How to write an unsolicited internship inquiry?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>I'm currently applying for internships for this fall, and I was curious how to formulate unsolicited inquiries for organizations that don't have any official internship program. Would something like this be acceptable?

[quote]
Dear Mr. Consultant,</p>

<p>I am a junior at [college] studying Government and Public Policy, and I'm very interested in [policy area]. I'm impressed with [company's] apparent commitment to [certain principles of this policy area], and I was curious whether the New York office accepts interns, particularly during the fall quarter?</p>

<p>Thank you very much for your time,
Liz Lemon

[/quote]

Also, should I attach my resume to the initial inquiry, or would it be best to wait until I'm explicitly asked for it?
Should I mention that I'd be able to work unpaid (I'll be living with my parents)?</p>

<p>Thanks very much in advance!</p>

2

<p>I’ve written dozens of these things. The best way to get a response is to make sure you very specifically relate your interest in whatever the company does so that they don’t think they’re the 5th company getting a slightly modified skeleton letter from you. Instead of saying “I’m impressed” talk about some paper you wrote or project you did that relates to wahtever principles you were going to mention. Also, I’d attach a resume and not mention paid/unpaid.</p>

3

<ol>
<li><p>Yes, attach your resume (which you have re-sculpted a little to be particularly attractive to each specific company).</p></li>
<li><p>If you possibly can, try to have some human contact-point – someone known to the recipient (if only by reputation) who has suggested that you talk to them. What’s best is to have a professor or a family friend call someone he or she knows at the organization, and then you follow up with the letter, saying “My advisor, Prof. X spoke to you about me last week” or “Ms. Y spoke to Mr. C last week, and he recommended that I write to you”, or (worst case) "Prof X suggested I contact you based on his admiration for your . . . "</p></li>
<li><p>My instinct is to adjust the “apparent commitment” language. Those two words raise a host of red flags. You are naive and absolutist; you believe that they have an absolute commitment to something, and you will inevitably be disappointed. Except you aren’t really that naive, because you know they don’t really have that commitment. Sounds like a trap to me if I’m on the receiving end. (I’m assuming this commitment is to something more specific than “excellence”.)</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Figure out what they like about themselves (or imagine it intelligently), and then highlight THAT as the reason you are interested.</p>

<ol>
<li> Short is good (one page, with decent margins and short paragraphs). But you may have to offer a little bit more than your letter does.<br></li>
</ol>

<p>Understand the internship trade-off from the company end: At best, you will accomplish a little something for them in the short run, but it will be someone’s pain in the butt to supervise you and to find work for you to do. In return, you will entertain them with your youthful exuberance and enthusiasm, bring some fresh energy into the office, make them feel good about helping someone get a toehold in their world, and maybe mature into a valuable networking contact down the road.</p>

<p>So in a few lines try to indicate your commitment to a career somewhere in their world (not necessarily their company) in a way that makes you sound energetic and, well, cute (in a professional way, and yes I would advise a boy to do the same thing). Find a way to give them a sense that it will be fun having you around pestering them for work and guidance.</p>

<ol>
<li> Follow up by phone if possible, or by short, open-ended e-mail. Try to get a conversation going, and deliver on the fun-to-have-around idea. Make them WANT to meet you. Or get them to suggest where else you should look, if they are a complete no-go.</li>
</ol>

4

<p>Thanks for the comments!</p>

<p>Unfortunately, I don’t have any personal contacts; I found this company through some creative Googling. I did look through the employee profiles to see if there were any alumni of my college, but no such luck.</p>

<p>The “apparent commitment” part was poorly phrased. The qualities in question are evident from their past work, and I wanted to highlight that aspect. What would be a better way to do that? (For some more context, it’s an economic development and real estate consulting firm, and they specialize in downtown revitalization and mixed-use, transit-oriented development. I appreciate the fact that they aren’t merchants of exurban sprawl, but I probably shouldn’t put it quite that way.) </p>

<p>I kept it short because it’s not clear whether they’re interested in having interns in the first place, and I figured I should know the answer to that question before going into full self-promotion mode… but it sounds like I should eliminate that step. As far as I can tell it’s basically my dream job, so adding some enthusiasm won’t be difficult. :)</p>

<p>Thanks again for the suggestions!</p>

5

<p>You should try to find out if each particular company does indeed accept interns for the fall semester. If they do then your sentence is something like I am very interested in participating in your intern program (or whatever), and if they don’t perhaps something like although you don’t have a formal internship program I would like to offer my services as an intern and state how you might be helpful.</p>

6

<p>I didn’t think you had an actual point of contact; I was suggesting that you find one. It takes a village to make an internship!</p>

<p>If you can’t do that, maybe say that you have been researching their industry and they stood out because of their involvement in [Specific projects 1 and 2, maybe 3]. You found these projects especially exciting because . . .</p>

7

<p>amtc has a good point that shouldn’t be missed. “I would like to offer my services as an intern…” vs. “do you accept interns?” Much stronger the first way.</p>

8

<p>I would suggest that you do NOT attach your resume. Most folks I know will not open attachments to unsolicited emails (that’s a good way to pick up viruses). </p>

<p>So writing a short and compelling email makes sense. Indicate whether you are interested in paid or unpaid. Give a quick summary of your background and highlight any relevant projects or experience. Share something you know about the company. Do NOT make it look like a form email…customize it to the person you’re sending it to. Tell them you will follow up with a call and do it. You might get voice mail but that’s fine. " Hi, my name is John Doe and I’m following up on a note I sent you last week offering my services as an intern this fall. I would be very appreciative of an opportunity to talk about how I might contribute to the ___ team. Thank you. My number is… and I would be happy to forward my resume to you if you’re interested."</p>