Cover Letter instructions:   

This cover letter will help tell your professional strengths to a potential supervisor and internship provider. This guide can be helpful for GlobalWorks specific cover letters; for other job or internship applications the below will not be as relevant. Your letter should be one page, and note that it does not necessarily need to follow the template below. Keep in mind that your cover letter may be read by UO staff, third-party program provider staff, and potential internship supervisors. 

Cover Letter Structure

GREETING

OPENING PARAGRAPH - In your opening paragraph, state which internship sector and which city you’re applying to. Give the reader a sense for why you’re interested in this specific career field in this particular location. Identify the two professional selling points (skills, qualities, language skills, etc.) you’ll be discussing in your letter and how they relate to your desired internship. 

SECOND PARAGRAPH: Identify your relevant career competency. Tell a story from your experience that shows this in action. Paint a picture with sufficient detail. What was the situation? What did you do, and how did you do it? What was the result? Then explain the relevance of the selling point to the sector and city (if location is relevant) you’re applying to. This can be about specific courses you’ve taken in your preferred sector, relevant job experiences, etc.

THIRD PARAGRAPH: Identify your second relevant career competency. Again, tell a story from your experience that shows this in action. Make it interesting. What was the situation? What did you do, and how did you do it? What was the result? 

CLOSING: In your closing paragraph, recap your two strengths and reiterate why you are a good candidate for this internship.

SIGNATURE

Sample/Example Cover Letter: 

To Whom It May Concern:

I am interested in the internships available in Entrepreneurship and Business Administration in Spain for Summer 2030. I am a second year student at the University of Oregon currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and an emphasis on the Spanish Language. I am passionate about going to Spain to practice my language skills in a setting where I will be fully immersed in the Spanish language and culture. In the Business Classes I have taken this far, I have learned about American tactics, but I am seeking to expand my horizons and learn about Business Administration and Entrepreneurship from a global perspective. 

My organizational and teamwork skills, as well as my background in the Spanish language will be beneficial to any organization where I work. Organization and teamwork skills have helped me in my journey as a student and member of my community. In 2017, I started working as a camp counselor at the sleepaway camp through my temple. As a first-year counselor, I was responsible for supervising the campers and making sure that they were all happy and healthy. As my first summer progressed, I got experience working with a team and learned what they were doing well and was able to implement those tactics into my interactions. While working with my team, I learned that my natural leadership and organization skills were the foundation for successful programs for our campers and good relationships with my peers. When Covid hit, the camp leadership team decided that we were going to make camp work even though it would be virtual. My new role as the unit leader was to plan and organize this version of camp and find ways to make sure that the campers were still connected and supported by the community. To make this possible, I planned weekly meetings with my unit staff starting four months before summer. I knew that I would not be able to make this happen on my own so prioritized delegating tasks while still actively participating and being an engaged and enthusiastic leader. I served as the liaison between my unit and the director team and was responsible for ensuring that everything ran smoothly. 

Learning Spanish is a skill that I have been working on since middle school. I started taking beginnerlevel classes at school and over time felt more and more confident in my speaking ability. I got a job working as a barista at a local restaurant and after I was hired, learned that I was the only employee that was not fluent in Spanish. This was nerve-wracking because I had never had a conversation without practicing beforehand. I did not realize how quickly I would catch on by being immersed in a Spanishspeaking environment. I worked hard to listen carefully to what everyone was saying and when I got home, I would look up words and phrases that I did not understand. About a week into the job, I was confident enough to take phone orders in Spanish and was able to effectively communicate with the kitchen crew and my coworkers. By the end of the summer, I had learned more than I had after six years of Spanish classes. I am confident that being fully immersed in the workplace will not only allow me to explore career opportunities and work with a wider array of people but also help with my language proficiency. 

My organizational and teamwork skills, and my proficiency in the Spanish language are all traits that are valuable to bring to the workplace. I am a good candidate for this internship because I am a well-rounded student, hard worker and will bring lots of new ideas and enthusiasm wherever I go. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. 

Sincerely

The Global Duck