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Public Interest Cover Letters

Your cover letter is an excellent opportunity to communicate your personality, enthusiasm and professional strengths to an employer. While there is a standard format for a cover letter, it is important to make your cover letter distinctive and personal; do not be afraid to think outside the box. Go into detail about your background and skills instead of reiterating what is already on your resume. Keep in mind that your letter gives the employer a sample of how well you write. Be careful about typos, spell-check your letter, and edit any grammatical mistakes.

For more detail on crafting a well-executed cover letter, review the OPIA/OCS Cover Letter Workshop.

After following these guidelines, have an OPIA advisor review your cover letter for summer internships and post-grad entry-level jobs. For fellowship materials, make an appointment with our Fellowships Director Judy Murciano and send her your materials at least 72 hours in advance of your appointment.

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Length & Tone
Addressing Your Letter
First/Introductory Paragraph
Middle Paragraph(s): Qualifications & Interests
Concluding Paragraph
Samples

Length & Tone

  • Do not exceed one page
  • Use a personal, yet professional, tone in your cover letters
  • Communicate who you are as an individual, why you are interested in this particular employer and why you will work well at that particular office
  • Vary your sentence structure to keep the employer interested; for example, do not begin every sentence with “I (verb)”
  • View OPIA’s list of Action Verbs to make sure that the language you are using in your cover letter is appropriate and varied
  • For summer internships, review OPIA’s cover letter FAQs

Addressing Your Letter

  • Try to address your cover letter to the particular person responsible for hiring in each office
  • Avoid addressing a letter “to whom it may concern”
  • If a particular person is not identified on the employer’s website or job posting, email or call the human resources office or hiring contact and ask for the hiring attorney’s name
  • If you are unable to find a particular person, you can address your letter to the “Hiring Coordinator”

First/Introductory Paragraph

  • Identify yourself (e.g., I am a first year student at Harvard Law School)
  • Explain why you are contacting the employer (e.g., I am applying for a summer internship with your office)
  • Mention how you learned about the organization or job posting (e.g., an alumnus/a, previous intern in the office, or a speaker on a panel)
  • Include a short sentence or two that summarizes why you are interested in working for the organization and why you are the right person for this job

Middle Paragraph(s): Qualifications & Interests

  • Emphasize why you want to work with the specific employer
  • Highlight past personal, academic, or work experiences that are most relevant to the position and help explain to an employer where your interest in their work comes from, without rehashing the descriptions in your resume; these experiences can include
    • Your personal background
    • Volunteer or community service work
    • Prior professional positions
    • Involvement with student organizations
    • Coursework or research work
    • Publications or other significant on-point writing (e.g., a thesis)
  • Make specific connections between your skills and experience, and the work the office does
  • Show that you have done research about and understand the organization’s mission and how it carries out its work
  • Communicate genuine and informed enthusiasm for the position

Concluding Paragraph

  • Thank the employer for taking the time to consider your application
  • Include your contact information (unless your contact information is included in a header on your cover letter)
  • For out-of-town employers, mention if you will be in the employer’s area in the near future for an in-person interview

Related Private Sector Resources

Related Private Sector Resources