Intern personal statement example (including cover letter)

Reading time: 4 minutes
Price: Free download
Published: 31st October 2021
Word count: 1000 words
File format: Text

My name is xxxxxx and it is with much enthusiasm that I am applying for the internship with the Mayor’s Office. As a prospective May 2019 VCU graduate studying Sociology and Criminal Justice, a Virginia Western A.S. 2017 graduate, and having diverse work experience, I am confident that I am an ideal candidate for this position.

I note that you are looking for a student with professionalism, leadership, clerical, and customer service skills in the setting of public service. As you will see from my resume, I have developed excellent experience in these varied and valuable qualities. My experience as a Senior Counselor at Camp Bethel Summer Camp, provided the foundation of these desired skills that I have continued to build upon in my academic and work life. Serving as the Youth Coordinator for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond taught me my most valuable leadership skills. Working as the coordinator was quite daunting in the beginning, but it helped me conquer past fears I had of holding such a crucial leadership role. My time as the Director of Outreach for The #YouDefineYou Project showed me the value of teamwork in order to achieve a common goal. Now, my position as the Child and Youth Program Assistant for the Department of Defense is reinforcing my ability on how to listen in order to learn, understand, and support.

It would be an honor to receive the opportunity to work with such a great political leader. Thank you for your time and consideration and I look forward to hearing from you to discuss this amazing opportunity. I may be reached xxxxxx or by email at xxxxxx.

Sincerely,

xxxxxxx

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I take great interest in improving the quality of life for others through serving my community. Whether it be through volunteer work such as my time with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, or through jobs I have held, I take great pride in serving my community. I am most inspired by Mayor Stoney’s biography and share his vision and commitment for a bright future for the most beautiful city of Richmond. I am interested in this internship in order to better prepare myself for a future career. This internship would give the great opportunity for professional development by further diversifying my skillset, challenging me, and overall giving me a new perspective outside of the school setting. In my future career, I hope to work with children and adolescents in the field of public service. This internship would give me the very best experience in order to prepare for a career in public service. I would be a great asset to the Mayor’s Office with the skillset and dedication I have for public service. It would be an absolute honor to work beside Mayor Sxxxx and the staff in this internship.

As described in the job description, I hope to integrate the knowledge and experiences I have gained in my studies into this “real world” setting. Specifically, I hope to apply theories I’ve learned in my classes on social justice organizing, public speaking, U.S. government, computer applications, writing, etc., and overall, the extremely valuable lessons my professors have taught me throughout my years in college. I would like to learn different means of career development in this internship. I would like to learn what qualities and experiences will help me be the most successful public service employee that I can be. Specifically, skills such as learning how to better operate office or computer equipment, organizing data and records, or overall improving my leadership, teamwork, and writing skills. Lastly, I would also like to use this internship to work on my personal development. This would be fulfilled by developing better confidence, critical thinking skills, and how to approach a professional workplace. I am confident that the Richmond Internship Program greatly assists in these learning objectives.

During the summer of 2016 with Camp Bethel Summer Camp, I was working one of the day camps offered at a church in Roanoke City. This weeklong summer camp was offered at no cost for the families, therefore, gained much attraction in this low-income neighborhood. We accepted all children that wanted to participate, which caused the week to have approximately 60 participants. Camp Bethel asked that the children could be sent with a packed lunch each day. Many of the children in my unit came prepared each morning with their small lunch box, but many of them did not. The first day, I assumed these children’s caretaker(s) had simply forgotten to throw a lunch together for them. At the end of the day, I approached the appropriate caregiver(s) and with much politeness, and reminded them of the packed lunch. The next day, I packed extra sandwiches and snacks in preparation that the lunch will again be an issue for caretakers. It was a good thing I did. A few children were again sent with little to no food for the day. I was then able to see this less as an issue of innocent forgetfulness but as an issue of food insecurity in this community. I saw it as my duty to tell the program coordinator in order to figure out how to better handle this situation. We came to the conclusion that we should continue to pack extra lunches while not shaming these parents. Many of these children were able to have free and reduced lunches during the school year and did not have the transportation to take part in the summer lunch program Roanoke has offered. Whether we had to take children aside and give them a breakfast or pack 10 extra peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, we made sure that no child went hungry. This experience has forever impacted me and has steered my work life and career goals to where they are now. It challenged me in ways that helped me work on my observation, communication, problem-solving, and collaboration skills. I am forever grateful that those children came into my life.

Why this example works — strengths and ways to improve

Your application combines a cover letter with responses about motivation, learning goals and a formative experience. The Camp Bethel story is your strongest evidence: concrete, reflective and clearly linked to public service. Elsewhere, enthusiasm and skill lists outweigh specifics, and the case for this particular office relies on praise rather than explained fit.

Subject motivation

I am most inspired by Mayor Stoney’s biography and share his vision

You state commitment to public service clearly, but this line asserts inspiration without saying which part of the biography or vision moves you. Naming one specific Richmond initiative and connecting it to your interest in children and adolescents would make your motivation for this office convincing.

Academic preparation

classes on social justice organizing, public speaking, U.S. government, computer applications, writing, etc.

Listing relevant courses shows suitable preparation, but the “etc.” and the absence of any named theory or assignment weaken it. Choose one course and explain a concept you would apply in the Mayor’s Office, showing how your studies would shape your work.

Evidence and reflection

see this less as an issue of innocent forgetfulness but as an issue of food insecurity

This is genuine reflection: you show how your interpretation changed through observation and then led to action. The closing list of observation, communication and problem-solving skills is weaker than the story itself, which already demonstrates them. Let the narrative carry those claims.

Relevant experience

Serving as the Youth Coordinator for the Catholic Diocese of Richmond taught me my most valuable leadership skills

Your roles are relevant and varied, but each gets one sentence naming a lesson without showing what you did. Saying what “daunting” involved as coordinator, or which outreach task needed teamwork, would turn titles into evidence comparable to the camp story.

Credibility and voice

I am confident that I am an ideal candidate for this position.

Superlatives such as “ideal candidate,” “great asset,” “most beautiful city” and “absolute honor” make your voice sound formulaic and can undercut credibility. Your plainer camp narration sounds more trustworthy. Let measured, specific claims replace self-assessment.

Structure and format

This internship would give me the very best experience in order to prepare

The sections are logically ordered, but phrasing repeats: “honor” appears twice, “specifically” and “overall” recur, and the learning-goals paragraph lists overlapping skills. Tighter sentences would leave room to develop your evidence.

What you’ve done well

The Camp Bethel lunch episode moves from observation through a wrong first assumption to a considered, dignified response, which shows real judgement.
Your stated career aim of working with children and adolescents in public service connects your camp, youth and Department of Defense roles coherently.

How this draft could improve

Replace general praise of the Mayor and city with one specific programme or priority, and explain how your experience prepares you to contribute to it.
Expand one or two résumé roles with a concrete task or result, cutting repeated skill lists to make space.
Remove superlatives and repeated words such as “honor,” “specifically” and “overall” so your claims read as measured.

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