Alright, I need to write a cover letter to go along with my resume that I am submitting for an internship. I am an MIS major and I graduate in December, and I’m applying for a related internship for at least this summer at a fairly large company.
My problem is that the position isn’t advertised and I don’t even really know specifically what I would be doing. The situation is that a friend of mine’s dad is fairly high up at the company and talked to the person in charge of hiring in the IT department. My friend’s dad then gave me the IT guy’s name and address to submit a resume. The IT guy is expecting to hear from me.
I have written cover letters in the past, but in those situations I had a job ad or description to reference. I would just try to connect my skills to the job requirements, etc. In this situation, I really have no idea of the specific job requirements, and there is of course no ad to reference.
Any input on this cover letter would be appreciated. I think the IT guy was expecting it early last week, so I’m already behind schedule. I’ve been putting it off mainly because I have no idea how to write it.
First, don’t stress too much on a mere cover letter. I’ve successfully applied for vacation work to professional firms that obviously didn’t even read my letter: once, in an application to a large law firm I used another firm’s name in a paragraph of my letter. Hideously sloppy, but I got away with it. Bottom line: your letter doesn’t mean a whole lot; your interview performance, on the other hand, is of paramount import.
Second, if you lack information about the job don’t be shy in ringing the guy in charge of hiring! In my experience, people involved in HR are always pleased to tell you more about a job and their company. It will even put you in good stead to have spoken to this guy before the interview. There’s no point in applying to a job (let alone attending an interview for a job) that you don’t know enough about.
In your case, the guy in charge already knows of your existence - so don’t be hesitant in ringing him!
Third, you don’t have to reference an advertisement in your letter. Just write something like:
Easy, huh? Write simply, understandably and to the point.
(Hint: never use “Re:” in the subject heading for a letter. It’s redundant and terribly antiquated to boot.)
Fourth, get to it dammit! Late applications are non-applications. You should be okay in this case since it’s not an advertised position, but for heaven’s sake don’t delay too much.
Thank you for the opportunity to be considered for an internship in your department. From what (the bigwig who gave me your name) has told me, I believe my experience and education would be a good match for a wide variety of departmental tasks.
And then fill in with some typical boilerplate bullshit.