How to Write A Job Application Email For An Internship (with Examples!)

When applying for internships, it is critical to send a job application email to your potential employers or recruiters.

A polite, professional and concise job application email reflects your relevance and interest for the job, and sets a brilliant first impression on your reader.

Luckily, the only thing that may be standing between you and your dream internship opportunity is a well-crafted and compelling email!

How do you write an outstanding email to ask for an internship opportunity?

In this guide we will explain:

• What is an internship and why is it important?
• What is a job application email for an internship?
• Why write a job application email for an internship?
• What to include in a job application email for an internship?
• How to write a job application email for an internship?
• Example of a job application and follow up email for an internship

We’ve also included an example of a job application and follow up email for internships that you can refer to.

Read on to find out! 

What is an internship and why is it important?

After absorbing all you can in the classroom, it is finally time to apply those theories in a real-world environment through an internship.

An internship is a short-term professional learning experience offered by companies or other organisations that extend practical work related to a student’s field of study or career interest.

Not only will an internship help you determine if a career path is right for you, it also reinforces your Resume with invaluable industry experience that would propel your job search forward after graduation.

Before that happens, you must first secure an internship opportunity with a company. However, your peers are also probably gunning for internships with similar companies within your industry of choice.

Thus, it is critical that you send in a job application email that stands out.

What is a job application email for an internship?

A job application email for an internship is an email sent to potential employers when pursuing an internship opportunity with a specific company. This email contains your prior work experiences, skills and competitive advantages.

Similar to a Cover Letter, your job application email is an opportunity to tell the employer more about you on a personal level, and bring your best attributes to the forefront.

In short, your job application email for an internship should convince the employer that you are a worthy candidate by letting your competitive advantage shine through.

Even if you lack work experience as a student, it is not impossible to sell yourself as an employer’s next intern and entice them to read your Resume and Cover Letter.

Why write a job application email for an internship?

“Isn’t it the same thing as a Cover Letter? Can’t I just duplicate the content for my email?”

Technically, you can.

But at ResumeWriter, we believe that it’s far better to send a job application email with your Resume and Cover Letter attached.

Here’s why:

• Attachments are easier to be saved, printed, and distributed as the Hiring Manager sees fit.
• Hiring Managers get tons of emails daily and yours may get lost within the inboxes. Attachments stand out far better.

For those reasons, we encourage you to feature only the top few highlights of your Cover Letter in your job application email for an internship.

Treat the email as a more concise version of your Cover Letter that is easy to digest and straight to the point.

What to include in a job application email for an internship?

Here are the key elements that should be included in your job application email for an internship:

• Email Subject Line: Clearly state the email’s intent
• Opening Line: Introduce yourself and state your interest in an internship opportunity with the company
• Body Paragraph: Write 2-3 short sentences outlining your competitive advantage and why you would be a valuable intern to the company
• Ending Line: Insert a call-to-action for the recruiter to follow up and thank them kindly
• Closing: Complete your email with a formal sign-off

How to write a job application email for an internship: A Step-by-Step Guide

The main objective of this job application email is to convince the employer of the value you will be able to bring to the table as an intern and potentially, a full-time employee.

Consider these questions when writing your job application email:

• How can the employer benefit from your skill set?
• How are you going to make an impact?
• Why should they choose you over other candidates?

Step 1: Do your research

The first step is narrowing down the internships you are interested in pursuing.

Consider looking up different industries and companies using tools like LinkedIn, your university’s alumni directory, or ResumeWriter.MY’s List of Headhunters in Malaysia to search for connections at top companies.

Once you have a list of companies you may want to reach out to, plan out the order in which you will be reaching out to employers in, based on your level of interest.

Remember – You should genuinely be eager about being a part of a company as an intern, and in your job application email, you may also let them know why.

Take your time to thoroughly understand the companies, what they do, what their culture is like, where their income comes from, etc.

Step 2: Approach the company

Some companies have an established process in place for internship applications. In some cases, companies only accept interns at specific times of the year.

To find out more about the company’s hiring process for interns, you may send cold emails to the company or call to inquire about their internship opportunities.

In your communications with the company, be sure to include your name, explain your interest in an internship with them, and list any relevant experience or education you have thus far.

You may also take a look at our Fresh Graduate Cover Letter Sample as a rough guide, given that both the Cover Letter and content for your internship job application email would be similar.

Don’t forget to leave your contact details so they can get back to you in case an availability comes up.

Step 3: Pinpoint the recruiter

If you’re applying directly to an employer, addressing the recruiter directly will dramatically increase your chances of landing an interview and internship.

If you don’t already have a contact within the company, you may use LinkedIn, tools like Hunter.io,  or simply call them up to ask for a name and email address.

That way, you’ll know exactly who you are writing to and make a better impression as a candidate!

For internships, you don’t necessarily need to go through a company’s HR representative to send in your job application email. In fact, emailing someone who may be your future superior puts you ahead of the pack.

Step 4: Craft your email

Now that you’ve done your preparations, it’s time to generate the actual messages. Don’t forget to keep it short and succinct while delivering your point across.

Use Proper Greeting

First impressions matter, and being one of the first things the recipient sees, he or she should be addressed accordingly.

It’s perfectly acceptable to start with “Dear Mr./Ms./etc. [Last Name]”, but ensure you have the correct honorific and pronoun. If you’re unsure, go ahead with “Dear [First Name] [Last Name].

Should you feel comfortable with the recruiter or it is someone who is already in your network, you may start your email with, “Hi [First Name]”.

Here is an example:

Watch your Tone

While it is fair to want to show off a little bit of your personality within the email, the tone of voice used in your email should remain on the formal end of things.

Of course, this is also dependent on the type of company you are applying to and whether or not you are already acquainted with the recruiter.

For example, if you are applying to a young startup, you may want to use more of a casual tone and demonstrate more individuality within the email.

A great way to go about it could be:

Allude to Connections

If you know someone within the company, always highlight this in your job application email. Before you do that, just make sure your connection is comfortable with you using their name.

This may boost your chances of being selected for an interview or the internship itself, especially if your connection is familiar with your abilities and is willing to vouch for you.

You could write something like:

Show your Interest

All the job application emails that you send out should have a personalised message and note detailing your interest and what excites you most about the internship opportunity or the company.

You can also mention how a specific project/team/department aligns with your values and interests, and how you can contribute towards advancing their work.

Most importantly, you should come off as enthusiastic within your email.

Here is an example:

Be Specific

Don’t assume that the recipient is a mind reader and be as specific as possible about what it is that you are after.

Would you like an interview with your potential superior? Is it an introductory phone call that you are looking for? Are you interested in a specific internship or are you exploring to see if an internship opportunity could be created?

The more specific you are, the easier it is for someone on the receiving end of your email to act on your request.

It could sound something like:

Attach your Resume and Cover Letter

This is crucial as it not only shows actual initiative but also attests to your professionalism.

Make sure that you attach an up-to-date Resume and a Cover Letter that is tailored specifically for the company.

Your job application email simply serves as a teaser of your profile, and these documents will further demonstrate your qualifications and skills.

Always remember to mention the attachments within the email.

Here are two examples:

Follow Up

Once some time has gone by after you’ve sent out your job application emails, you may follow up on your application.

You may feel uncomfortable sending out such an email, but it’s worth the effort, given that this connection may be valuable in the future for other internship or career opportunities down the line.

Simple lines like these might help:

Example of Job Application Email For An Internship

Example of a Follow Up Job Application Email For An Internship