Best Internship Thank You Letter (And Email) To Use

After your internship is complete, it’s customary to send a thank you letter to those you worked with. If you don’t, it can be seen as unprofessional and could even lose you the opportunity of being offered a full-time position. Getting a job offer is part of the reason you took the internship, right?

Here’s everything you need to know about writing your thank you letter after your internship and who you should send a "thank you" note to.

Who You Should Send A Thank You To

There are a few people you should send thank you letters and emails to. The first would be your manager or supervisor. This is someone that you reported to. Ideally, you write them a formal letter with your signature and deliver it by email.

The second is all of the colleagues that you worked with. It’s okay to send them a thank you email instead of a letter. But be sure that you are sending individualized and personalized emails to all the people you worked with. A group email thanking everyone loses its impact.

Best Example Thank You Letter To Your Supervisor

Here’s what your letter should look like when you thank your manager.

John Smith
[email protected]
630-777-7777
Internship Program Summer 2022

Date

Dear Mr. Sanders,

I want to thank you for the opportunity to intern with you over the summer. The past few months have taught me invaluable lessons that will undoubtedly spark my career for many years to come. There are so many wonderful memories that I’ll cherish with both yourself and the rest of the team.

If there is ever any future opportunity for employment, I would absolutely revel in the fact that I would get to work with you again.

I hope my time here was bright for you as well.

Sincerely,
John Smith
(Your handwritten signature)

What You Can Ask For After The Internship

What most people forget to ask for is a job. That’s the reason why you got the internship in the first place, right? You wanted to gain experience and ultimately find full-time employment. It’s absolutely okay to ask about future job opportunities in your thank you letter. Don’t forget to include it.

Related: Best Internship Cover Letter Example (No Experience Required)

Best Thank You Email (After Your Internship Is Complete) To Colleagues

When you want to thank your colleagues, a custom email is really important. Try to share a personal memory that you have with that person along with your thank you. Or even a nice compliment that makes them feel special. You would be surprised how impactful this is for them. And how that can make it’s way to senior management and lead to future job opportunities.

Here is what your email might look like:

Ryan,

I want to say how amazing the past few months have been. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with you. It’s clear that you have incredible software engineering talents and your ability to understand problems from a macro level is nothing short of special.

I really hope I get the opportunity to work with you again in the future. Below is my contact information. I’d love it if we stayed connected and if you let me know if you hear of any job openings.

Thank you so much for everything,
Ian

Thank You Email (After Your Internship Is Complete) Subject Line Examples

When you want to send your thank you email to your colleagues, here are some subject lines that you might want to use:

• “Working with you was amazing”
• “I’ve learned so much from you”
• “My time with you was special”
• “Sad the internship is over”

And when you want to send your thank you letter to your manager and include it in your email, here are some great subject lines to use:

• “A sincere thank you”
• “Can’t thank you enough”
• “Working here was incredible”
• “You’re an incredible leader”

As you can see, we alter the tone of the subject matter slightly. But we are still showing sincere appreciation to the colleague, peer, and manager that we worked alongside.

Remember These Key Facts About Ending Your Internship

Once your internship is over, use this opportunity as a way to develop your professional network. Push to stay connected with the colleague. Connect with them on LinkedIn, share your personal email address, do anything you can to start grooming your personal network.

Second, don’t be afraid to ask for a full-time position. Be the one who asks, “Is there any chance there’s a position opening up which I might be a fit for?” Even if they say yes, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to send your thank you letter after the internship. It’s always a good idea to show your appreciation, stay positive about the time that you had with the company and see where it takes you.

Internship Resources

• Learn how to accept an internship offer - How To Accept An Internship Offer (With Example Email)
• Learn how to send a "thank you" letter after your internship is complete - Best Internship Thank You Letter (And Email) To Use
• Learn how to create an internship cover letter - Best Internship Cover Letter Example (No Experience Required)
• How many internships should you apply for in order to land one? The answer - How Many Internships Should I Apply To? The Answer Here
• What's the difference between an externship and internship? The answer - Externship vs. Internship: What's The Difference?
• Learn how to politely and professionally decline an internship offer - How To Reject An Internship Offer Professionally & Politely (+ Examples)