Dear Ed,
Can you give an example of a kick ass cover letter
for an internship?
Ed wishes he could! He doesn't have any that he can just
send out to people (but when you write yours, send it to him and he will!). He
does have a few simple rules for cover letters that are far too often broken,
especially in letters prospective interns send to him. (He hires interns for
his day job three times a year so he sees a lot.) Keep it short—three
paragraphs tops and have lots of white space on the page. A dense letter just
turns the reader off immediately. Don't repeat stuff in your resume in your
letter. People can read your resume for a list of your experience. No need to
write about it in your cover letter. If you want to share an anecdote or expand
on something interesting about a place you worked, that's OK. But don't recount
your experience. And please don't list that you're "hard working, enthusiastic
and creative." Somehow SHOW that in your cover letter or by the details
on your resume. Just writing it is lame. What hiring editors love to read in
cover letters isn't so much the applicant bragging about him or herself but
talking about the magazine and why he loves it so much—what article or
issue he really loved and why he loved it. Editors want to see that you "get"
their magazine and that you'll fit in there. Go that angle—flattery always
wins. If you haven't figured out already from this advice, you cannot, absolutely
cannot, write the same letter and send it out to all the internships you're
applying for. Each one has to be tailored to that magazine and even to that
editor. (Google her or him—chances are you'll get a sense of their personality
from when they've been on TV or interviewed about a story they've edited in
the magazine.) It won't work if you send a form letter. There's too much competition
out there for that laziness. Finally, don't be too formal. Magazines are all
about informal writing for the most part (except for maybe the Economist)—even
the New Yorker has a sense of humor. Put your personality into your writing.
Don't use Sir or Ma'am and avoid cliche lines like, "I'd be an asset to
your company." Be yourself in your writing, whoever that is—just
yourself very well edited for spelling and grammar!
I hope that helps.
Best of luck to you, Ed
