• Write about actual activities and experiences that are valuable to the employer;
• Utilize your internship experience in a summary of how you are qualified; or
• Place it in the first paragraph of the your letter as an introduction to how you are a great fit.

Validate new skills and abilities you have learned at Sacred Heart:

• Provide additional support via internship experience, special projects, and extracurricular activities.
• Demonstrate your ability to handle greater responsibility:
• Focus on results of internship.

Provide evidence of your breadth or depth in a functional area:

• Show breadth by including the internship as one of many experiences; or
• Show depth by extensively focusing on the internship experience or packaging your internship and prior professional experience together.

Signal your career redirection from what you did at SHU:

• Utilize the internship to highlight relevant experience; or
• Focus on transferable skills and activities

All of these outcomes can be helpful in your job search; they provide the prospective employer with more confirming information about your qualifications and experience.

Since your cover letter is limited to one page, it is important that you craft each line to convey as much information as possible. When writing your internship experience, you may start by simply compiling a list of the functions or tasks you performed, usually starting with the task that took the most time.

A better approach is to determine first what audience you will be addressing with the cover letter and resume, that is, what employers you are targeting for possible jobs. This can be done very easily for many positions by reviewing the job description, the employer's web site, or information you may have gathered from your networking and research.

From there, you can develop a list of the qualifications, skills, and experience that the employer wants for that position.

As noted above, there are several ways to position the text you add to your cover letter regarding your internship. In some instances, the experience is so compelling that it can be highlighted in the introduction. In many cases, the description of your internship is added as a separate paragraph after the second paragraph, which is used to describe your qualifications. The more prominent you place it in the text, the more the internship experience can be used as a signal.

Following are some examples of the various ways the internship experience can be used effectively to bolster a cover letter and the writer's candidacy. These cover letters are addressed to an employer in the consulting industry; however, the placement and use of the internship descriptions would apply as effectively to any career sector or industry. Only the specific descriptions of the experience would change for each employment experience.

Example # 1
Reinforcing your fit with an employer and demonstrating how you are able to assume more responsibility in this industry due to prior experience, education, and the internship.

October 4, 2005
Mr. Robert Brown
Recruiting Coordinator
Very Strategic Consultants, Inc.
24 State Street
New York, New York 10022

Dear Mr. Brown:

This summer, to broaden my industry knowledge, I decided to intern in the strategy group of a manufacturing multinational. This experience provided a fruitful opportunity for me to reinforce my skills and acquire new competencies, while also reaffirming my interest in consulting. These qualities, both personal and professional, will allow me to make a significant contribution to your firm and your clients.

My professional and personal achievements have allowed me to refine my creative problem solving and analytical skills, along with my ability to think strategically. As a summer intern in the International Marketing Group at 3M, I successfully adapted to rapidly changing circumstances while undertaking challenging responsibilities with a creative and entrepreneurial spirit. In previous assignments with Gartner Group I developed and defended business cases for projects worth up to $5MM, modeling complex scenario simulations. I effectively interd with clients in several foreign countries and numerous industries, building and maintaining long lasting relationships. While volunteering weekends and nights as a 911-call center team leader, I developed my organizational skills and my ability to work under pressure by having to make quick and effective decisions.

I feel that my skills, my professional experience, and my business education would distinctively allow me to be immediately productive and to make a significant long-term contribution to Very Strategic Consulting. I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss my qualifications with you. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Example # 2
This writer is addressing a situation where s/he has no prior experience in the industry. To overcome this, s/he is using the internship to demonstrate functionally equivalent skills and abilities.

Dear Mr. Brown:

During your presentation at Sacred Heart University last week, I was particularly struck by Very Strategic Consultants' thought leadership in the consulting industry. Over the past few years, I have had the privilege of meeting several colleagues from your firm and was tremendously impressed by their drive as change agents who were able to create a positive impact for their clients. I am excited by the prospect of joining such a team and am applying for a position as a consultant.

This summer, I was a recipient of the prestigious Governor's Management Fellowship and worked for Western Regional Growth, Inc., a nonprofit agency dedicated to the economic development of the western Naugatuck Valley of Connecticut. With my experience in industrial planning, I analyzed business opportunities for regional air hubs in a post-September 11th environment. I also used my knowledge of financial markets to propose strategies for augmenting the organization's long-term cash flow. While at Sacred Heart University, I held key leadership positions and demonstrated a capacity to succeed in high-pressured environments.

Specifically, I bring to your team:

• Effective Problem Solving and Analytical Skills –Participated on 2004 team that placed first in the SHU Consulting Case Competition. Modeled long-term growth scenarios to spur organizational change in the Lima Public Service.

• Proven Leadership and Teamwork Skills – Led a 2-person team in negotiations to establish a partnership that would attract additional income for Consulting Club.

• Excellent Communication Skills – Authored editorials and coordinated media communications as Editor of the Spectrum.

Thank you for the opportunity to present my interest in Very Strategic Consulting. I look forward to meeting with you.

Sincerely,

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