Engineering Internship Cover Letter [Samples, Tips + Template]

A good engineering cover letter for internship, or cover letter in general, should serve these 3 basic purposes:

• Provide a professional Introduction for yourself.
• Give reasons for the recruiter to feel that you are the top candidate for the job.
• Cause recruiters to let you advance to the next steps!

Especially in the engineering field, a well-written engineering internship cover letter can help you elaborate your past projects, whether academic or personal, in a more narrative way. A good engineering internship cover letter could also illustrate that you have good written communication skills, making you stand out in the increasingly competitive market.

To illustrate some points, we will use sample cover letters for engineering internships. With no experience, you could also use a cover letter template for engineering internship provided at the end of this article. Keep on reading and you’ll be able to craft your own engineering internship cover letter!

For starters, below is a sample cover letter for an engineering internship, to give you an overview of how a complete engineering internship cover letter looks like.

Here are the steps on how to write a cover letter for an engineering internship. 

1. Know the complete format of an engineering internship cover letter.

Cover letters are formal documents that have a certain format to follow. Make sure your engineering internship cover letter contains the following parts:

• Cover letter header: including sender information, date written, receiver information
• A professional salutation: Address the hiring manager politely with proper titles & names
• Opening paragraph: Opening your engineering internship cover letter with an enthusiastic paragraph that shows your interest
• Body paragraphs: One to two paragraphs that describe any relevant experiences and skills
• Closing: Close off with an invitation or call-to-action
• Sign off: A proper sign off with professional complementary closes and your name

2. Understand the job description and research the company.

A good engineering cover letter for an internship elaborates your skills, projects and experiences in details and delivery that cannot be executed in your resume. Finding out more about what the company requires, or the company culture will allow you to write yours in a way that attracts the recruiter more.

3. Start with a tailored & appealing opening paragraph.

Amongst a possibly big pile of engineering internship cover letters, the first paragraph has to catch the recruiters’ attention, so make sure to briefly state what makes you the best candidate for the internship amongst the crowd.

Here is an example paragraph from a cover letter for software engineer internship:

4. Describe your relevant background & skill sets.

Pay attention to the job description and “good-to-haves” before writing your engineering internship cover letter, and think about the skills or experience you have that matches what the job needs. Pick two or three most relevant ones and use solid examples to illustrate that you indeed possess those skills.

Here is an example paragraph from a cover letter for electrical engineering internship:

5. Explain your motivation.

Here, it is good to emphasize your passion and willingness to learn, more because it is an engineering cover letter for an internship, where a lot of past experience is not necessary or uncommon. Explain why you want this job and tell the recruiter the way(s) you can contribute to the position if you are admitted, by linking back to what you have already written in the body paragraph.

Here is an example paragraph from a cover letter for mechanical engineer internship:

6. Close your letter with appreciation and a call-to-action.

Thank the recruiter for his/her time reading your cover letter, followed by an invitation to contact you for the next steps, which is usually an interview. Remind them how you can be contacted, and that you wish to hear from them.

Here is an example paragraph from a cover letter for civil engineering internship:

7. Finish your engineering internship cover letter with a professional sign-off.

Be sure to close off with a formal greeting like sincerely, best regards, best, etc. Remember to not use greetings you would write in a postcard for your friends, as cover letters are still formal documents, though similar to essays.

💡 Show your passion for the field in a software intern cover letter.

A software intern cover letter should always include what kind of hard skills or programming languages that you are proficient in. If you don’t have one yet, you could learn basic ones on MOOCs first so you can mention them in your cover letter, proving that you made an effort and are genuinely interested in this field.

💡 Elaborate projects in your mechanical engineer internship cover letters.

A cover letter for a mechanical engineer internship should contain previous related experiences. Projects, even those you did in university courses are a good start. Be more detailed and concrete in explaining what you did in that project.

💡 Attach relevant references in a cover letter for a civil engineering internship.

Assuming you have had relevant courses before, you must have a blueprint or basis for your civil engineering project. It could also be the finished project that you did with your professor. Consider putting a link of your portfolio in your cover letter for civil engineering internships.

💡 Highlight your soft skills in an electrical engineering internship cover letter with no experience.

In an electrical engineering internship cover letter with no experience, try to link your past activities with what the job requirements are. The most common example is linking your experience working with random teams in your case study club, to the communication and teamwork skills needed for your electrical engineering internship!

💡 Showcase your written communication skills in your cover letter. 

Use formal words to express what you’re trying to say. It has to be more narrative than your resume, so use real stories that you have experience to tell them more about what you have done or can do if admitted. 

💡 Always proofread, proofread, proofread.

One grave mistake would be not rechecking and proofreading your engineering internship cover letter. This shows lack of effort, and could cost you an interview opportunity. Take the time to finish your draft earlier, and ask others to help you take a look if possible. 

💡 Draw a strong connection between you and the job, and customize your engineering internship cover letter.

Another common mistake is to craft one general engineering internship cover letter and send to multiple positions without finding the keywords in the job description. Research the company and job requirements thoroughly and think about what you can offer to them in your current state. 

Below is a cover letter template for engineering internships that you can use when crafting your own.

--- Originally written by Evelyn Peng ---