Sample cover letter for Internship position at Google

• 4,000 characters is quite a lot more space than you’ll get in many application questions, but don’t let this fool you into thinking it will be easier to answer, or that you can afford to ramble. Recruiters will still expect you to be clear and concise about your reasons and will be looking for a more comprehensive answer than if the word count were smaller, so it’s very important to spend time on this.
• Why do you want to work for Airbus? Avoid any of the clichés about how ‘admired’ or ‘dynamic’ the company is and focus on something specific. You could think about its business operations (are you a big fan of the A380, for example?), its global reach (with facilities in China, Germany and the US, to name just a few), or its commitment to environmental sustainability (over 90 per cent of research and development activities are environmentally focused). Or it could be a cultural thing – for example, Airbus is aiming for 25 per cent of its new recruits to be female. Whatever your reasons, be as detailed as possible.
• Why do you want to work in that particular role? What do you know about it that makes it so appealing to you? It’s important to try to be specific about the aspects of the job that interest you in order to demonstrate that you understand the nature of the business area and role. For instance, if you’re applying to flight physics you could explain which of its three main areas (aerodynamics, mass properties, or loads and aeroelastics) most interests you and why. Or if you’re applying for engineering fuel systems, it may be the emphasis on design and research that appeals to you.