sample cover letter courtesy of indeed.com

State your desired role in the opening paragraph

It is imperative that you make your cover letter exclusive to the internship you are applying to. Sending a generic cover letter for all the different internships doesn’t convey commitment. A recruiter needs to know that you have researched the various positions and selected the one relevant to your skills. This is best done in the opening paragraph of your cover letter.

Mention relevant coursework in the middle paragraph

Since you are a college student, I am assuming that you don’t have any work experience. If this the case, your coursework will do most of the heavy lifting. Your objective here is to convey to the recruiter what makes you a good candidate for the position.

Here you will mention the courses you have taken that relate to the position you are applying to. It is paramount that you draw a connection between the position and what you have learned in your coursework.

For instance, if you are applying for a web designer position, state all the courses that pertain to web designing.

State relevant skills, extra-curricular activities, and projects, etc. in the closing paragraph

Mentioning your coursework and its relevance to the position is good, but you also need to highlight relevant skills and other activities. Use the last paragraph to talk about the skills you have acquired in past jobs or internships. Relate those skills to the position and state how they will come in handy.

Extra-curricular activities are also a great way to show the reader why you are a good fit. Include things that you have done outside of college that relate to the position.

The same goes for projects. If you are applying to a web designer position, perhaps you have designed a website for a friend or done freelance work. You need to mention such projects as they are a testament to your skills.

You can also mention volunteer work here, which again shows goodwill and commitment. For example, If you have worked for a non-profit as a web designer, mention that.

Pay attention to keywords

Due to the sheer volume of applications companies receive, recruiters often use software that looks for keywords in a pool of applications. The applications that return positive hits are the ones that are manually reviewed. Hence, you need to include keywords in your cover letter to get picked by the software.

The best way to find these keywords is to look at the job description and company website. For example, if a job description lists “Adobe illustrator experience,” make sure to mention that in the cover letter.

What would you gain from the internship?

The purpose of an internship is to learn about a particular field up close. While it is important to mention what you will bring to the table, it is equally important to highlight what you hope to learn through the internship.

Dedicate a couple of sentences in the closing paragraph to what you aim to achieve from the internship. This can leave a good impression on the employer as it shows your awareness and thoughtfulness regarding the position.

Different cover letters for different internships

A generic fit-all cover letter might be easier, but it seems unprofessional and lazy, which is the complete opposite of what you want. You must customize each cover letter to the needs and requirements of the internship. This gives you an edge over the people who are casually applying to the internship. And you also get to use keywords that are relevant to each internship.

Be prepared for the interview

If you are called in for an interview, don’t show up unprepared. Many students think they know all about the position they are applying to and can handle the interview without researching first. This often proves to be a troublesome approach. Your employer needs to know that you are ready, confident, and well-prepared.

The best thing to do is to take a couple of days and research the company and the position. Google is your friend here. Search up questions pertaining to the position and rehearse the answers in your head.

Have a friend conduct a mock interview so that you can assess your performance. Look up forums where people have already gone through the process and see what they have to say about it.