Article: When sending business correspondence, use a professional, clear email address. Avoid nicknames or unnecessary symbols and numbers. A variation of your name can work well. For example: Smit.smith@company.com would be fine. If your current email address is connected with a social media profile that contains any unprofessional content, create and use a different address. Also, adjust your privacy settings on social media. Before you ask for an internship, research the company at which you would like to work. Visit their website. Read any news articles about them. If the company has an accessible product, like social media, use the product for a week to test it. Use your insights to craft your letter. Prospective employers appreciate candidates who know something about the company and can demonstrate this knowledge coherently. It is beneficial to have a connection at a company. Use social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook to conduct keyword searches for the company. If contacts come up, check their positions. Politely request a phone or in-person interview. Ask for tips regarding your internship application. With LinkedIn you can see which of your contacts' contacts work at a firm. Do not hesitate to ask your contact to connect you with one of their contacts. Do be tactful, though, and do not ask the same person for assistance repeatedly. Many universities provide online alumni databases. You can search for people with certain jobs or workplaces through these sites. Alumni who provide their contact information often are open to receiving emails or phone calls from students. When discussing the company with your contact, mention that you are interested in an internship. Ask about the company's organizational structure, work environment, goals, etc. Does the internship posting include the name of the contact person? If so, use that person's name and email address. If there is not a listed contact person, call the company to ask who is in charge of internship recruitment. If no one is in charge, address your email to a senior person in human resources at the company. If you speak to any person at the firm, you can mention this in the beginning of your email. When you cannot find the name of any employee, address your email to "Dear Sir or Madam." You want your email to be noticed in a high-volume inbox. For example, you could write, "Company X Internship Application: Joanna Smith." If applicable, use the specific subject line requested by the employer.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Create a professional email address. Research the company. Find a mutual contact. Determine the recipient. Be specific with your subject line.