Welcome back to The Intern Hustle's channel. This video, that I did on how to
write a cover letter for an internship, has been pretty popular lately. In it, I
teach you how to structure your cover letter for success. But I also think it's
important to point out common mistakes that I see people making when they write
their cover letters. Because I don't want you to be making these same mistakes.
They are so easy to avoid if you know what to look out for. So I'm creating
this video as a follow-up to my last video on cover letters. Give it a like if
you're ready to learn about 5 things to avoid when writing a cover letter for an
internship. And be sure to subscribe for new videos every single week on this
channel. Hey there! I'm Jenna Rein, from theinternhustle.com, and this is
Initiative Muscle Monday. Helping you to start each week with an intentional step
toward a successful future. Let's do this! Think of today's video as a lesson in
reverse. What NOT to do when writing a cover letter for an internship. Sometimes
our best learning comes from our mistakes and failures. So why not learn
from other people's mistakes and failures and save yourself some time?
Cover letter fail #1: Copying an online template. ATS (or Applicant
Tracking Systems) -- The systems that a lot of companies use to collect applications
from candidates who are applying for internships or jobs -- These Applicant
Tracking Systems can actually be programmed to detect boilerplate
templates. And subsequently, they then eliminate people who upload these
templates from the pool of qualified applicants. This means that a bot is the
gatekeeper when you submit your internship application (including your
cover letter and your resume). And a real human may never even get a chance to
review your application if you are eliminated right away for using one of
these templates. So make sure that you are creating original content. A cover
letter serves as a writing sample. And strong written communication is often a
desired skill that employers list on their internship and job descriptions.
This is your opportunity to showcase the unique value that you can add to an
organization. It's hard to do that through someone else's words. And you may
also miss some important instructions if you copy a generic
cover letter template. For example: Maybe the company has a set word limit for
their cover letters. Don't overlook the tips that are there (from the company) to
help you succeed in the application process, all because you're just too busy
writing the internet's version of the "perfect cover letter" and copying someone
else's template. Cover letter fail #2: Getting sloppy. This cover letter fail
can occur as a direct result of fail #1 -- when you copy someone else's
template. Because when you're copying someone else's words, you may also forget
to swap out some critical information -- Like the company name that you're
applying to. But addressing the wrong company, person, or even referring to a
position that doesn't exist, can also come as a result of copying your own
work. It's okay to use one of your past cover letters as a starting point when
you sit down to write a new cover letter. But always proofread to make sure that
you've actually tailored it to the current opportunity that you are
applying for. Proofread everything with your own eyes.
Then get a friend to look it over for you as well. Because spellcheck doesn't
know context...it doesn't always catch everything that a human can. No matter
what type of position you are applying for, everyone appreciates attention to
detail. So if your cover letter is riddled with typos, and inconsistencies
and glaring errors, you can kiss the opportunity goodbye. Make sure that
you're proofreading and addressing the correct company and the correct position.
Don't get sloppy. Cover letter fail #3: Regurgitating your resume like
a robot. I talked about this a bit at the beginning of my other cover letter video.
Both a cover letter and a resume are important documents in the application
process. However a resume is the factual (and typically boring) document, while your
cover letter gets to be the star of the show. (If you do it right.) A cover letter
is your chance to showcase your authentic self. Don't just repeat the
boring facts that are already stated on your resume. Keywords are important, and
tailoring your resume and your cover letter to the job description is
essential, however listing your skills out and just repeating what's on your
resume isn't going to get you anywhere. What I'm
trying to say is don't just take a bullet point off of your resume and turn
it into a sentence on your cover letter. Anyone can write a sentence on their
cover letter stating that they have strong time management skills. Your job
is to tell a handful of stories through your cover letter. What examples from
your past can you pull from in order to tell a
story that highlights your time management skills? You should be able to
tell a story for a few skills (both hard and soft skills), and give the hiring
manager more than what they could just get from looking over your resume. Make it
personal, and demonstrate your value to the employer in an engaging way. Cover
letter fail #4: is completing little to no research on the company. Yes,
you should be using a cover letter to highlight your strengths and your skill
set. But you're missing a big opportunity if you fail to tie this all back to the
company, and how you can add value to them. If you don't do your proper
research on the company, and the specific position that you're applying for, how
can you make an insightful connection between the company, your experience and
the specific value that you can add to their organization? I also suggest taking
this a level further and doing industry research. Your ability to speak to
industry knowledge, and demonstrating that level of awareness in a cover
letter, shows that you care about the bigger picture. It tells an employer that
your commitment to the opportunity goes beyond just adding a new line of
experience to your resume. A final key to doing your research is to understand the
tone of the company. While it is important to show some personality
(remember fail #3: don't be a robot), it is important to keep things
professional. Humor in written form is commonly misunderstood -- Especially if the
person doesn't know you very well. So unless you're applying for a position
with Barstool Sports, please refrain from getting super witty with your cover
letter. Cover letter fail #5: Apologizing for what you lack. You ever
meet someone who just focuses on the negative? The glass is always half-empty
with them? This person's typically not the one that you would want to work with,
or recommend for a position, or even hire yourself. Yet as humans, we find it super
easy to go negative on ourselves. We can be our own toughest critics. Your job is to
keep that negativity out of your cover letter. So what I mean by
this is, don't apologize for lack of skill or defend your weaknesses in a
cover letter. You may not even realize you're doing this, but even leading a
sentence with... "I know I don't meet all the requirements listed on your job
description, but..." that can kill your chances. And guess what? Most people don't
meet all the requirements on a job description. Your work should be a little
outside of your comfort zone. That's how you grow and develop. To be clear, though,
I'm not telling you to lie about your weaknesses. If you should make it through
to the interview, and you're asked about areas that you lack experience in, be
honest. I talked about this in more detail in this video, where I address the
'What is a weakness of yours?' question. So if asked, speak to your weaknesses as
areas of learning and improvement. And do so with the confidence that they already
value your strengths and accomplishments enough to have brought you this far into
the interview process. But for the purpose of this video, and cover letters,
I want you to remember that in a cover letter you get ahead by highlighting
your strengths, not drawing attention to your weaknesses. I just shared five cover
letter fails with you. Five things to avoid when writing a cover letter for an
internship. Double-check your cover letter to make sure that you aren't
making these common mistakes, and remember to take the time to be
thoughtful with each and every cover letter that you write. Add color. (And add
color by the way that you're telling your story, not by actually adding a
bunch of colorful fonts to your cover letter...keep it black and white when it
comes to your formatting.) But add color and fill in the blanks from your resume,
share your intangibles, and show that you've done your research. And finally,
connect the dots with any mutual connections and shared experiences so
that you really communicate with this company on a personal level. Thanks for
watching! If this video gave you some new insights
today, please give it a like and share it with a friend or two. Hit that red
subscribe button below so that you don't miss out on future videos. In support of
your hustle, I'm Jenna from theinternhustle.com, and I'll see you next Monday.