By To cold email for an internship, write to a specific person on the team you want to join, such as an engineer, a manager, an alum, or a founder, in under 150 words: who you are, why them specifically, one piece of evidence like a project, and one small ask. Follow up once after about a week, then move on.
An online application puts you in a pile with everyone else. A good cold email is an application with almost no competition, because so few students send one, and most of the ones that do send something generic. Below are the rules that make the difference and five templates to adapt.
When cold emailing works (and when it does not)
| Where | What a good email can get you |
|---|---|
| Startups (under ~200 people) | An interview directly. The person reading may be the decision maker. |
| Small and mid sized companies | A conversation with the hiring manager, or a role created for you. |
| Professors and labs | A research assistant role. Most are never posted. |
| Large companies | Advice, a heads up about postings, sometimes a referral. You still apply online. |
At large companies, do not expect an email to replace the application. Their recruiting runs through structured systems, and some state publicly that referrals are optional: Microsoft's careers FAQ says referrals are not required and referred candidates get equal consideration. The value of outreach there is information and visibility, not a shortcut.
Who to email
- Alumni from your school in the role or team you want. The highest reply rate by far.
- Engineers, analysts, or designers one or two years into the job. They remember what it was like and often know whether their team is taking interns.
- Hiring managers or team leads at small and mid sized companies.
- Founders at early stage startups.
- University recruiters, but only about a specific posting you have already applied to.
How to find the address
- LinkedInto find the person, using your school's alumni page to filter by company and role.
- The company's email pattern. Most use first.last@ or first@. A team page, press release, or public talk often shows one real address you can copy the pattern from.
- Personal sites and GitHub profiles, which often list a contact address.
- Professors list their address on the department page.
If you cannot find an address, a LinkedIn connection request with a short note works too. The same rules apply, in about half the words.
The anatomy of an email that gets a reply
- A subject line that says what it is.“Western CS student, question about your team” beats “Internship inquiry.”
- One line on who you are. School, year, field.
- Why them, specifically. Something they built, wrote, said, or work on. This is the line that gets replies, because it proves the email was not sent to 300 people.
- One piece of evidence. A project with a link, ideally related to what they do.
- One small ask. A 15 minute call, whether the team takes interns, or what they would look for in one. Easy to say yes to.
The line that gets the reply is the one that could only have been written to that one person.
5 cold email templates
Replace everything in brackets. If you cannot fill in the “why them” part with something specific, do more research before sending.
1. To an alum on the team you want
Subject: [School] student, question about [team] at [Company]
Hi [First name], I'm a [year] [major] student at [School], and I saw you're on the [team] at [Company]. I've been reading about [specific product, launch, or post] and I'd love to understand what the work looks like day to day. I recently built [one line project description, with link]. I'm hoping to land a [role] internship for summer [year] and would really value 15 minutes of your advice if you have time in the next couple of weeks. Thanks either way, [Name] [LinkedIn or portfolio link]
2. To a startup founder
Subject: Summer intern who has already used [Product]
Hi [First name], I'm a [year] [major] student at [School]. I've been using [Product] for [use], and [one specific observation or idea about the product]. I'd love to help this summer as a [role] intern. Recently I [project with a concrete result, with link], which is close to [something the startup does]. Are you taking on any interns this summer? I've attached my resume and would be glad to do a short trial task if that's useful. Best, [Name]
3. To a hiring manager at a mid sized company
Subject: Applied for the [role] internship, [one line hook]
Hi [First name], I applied for the [role] internship on [team] this week and wanted to reach out directly. [One sentence on why this team specifically.] The project on my resume most related to your work is [project, result, link]. I'd be glad to walk through it if it's helpful. Thanks for your time, [Name]
4. To a professor about research
Subject: [Course] student interested in your work on [topic]
Dear Professor [Last name], I took [course] with you in [term] and have been reading your recent paper on [topic]. I'm especially interested in [specific question or method]. I'd like to get involved in research and could help with [data cleaning, literature review, a specific tool you know] for around [hours] per week this [term or summer]. My resume is attached. Would you be open to a short meeting to talk about whether there's a way I could contribute? Thank you, [Name]
5. The one follow up
Subject: Re: [original subject]
Hi [First name], Just following up on my note below. Since then I [small update: finished the project, shipped a feature, read something of theirs]. Completely understand if now isn't a good time. Thanks again, [Name]
Mistakes that get you ignored
- “Dear Sir or Madam.” If you do not know their name, you are not ready to send it.
- Asking for a job in the first line from someone who does not know you. Ask for advice or information first.
- Your life story. Three paragraphs about your passion for the industry gets skimmed. One project with a link gets clicked.
- Copy pasted “personalization.”“I love [Company]'s mission” is not specific. Name the actual thing.
- Following up three times. Once is polite. More than that hurts you with someone who might otherwise reply later.
- Not applying. If there is a posting, apply to it as well. Outreach works alongside the application, not instead of it.
When an application asks for a cover letter instead, the same structure works in a longer form, covered in the internship cover letter guide. If you have no experience to point to yet, start with one project before you start emailing. The quickest options are in how to get an internship with no experience, and the full search plan is in how to get an internship.
Common questions
- Does cold emailing for an internship actually work?
- It works best at startups and small to mid sized companies, where the person you email often makes the hiring decision, and for research roles with professors. At large companies it rarely skips the online application, but it can lead to a referral, a heads up about a posting, or a recruiter looking at your application.
- Who should I cold email for an internship?
- Someone one or two levels above the role you want: an engineer, analyst, or manager on the team, or a founder at a small company. Alumni from your school are the most likely to reply. Recruiters are fine for a specific posting, but they receive the most messages.
- How long should a cold email for an internship be?
- Under 150 words. One line on who you are, one or two lines on why them specifically, one line of evidence such as a project, and one small, specific ask. Long emails get skimmed or skipped.
- When should I follow up on a cold email?
- Once, about five to seven business days later, with a short note that adds something new, such as a project update. If there is still no reply, move on. Two unanswered messages is the limit.
- Should I attach my resume to a cold email?
- For startups and professors, yes, as a PDF with your name in the file name. For alumni or engineers at large companies, it is often better to ask for a short conversation first and share the resume when they offer to help.
- Is it okay to ask for a referral in a cold email?
- Not in the first message to a stranger. Ask for advice or a short conversation first. Referrals come from people who have spoken with you and feel comfortable vouching for you. Note that some companies, such as Microsoft, say referrals are not required.
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