Beginning your career as an intern is one of the best ways to build a professional network and gain relevant experience and exposure in your area of interest. A good internship program with a limited intake is bound to have intense competition and this is where a well-written SOP for internship can make a huge difference.
There is a high chance that an organization might be flooded with applications of equally adept candidates, but an SOP is always going to be unique and will reflect on a candidate’s skills that are beyond any degree or academic record. The Statement of Purpose (SOP) is an essay that describes why an applicant is the most suitable for the position offered and what he/she intends to gain out of the experience, both personally and professionally.
An SOP for internship should also include your educational qualifications, achievements, work experience, if any, and professional goals. Now that we have an outline of what we should include while writing an SOP, let us try having an in-depth understanding of its format, followed by a sample SOP for internship.
| Course wise Statement of Purpose (SOP) | |
| SOP for Phd | SOP for Undergraduate |
| SOP for Business Analytics | SOP for MS in electrical engineering |
| SOP for Data Science | |
Table of Contents
What really makes an SOP this significant?
1. An SOP is a personal statement; and so, it adds value to the selection process. Some organizations may not necessarily need interns with an excellent academic record only. They might want to evaluate a candidate based on the metrics that echo with their vision and ethics.
2. An aspirant can showcase all their academic records, work experience, goals, and achievements to the selection committee through the written document, while providing a context to it. This helps the committee in finding the right fit for the program.
3. An SOP offers a decent understanding about how a candidate would make the best of the position if he/she is offered the position.
4. A good internship program can take you a step closer to your dream career. Your future employer might want to see some reputed names in your resume, possibly under the education or work experience sections. So, if you haven’t been able to pursue your education from a renowned college, an internship is your chance to make up for it. Hence, it is advised to give your 100% while writing an SOP for an internship.
Also Read:
Format of an SOP
An SOP is written in short paragraphs. Though writing in bullets is not restricted, too much usage of it is discouraged. The font size is usually 12, and it is a 2-page long document. The document length can be between 800 and 1000 words unless it has been specified. Listed below is the format in detail:
1. Professional goals
Introduction and goals related to the internship should be discussed here. An introduction about how the internship fits into your career goals should be written. Students need to discuss their academic record and how it is related to the internship. The short-term and long-term goals related to the internship should be discussed here in about two short paragraphs.
2. Education and experience
Discuss educational qualifications, degrees, training, past work experience, and past summer internships, if any. It will help the selection committee ascertain if the current internship program is relevant to your education and experience.
3. Relevance of the internship
This paragraph will stress on why a candidate needs this internship. This is one of the winning or losing propositions. Ensure appropriate vocabulary and be humble in making declarations about your interest in the internship.
4. Express tangibility of your goals
Since the students will state their goals related to the internship in the SOP, this section will focus on how he/she intends to achieve them.
| Statement of Purpose (SOP) with respect to countries | ||
| SOP for Australia | SOP for Germany | SOP for Canada |
A sample SOP for an internship
This sample SOP for an internship program by a law graduate will help candidates understand the structure and foundation of a good SOP:
I have also interned at _________, where I gained a lot of experience by observing and working with the top lawyers in the country. Law is a rewarding career, but there is a lot of competition. And yet I remained focused throughout my internship there and practiced a good number of case studies with my seniors over the 3-month long program. The law firm helped me shape my career, and I feel I am capable of joining your organization for an internship program. My experience would help me perform better and meet the expectations of your company. In light of the above, I request you to evaluate my academic documents and statements and offer me an opportunity to intern at your firm so that I can further direct myself towards a successful career. I am looking forward to hearing from you at the earliest. Name Signature
It is always better to get your SOP for an internship proofread by an experienced professional, who can further guide you through the process. Remember patience, exclusivity and honesty are the foundations of writing an impactful SOP.
For any help with an SOP, you can also reach out to the counselors of upGrad Abroad.
