Email Writing

Updated on January 16, 2024

• 9 min read
• 59

Written by Ethan Wilson

How to Write an Email for Internship: Examples

Whether exploring job options or searching for a career direction during your summer break, internships can be crucial stepping stones. Handled well, they can provide either training opportunity or an opening to a future, career-directed job – or both. However, your internship email request, as your first contact with a potential job, is key. Whether you are writing a “cold call” email or have a reference to lean on, you need to know how to craft effective outreach emails. To increase the chance that you land high quality internship opportunities requires tact.

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This article will guide you from core principles to tailored templates to ensure that you nail how to write an email for an internship.

And, while knowing what is required for a successful internship request email, there are other options than writing one yourself. Once you understand in detail what is needed for success, let’s discuss AI assistants. AImReply, for instance, empowers personalized, professional messages in minutes.

Research Targets and Openings Thoughtfully

To begin with, securing your ideal internship requires due diligence. That means doing research to target relevant contacts and companies.

And while you are doing that necessary professional research, review whatever relevant personal connections you might have. Those could be individuals or promising organizations to which you are connected.

If you are still in college, your professor or advisor may have useful industry contacts, for instance.

Once you have created this list of useful contacts, reach out to them personally. Be clear about your needs and goals. Be positive and enthusiastic, demonstrate your respect for them. And make a clear, specific request. People are busy.

Don’t ask them for ten things. If you want to get an internship at a certain engineering company, do you know someone who is a respected engineer? What would be most useful, a letter of introduction or is it sufficient to simply use their name and provide their contact details?

But whether you have a direct contact with a company or not, the same principles apply with regards to how to write internship inquiry emails to companies with whom you would love to work.

To start with, in your internship inquiry, emphasize shared backgrounds discussing your course focus areas if they are relevant. Similarly, it is useful to mention other related activities and experience, such as volunteer work, summer employment, organizations related to your field of interest, etc.

All of these are useful to establish relatable connections. Opening lines expressing gratitude for their time conveys care upfront. This sets an appropriately respectful tone.

Seeking References to Bolster Candidacy

Waiting to hear back after submitting internship letters can be nerve-wracking. Having a contact who is an advocate in your corner can give you a real advantage. For that reason, it is worth pursuing.

A reference can vouch for your work ethic, your natural talent and your efforts to pursue your career goals. This makes your talent tangible to a prospective company unsure about unseen candidates. Your advocate’s affirmations of your success in previous collaborative efforts can boost your chances. And that can give you that crucial career development experience.

Hi [Reference’s Name],

As graduation approaches, I have been actively applying to [field of interest] internships to improve my training and experience. As you know, being able to put experience and professional references is a huge career boon.

With your experience in the [field of interest], I was hoping that you might be able to point me in the right direction in terms of contacts. It would also be a huge help to me if you would be willing to be a reference for a position and to write me a letter to that effect.

Please let me know if you have any contacts you would feel comfortable referring me to or if you have advice for making my resume reflecting relevant experience stronger. Thank you for any help you are able to provide, it’s very much appreciated.

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Highlight Relevant Skills and Qualifications

Whether you can gain references from professionals in the field or not, you have to take the next step of sending out query emails to seek internships. You need to know what to put into these to make them most effective.

Your initial internship email should briefly summarize the qualifications you possess. If possible, you should relate them to any open vacancies of which you’re aware. This displays that your ambitions are aligned with the intern role. It also justifies your candidacy.

The overall goal that you’re trying to achieve is to demonstrate to the target company that you already have skills, as well as raw enthusiasm. That makes you an irresistible choice, especially if there is competition.

Do Your Research on Each Prospective Workplace

Before reaching out to hiring managers or recruiters about prospective internships, be sure to do your research. It is useful to know something about the company’s organizational culture, as well as any recent projects relevant to your talents.

In this way you can work in any company specific details into the initial message you send. That will show genuine interest and be a first demonstration as to how you would contribute to their culture and development.

Good places to look for this information is on the company’s website, as well as in any press releases. You can also check the company’s social media presence. In addition you may find more common contacts with the company as well.

Demonstrating that you’ve done your homework, as opposed to sending a generic email for an internship, displays enthusiasm, strategic vision, and commitment.

Balance Professionalism with Personality

Internship emails must delicately walk the line between formal requests and relaxed overtures. Before you hit the send button, be sure that your email is typo-free with good grammar and a sound structure.

It never hurts to subtly convey aspects of your personality. First, introduce yourself professionally. But once you have done that, pepper in details about what drew your ambitions toward their niche or industry. Without getting overly verbose, mention adjacent activities that demonstrate your work ethic and pre-existing interest.

Choose Precise yet Warm Closes

Remember that your internship email’s conclusion will be the last thing that makes an impression upon your contact. You want to tactfully affirm your desire to interview soon if possible. Make it clear that the chance to learn in their unique environment energizes you.

As a demonstration of enthusiasm it can even help to ask for the chance to speak with them in person, even if they have no internship available. Making it clear that you value their experience can sometimes encourage those without internships to help you seek out others and to recommend you for them.

Sample Internship Outreach Emails

Bringing all of the above elements together, we now want to provide you with some examples and templates that you can use for your own query letters, if you choose.  These can be of help if you’re uncertain what to write but know what you hope to gain from the internship.

Dear Ms. [Last Name],

My name is [Your Name] and I am a student at [institution], where I am studying for a degree/certificate/etc in the field of [relevant field of study]. I came across your posting for the summer intern opportunity and wanted to put myself forward for the position.

I am looking to sharpen my [specific skills] as this is my chosen career field and [Company name] is known to be an excellent place to learn. Besides my [field of study], I have also pursued my interest by [related activity] for the past several [time scale].

If the intern position for this coming summer is still open, I would very much appreciate the opportunity to interview for it. I really feel like I could contribute to your company even as I can learn a tremendous amount in the process.

Best regards,
[Your Name]

Above, we discussed the role that references can play in helping you get your foot in the door with your internship query letter. We discussed both the different roles that they can play and how to seek them out.

Below we have included one type of use of a referral. In this case, your reference doesn’t contact the potential internship providing company themselves. Instead, they have agreed to allow you to use their name and contact information.

Don’t underestimate how even this “name dropping” can help you get noticed. People value their trusted network. Demonstrating that you have a trusted member of their network who will vouch for you can make a big difference.

Good morning Mr. [Last Name],

Professor [Name] informed me that you’re seeking a junior engineering intern to support [Company Division]’s upcoming efficiency initiative. I have been a student of Professor [Name] for [time period] and he/she felt my experience would be enhanced by joining your company as an intern. He/She also felt that I could contribute through my skills and work ethic.

I am excited by the prospect of aligning my expertise with your goals this summer. When you have a moment, I would love to discuss my experiences and learn more about the selected intern’s responsibilities to see if I could contribute. Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

After you send your email seeking an internship with a company, you probably are anxious for a reply. You keep checking your email and maybe even find yourself staring at your computer screen waiting for a reply. That’s totally normal.

But you need to remember that people are busy and it could take a while for them to respond. However, if you don’t receive a reply after a week or two, it is legitimate to send a follow-up email. This is an opportunity to ensure that they received your first contact as well as remind them of yourself.

In this follow-up, you want to maintain a respectful but still enthusiastic tone. And you want to get right to the point, making it easy to respond to you.

Hello Ms. [Last Name],

I wanted to follow up on my previous email a couple weeks ago regarding potential internship opportunities your HR director mentioned at a recent campus recruiting session. I understand you likely receive many outreach messages, but I just wanted to ensure that mine didn’t end up in junk mail.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to reaffirm my enthusiasm for the possibility of joining your company as an intern. I am certain that not only would I learn a great deal, I could also contribute through my experience as [restate your experience and studies briefly].

Again, at your earliest convenience, if we could briefly discuss via phone how I may be able to contribute this summer, that would be wonderful. Regardless I appreciate you taking the time when possible!

Best regards,
[Your Name]

Why AImReply Empowers Success

It can be challenging for students focused on preparing for end of term exams or writing essays to find the time to craft internship emails. Ensuring that those emails capture the attention of the target company or hiring manager makes it even tougher.

Luckily there is a solution. AI-powered tools like AImReply can help reduce stress and increase your chances of success by helping you write emails and replies. All of them will be written professionally, suitably, and mistakes-free, and also will be personalized to your writing style, background, goals, and everything that matters. That means you get the high-quality emails you need just in seconds and stress-free.

Simply outline the key elements you need to convey. This can include details such as related coursework, online profile links, or your availability. Once you have input these, AImReply will then instantly generate a warm, yet professional message suited to the company or contact person whom you are approaching.

With tailored emails created in seconds, you can shift the focus toward showcasing your abilities, not scrutinizing sentences for perfection when opportunities arise!

Start Streamlining Internship Outreach Now

Take a first-hand look at how a high-quality AI email writer like AImReply can help you. Quickly contact key managers, recruiters, or professors with confidence about promising intern positions this summer or next semester.

Through AImReply’s ability to compose personalized professional emails instantly, connecting with those essential early career contacts becomes simple. This lets you concentrate on skill-building. Sign up for free today for the edge when competitive openings in leading companies appear!

Written by Ethan Wilson

Author, Expert in Email Strategy and Artificial Intelligence