Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering Program
Writing your Cover Letter
Purpose of the Cover Letter
After the application deadline, ASE will forward application packets to all three positions selected on
each student’s application. Included in each application packet will be a student’s contact and
demographic information, main cover letter, two adult recommendations and transcript. The cover letter
on the online application is the student’s chance to tell the mentors about themselves, their interest ASE,
or a specific position, and why s/he should pick them instead of another applicant. The cover letter also
allows students to highlight their most important and relevant accomplishments, skills, and experience
listed in their application. It is also where students specifically request an interview and note any possible
vacation times or scheduling needs if they receive an internship.
Remember that the cover letter is, in a very real sense, an overview of each student. Since most mentors
will receive between 10-50 application packets, the cover letter is a very important piece of information
for the mentors to help them decide whether or not you will be a good fit for the position and their
workplace team. It is important to note that mentors do not know that you are applying to other positions,
so it is not in your best interest not to mention other positions in your cover letters.
How is the main cover letter used?
The main cover letter is required on the online application and will be sent to all three of the mentors of
the internships that students select in their application unless the student writes a position-specific cover
letter for any of their selected positions.
In addition to being sent to the mentors, the main cover letter may be submitted to additional positions on
your behalf by ASE staff. When mentors join the program close to the application deadline, or have too
few applicants, ASE may send additional application packets on to the mentor. These are basically
‘choice 4’ positions for these selected applicants. ASE staff will notify the students that their application
will be submitted to additional positions, and students will have 24 hours to let ASE staff know if they are
NOT interested in the additional positions. ASE staff makes determinations of who to add to these
additional positions based upon the quality of the application’s main cover letter, the student’s interest
level in the position’s discipline, and the student’s eligibility due to the position’s specific requirements.
How is the position-specific cover letter used?
Students have the option of writing position-specific cover letters for one or more of their positions on
their application. If you elect to submit a position-specific cover letter for one or more of your positions,
your position-specific cover letter will take the place of your main cover letter in your applicant packet
for those positions. If you decide to write position-specific cover letters for all of your positions, your
main cover letter in your application will only be used by ASE staff for potential additional positions and
will not be sent to the mentors.
Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering Program
Writing your Cover Letter
The guide below will give you an overview of how to write a position-specific cover letter. For your
main cover letter, instead of writing to just one position/mentor in your letter, you will need to write
about either: 1.Your skills and interest in the top 2 or 3 disciplines that you ranked with a ‘high’
interest on your application, or 2.Write your letter based upon your background and skills that
match the skills needed for all three of your positions.
Cover letter Content and Structure
Introductory paragraph: this paragraph should be brief, perhaps two or three sentences.
 State what position for which you are applying.
 State your general qualifications for the position.
Supporting paragraphs: this is the body of your cover letter, include one to three longer paragraphs.
 Expand upon your qualifications for the position.
 Discuss the most relevant qualifications listed in your application in detail, demonstrating
how your background and experience qualify you for the position. Be as specific as possible,
and refer the reader to your application for additional details.
Concluding paragraph: this paragraph should be brief, perhaps two or three sentences.
 Request an interview: state where/ when you can be reached, express your willingness to
come to an interview or supply further information.
 Mention that you look forward to hearing from them.
 This is a good place to mention your vacation plans or other scheduling considerations.
 Close by thanking your reader for his or her time and consideration.
Four key rules:
1. Customize: Take the time to customize your cover letter to fit the mentor’s requirements.
2. Show your contribution: Write the cover letter with the mentor's needs in mind - not your own.
In other words, don't describe what YOU want, but explain what you can do for the mentor.
3. Actively sell yourself: Tell them WHY they should select you. Be assertive about your
qualifications without being egotistical. The tone of your cover letter should be professional, but
sound as if a real person wrote it.
4. Format: Limit each cover letter to 500 words or less. To indicate paragraph breaks, you will need
to place a ^ (first hold down the Shift key, then press the 6 at the top of your keyboard) where you
would like paragraphs within your cover letter. The online form will not recognize
“Enter”/carriage returns – it runs paragraphs together and the ASE staff must format your cover
letters. The ASE staff will only put paragraphs where a ^ is placed.
The next two pages are designed to walk you through writing your cover letter. You can use them stepby-step, or simply as a guide to make sure you’re not missing anything.
Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering Program
Writing your Cover Letter
Getting Started
I.
II.
III.
Prewriting
Writing
Editing
I. Prewriting: The prewriting stage is when you prepare your ideas for your cover letter before you begin
writing. You will find it easier to write your cover letter if you jot down your ideas first.
1. Think carefully about what you are going to write. Ask yourself: Who is my audience?
How can I best explain my interest in this position? What are the skills needed by this mentor?
How can I make an introductory sentence from the most important part of my answer? What
experiences or ideas can I use to illustrate my interest and qualifications for the position? How
can I make this paragraph or cover letter interesting? Do I need more specifics about myself?
Where can I find more facts about this institution? Why do I want to work at this position and
this organization instead of somewhere else? What are my goals for the future? How have my
past experiences led me to be interested in this position?
Before you start the writing process, review the criteria for the position and make a list of what
the mentor wants. This list might include specific areas of experience, computer skills, related
classes, personal interest, and personality traits. You’ll want to incorporate these items into your
cover letter, demonstrating by example that you have the desired qualifications.
2. Write down some notes. Write out your answers to the above questions. You don’t need to
spend a lot of time doing this; just write enough to help you remember what you want to put into
your cover letter.
3. Collect facts related to the position. Write down facts about yourself that will help you write
your cover letter. Look for information about the organization.
4. Write down other information about yourself. Ask yourself: What else do I want to say
about myself? Why should people care that I’m interested in this position?
5. Find the main idea of your cover letter. Choose the most important point you are going to
present. In the case of the position-specific cover letter, the most important point may be that you
are the best person for this position.
6. Organize your facts and ideas in a way that develops your main idea. Once you have
chosen the most important point of your cover letter, you must find the best way to tell the mentor
about it. Look at the skills you have and the skills or traits the mentor is looking for. Look at the
other information you want to include about yourself. Decide what information will best support
the main idea of your cover letter. Ask yourself which order to put this information in the cover
letter.
Apprenticeships in Science and Engineering Program
Writing your Cover Letter
II. Writing Steps: The writing stage is when you turn your ideas into sentences.
1. There is no need to include the company name and address at the top of your cover letter (as
you would if you were writing a cover letter and mailing it).
2. For the introduction, write your main idea and give some background information.
3. Develop each supporting paragraph and make sure to follow the correct paragraph format.
4. Write clear and simple sentences to express your meaning.
5. Focus on the main idea of your cover letter.
6. Use a dictionary and spell check to help you find additional words to express your meaning.
7. Each cover letter should make specific references to the company and indicate your
knowledge of and interest in the work the company is currently doing.
III. Editing Steps: The editing stage is when you check your cover letter for mistakes and correct them.
Grammar and Spelling
1. Check your spelling.
2. Check your grammar.
3. Read your cover letter again.
4. Make sure each sentence has a subject.
5. Make sure your subjects and verbs agree with each other.
6. Check the verb tenses of each sentence.
7. Make sure that each sentence makes sense.
8. One way to judge your cover letter is to read it out loud. Do you trip over the words? If so,
work on it until it flows naturally and has a conversational tone.
9. Have another person read over your cover letter to proof it for grammar, spelling, style,
organization and readability. Teachers, counselors, friends of the family are usually happy to
help.
Style and Organization
1. Make sure your cover letter has an introductory paragraph, supporting paragraphs, and a
concluding paragraph.
2. Check that you clearly state why you would be a good match for the position.
3. Check that all your paragraphs follow the proper paragraph format.
4. See if your cover letter is interesting.
5. Read your cover letter out loud to yourself. Does it read well? Does it sound good?
Steps to Success
1. Leave enough time to develop, complete and proofread your cover letters
2. Personalize your cover letters so each mentor believes that you want to work with him/her
specifically
3. Check your spelling and grammar
4. Make sure your interest and enthusiasm shine through in your cover letters