Cover Letters

[rpsych1999]

Hello everyone! I am a Psy.D. student currently applying for pre-doctoral internships. Through this arduous experience, I have heard many different things about what cover letters should be like, particularly regarding a specific page/paragraph count that is accepted/looked upon favorably by internship sites. This seemingly arbitrary number varies tremendously among the individuals of different programs that I have discussed this matter with. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on this matter and any possible recommendations. Thank you!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

One page ideally, two pages absolute max. Don't just re-create your CV in narrative form. You can speak broadly, and briefly, about your experiences, drawing attention to a limited number of specific activities, as they relate to your interests and career trajectory, but don't just summarize your entire CV for the sake of doing so.

My specific strategy was to have most of the letter be largely the same for all sites, and to then have a paragraph that I tailored to each individual site.

 

[psych.meout]

One page ideally, two pages absolute max. Don't just re-create your CV in narrative form. You can speak broadly, and briefly, about your experiences, drawing attention to a limited number of specific activities, as they relate to your interests and career trajectory, but don't just summarize your entire CV for the sake of doing so.

My specific strategy was to have most of the letter be largely the same for all sites, and to then have a paragraph that I tailored to each individual site.

I took a somewhat different strategy, which was partially based on feedback from supervisors and my grad school mentor.

The first half was largely the same from site to site and consistent with AcronymAllergy's approach to make a broad summary of my experiences and how those created a foundation for different intervention and assessment skills, abilities, knowledge, etc.

The second half was tailored to each site, but I applied to all AMCs and VAMCs so parts of the second half didn't get changed much (e.g., mentioning goals of working with veterans and a VA career for VA sites, but not for AMCs). The rest of the second half was focused on mentioning specific rotations or experiences offered by that individual site, what I was hoping to gain from it, and how it would mesh with my career goals.

E.g., one of my internship goals was to get experience evaluating and treating trauma and PTSD and specifically with EBTs for them (e.g., PE, CPT, NET). So, for sites that had trauma rotations I would specifically mention this in my cover letter and even bold the rotation name.

I would also, at times, relate the rotations or experiences offered by the site back to my previous experiences. E.g., I didn't have any CBT-I experience from practicum, but had many patients with insomnia and other sleep problems, so I mentioned this in the latter half of the cover letter for sites with CBT-I rotations and how that would help me be more effective across settings for my career since sleep problems are so ubiquitous, even though my goal is not to be a sleep psychologist.

This all helped establish the fit I had with each site, which seemed to pay off since I received 12 interview invites out of 15 applications (the other three weren't a great fit, mostly because they were more research focused and my goals weren't and aren't to be a researcher).

 

[PsyDuck90]

I took a similar approach to @psych.meout and also had good success my internship app cycle. I want to say my cover letters were about 1.5 pages each. I think bolding the rotations of interest was particularly helpful because it made it much easier for someone skimming the letter to hone in on items of interest and blatantly spell out fit.

It took longer to craft each cover letter, but honestly many of the AMCs and VAs I applied to had similar offerings (which was why I was applying to them), so a lot of it was able to re-used with some minor adjustments.

 

[Peacemaker36]

Start with a charming anecdote from your late adolescence or college years that makes it clear that you were a psychology-seeking-missile from as far back as you can remember. No typos please.

 

[jdawg2017]

My only advice beyond what’s stated here is to ensure that sites don’t explicitly ask you follow a certain format for the cover letter. Most don’t ask for a certain format, and 1-2 single-spaced is fine with the advice above in mind (e.g., speak to fit, not rehashing your CV). Some sites like Brown, IIRC and they haven’t changed, do ask for a very specific cover letter format. My assumption is this is some like of test for attention to detail but also facilites quick review of applicants in the initial ranking.

 

[doctormancan]

I took a somewhat different strategy, which was partially based on feedback from supervisors and my grad school mentor.

The first half was largely the same from site to site and consistent with AcronymAllergy's approach to make a broad summary of my experiences and how those created a foundation for different intervention and assessment skills, abilities, knowledge, etc.

The second half was tailored to each site, but I applied to all AMCs and VAMCs so parts of the second half didn't get changed much (e.g., mentioning goals of working with veterans and a VA career for VA sites, but not for AMCs). The rest of the second half was focused on mentioning specific rotations or experiences offered by that individual site, what I was hoping to gain from it, and how it would mesh with my career goals.

E.g., one of my internship goals was to get experience evaluating and treating trauma and PTSD and specifically with EBTs for them (e.g., PE, CPT, NET). So, for sites that had trauma rotations I would specifically mention this in my cover letter and even bold the rotation name.

I would also, at times, relate the rotations or experiences offered by the site back to my previous experiences. E.g., I didn't have any CBT-I experience from practicum, but had many patients with insomnia and other sleep problems, so I mentioned this in the latter half of the cover letter for sites with CBT-I rotations and how that would help me be more effective across settings for my career since sleep problems are so ubiquitous, even though my goal is not to be a sleep psychologist.

This all helped establish the fit I had with each site, which seemed to pay off since I received 12 interview invites out of 15 applications (the other three weren't a great fit, mostly because they were more research focused and my goals weren't and aren't to be a researcher).

Please share with me how you managed the autobiography. I am applying to all VAs with VA practicum experiences and similar rotations at each site. The variability of opinions about how this should be written is astounding. I want to be strategic, yet, there is derision between the approaches: a personal statement vs. the "where I am now" and "where I want to go" with goal tied is wild. THE APAGS offers examples that are boring but assure the reader that personal statements indicate loose boundaries and a lack of professionalism. What worked for you?

 

[psych.meout]

Please share with me how you managed the autobiography. I am applying to all VAs with VA practicum experiences and similar rotations at each site. The variability of opinions about how this should be written is astounding. I want to be strategic, yet, there is derision between the approaches: a personal statement vs. the "where I am now" and "where I want to go" with goal tied is wild. THE APAGS offers examples that are boring but assure the reader that personal statements indicate loose boundaries and a lack of professionalism. What worked for you?

Are you talking about the autobiographical essay (I think it was Essay 1) or the cover letters for each site?

 

[doctormancan]

Are you talking about the autobiographical essay (I think it was Essay 1) or the cover letters for each site?

Oh the autobiography

 

[PsychedUp313]

All of my cover letters came out to about 1.5 pages. I heard anything past 2 pages was too much. I had one introduction paragraph that I kept the same across all of my letters but individualized the rest of the letter to each site. I heard it's important to show you read the internship brochure thoroughly and provide specific reasons for why you're interested in their program and what skills you have to offer.

 

[AcronymAllergy]

Everyone has made good points. I should add that I probably did end up writing more than just one paragraph personalized to each site, in that there may have been sections of prior paragraphs that I personalized. It can also be helpful to have fellow student(s) and/or advisor(s) read the letter for you; just realize you're probably going to get some conflicting feedback, and you don't have to make every change they suggest.

And yes, please keep the cover letter under 2 pages.

 

[psych.meout]

All of my cover letters came out to about 1.5 pages. I heard anything past 2 pages was too much. I had one introduction paragraph that I kept the same across all of my letters but individualized the rest of the letter to each site. I heard it's important to show you read the internship brochure thoroughly and provide specific reasons for why you're interested in their program and what skills you have to offer.

Same.

I'd add that it also comes with risks in that you need to be careful if you are working from a single template for your letters or editing one letter to adapt it to different sites. You have to proofread closely to make sure you are getting the details of that particular site correct, lest you inadvertently mention a rotation that they don't have or some other mistake. You don't want to get dinged by one of the few people that reads these letters closely.

Everyone has made good points. I should add that I probably did end up writing more than just one paragraph personalized to each site, in that there may have been sections of prior paragraphs that I personalized. It can also be helpful to have fellow student(s) and/or advisor(s) read the letter for you; just realize you're probably going to get some conflicting feedback, and you don't have to make every change they suggest.

And yes, please keep the cover letter under 2 pages.

That's one of the learning experiences that seems to arise from applying to internship. You're transitioning from a grad student to an intern and becoming more independent. You don't have to accept and integrate every criticism or feedback. You learn to judiciously evaluate each piece of feedback and reconcile conflicting criticisms and advice.

 

[cjackson4949]

Please share with me how you managed the autobiography. I am applying to all VAs with VA practicum experiences and similar rotations at each site. The variability of opinions about how this should be written is astounding. I want to be strategic, yet, there is derision between the approaches: a personal statement vs. the "where I am now" and "where I want to go" with goal tied is wild. THE APAGS offers examples that are boring but assure the reader that personal statements indicate loose boundaries and a lack of professionalism. What worked for you?

I've been advised that your essays should tell a story or narrative, and that it is OK to get a little creative with it or even that it should not just be a revamp of your CV. It should essentially tell the reader why YOU are the candidate they want to interview beyond what your CV (and even cover letter), says. I took the approach of explaining in my autobiography how I came to love forensic psychology through an experience I had in middle school that set me on this career path. Then I made sure the rest of my essays contained the "story" or narrative I put forth in my autobiography, but still was centered on each prompt's individual topic (i.e., research, theoretical orientation, multicultural).