Cover Letter

A good cover letter is always unique, regardless of whether it is a cover letter for an internship or for starting a career. Five cover letters tailored to the desired job/internship employer are more promising than 100 applications in which only names and little things are exchanged.

We have compiled the most important tips for the correct structure of the application and for a good cover letter for you.

Preparation

  • Study the job advertisement in detail before formulating the cover letter. Extensive Internet research on the work/internship employer is fundamental, regardless of whether it is a voluntary or a mandatory internship. This is also necessary for a speculative application!
  • A well-prepared phone call increases their chances. The aim of a phone call is to arouse the recruiter's interest. Briefly summarize your strengths and qualifications for the position and ask specific questions. This will give you a good opening for the cover letter. In it, you can then thank them for the interview and pick up on the content.

Formal structure

From a formal point of view, a cover letter is a business letter with which you present your request. The Din 5008 standard specifies the correct structure.

The salutation "Dear Sir or Madam" is out! You should use the name of the contact person, especially if this person is listed in the job advertisement. If it is not there, you can often find the name on the homepage of the work/internship employer. You can call the information desk of the institution or company to be addressed to ask for the name of the person responsible for personnel.

Also, have a simple-sounding name of the contact:in spelled out for you. This will help you avoid embarrassing mistakes: Mayer, Meier or Meyer? The first word after the salutation is written in lower case. The correct form of address is: Dear Ms. Meyer, thank you...

For example, the "GmbH" or "AG" must not be forgotten in the cover letter. The company spelling using upper and lower case letters must be observed. Tip: Adopt the designation in the imprint on the homepage if this information is not clear from the advertisement.

The subject line is displayed in bold. It must not be forgotten. Obsolete terms such as "Ref.:", "Subject" or "Ref.:", "Reference:" before the content "Application as..." are no longer used in the cover letter.

Cover letter and resume should be written uniformly in the same font and font size. Only the personal letterhead may deviate from this. Font size 12 is recommended; all legible types such as Arial, Times New Roman or Calibri are suitable as fonts.

On the lower left margin, list the word attachments. The word is neither bolded nor underlined. The individual attachments are not listed.

In address line, subject line or text, underlining is generally not used in the cover letter.

The correct number of spaces in the text must be observed. MS-Word has the "show/hide all formatting characters" button for checking.

Formulation tips for the cover letter

Formulation tips for the cover letter

The cover letter is not a formulation of the resume. Focus on the 2-4 most important points that best fit the advertised position.

Short is not rude! The cover letter should not exceed ten sentences and should not be longer than one page.

The first sentence should not consist of a repetition of the subject line. Avoid sentence blocks such as "I hereby apply...".

For each sentence, consider whether it says something about you personally. Sentences that could literally come from other applicants do not bring any advantages!

Use a writing style in the cover letter that is easy to understand. Avoid nested sentences or jumping around in content.

Donot userepeated words from the advertisement in the cover letter. Nevertheless, name qualities that correspond to the advertisement, preferably by giving examples.
So not: "I am a team player, motivated and reliable."
But: "During my internship at XY, I worked on the YZ project. I worked there in an interdisciplinary team and my tasks were XX and YY."

Sentences that start with "I am...[unspecific enumeration]" will not get you anywhere. Much better is "I have done ...[specific example]."

Do not use redundant sentences or informationless sentence fragments. Examples of such sentence fragments to avoid:
"As you can see from my resume..."
"For these stated reasons, I am applying..."
"I am seeking a challenging position..."

If you want to write about the employer, describe what interests you. For example, projects to which you can make a personal connection. Don't use standard phr ases like "innovative, international, market leader" - many applicants use these verbatim in their cover letter.

Recruiters often have not studied the subject for which applicants are being sought. If knowledge is required that you can cover analogously with very similar qualifications, you should definitely mention this in the cover letter.

No justifications, explanations, repetitions or settlements with the past belong in a cover letter.

Example - Cover letter

Here you will find a sample cover letter. The text marked in red must be adjusted from place to place. The length shows a realistic picture.