Cover letters are the best way to express yourself and desires when applying for a job or internship. The letter is often the first time that an employer sees who you truly are. Your resume will describe any skills or experience you have, but your cover letter is more personal, and allows for more self-expression. It provides you with the opportunity to make a great first impression. If you're finding it hard to find your voice, here are 5 tips to help.

1. Make it Personal

As you enter college and embark on your study abroad journey, you'll begin to realize how important your resume is. There's an emphasis on having impressive jobs and skills to put on your resume, but many people think that's all you need. Few realize that things like layout of your resume could actually make or break getting the position you're applying for. Some employers will take one look at a resume, see that it is unorganized, and move on to the next. When applying for internships abroad, here are a few things to keep in mind.

The first thing to point out is that many countries outside the US, particularly in Europe, use to term CV which stands for "curriculum vitae" instead of resume. In Latin, this term means, “course of my life”, and it's the same exact thing as a resume. It is important to highlight experiences, skills, qualifications, education, and your personal information.

Seth Neu is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Marketing & Management Information Systems major at the University of Minnesota, he is studying abroad in London this semester.

In this week's post, Seth tells us about an average day, including how he gets to his internship and what he does there.

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My alarm goes off, I groggily hit the snooze button. A few more snoozes, I have no choice but to get up. I run through my morning routine, no different than I do back in the States (although the water pressure here is spectacular).

I step out of my flat, thrust out of my sleepy reverie as a black cab goes screaming past. Although I usually head directly across my flat towards the tube station, my internship is the one place I have to take the bus. There’s a reason the bright red, double-decker buses are so commonly associated with London; they are absolutely everywhere.

The bus ride to my internship was once an enthralling opportunity to see the city—rows upon rows of Victorian houses. Now, I keep my head glued to my book. Lasting around 45 minutes, I’d usually bemoan any commute that lengthy, but back at home I would be the one behind the wheel. Here, a city that has properly invested in public transportation, my commute is one of the best parts of my day; I get an entire 45 minutes of uninterrupted, guilt-free reading. I’ve also figured the three items every tube or bus ride necessitates: sunglasses to avoid eye-contact, headphones for music, and a book for entertainment.

Madeline Messina is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. An Advertising major and a French and Francophone Studies minor at the University of Florida, she is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In this week's post, Madeline tells us about her internship in Dublin and how she feels being a part of her new team.

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Getting settled into life in Dublin has been a huge undertaking. From overcoming jetlag, to buying groceries, to getting to know the city and site-seeing, it has been hard to find a free moment. But it has been surprisingly easy to adjust to life here, especially now that I have my internship adding a bit of structure to what was a little hectic at first.

Over the course of my study abroad, I am interning with Guaranteed Irish, a firm whose job it is to promote companies under their umbrella for operating mostly in Ireland. They support a diverse and inclusive Irishness, an idea that I am very eager to get behind. That is why I was so pleased to see how excited the team was to be spreading such a positive message when I went in for my first day.

At first it was a little intimidating walking up to their office. The street that Guaranteed Irish is on is full of businesses and busy people on their way to work.

Skylee Lawton is an official CAPA blogger for summer 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A Public Relations major at SUNY Oswego, she is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In this week's post, Skylee tells us about her internship at FoodFaith, and how it differs from what she expected.

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Update on my adventures in Sydney: I started my internship with FoodFaith on Monday, June 29 (Australian time). I don’t know how many times I have said that it is nothing like what I had imagined. I work as a public relations and event planning intern for my boss, CEO Judy Friedlander. To give a little context, FoodFaith is a nonprofit organization that utilizes environmental sustainability and food practices to achieve religious and social cohesion. I never really expected to be in this industry, but I think it’s really helping me to push my creative boundaries.

Photo: one of the views from an office at the corporate bulding

Judy Friedlander is nothing short of an incredible woman. She’s strong-headed, caring, persuasive and incredibly intelligent. She is a mother of two and she treats me and the other intern Haley as if we were her “visiting children” who just so happen to work for her. I am honestly lucky to work my first internship with her as I am learning so much more than I thought I would.

Nathan Overlock is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2017, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A professional writing and information design major at Cedarville University, he is studying abroad in Dublin this semester.

In this week's post, Nathan tells us about the not-so-average day of a CAPA intern.

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My first few months in Dublin made the city feel like a constant flurry of excitement. There was something new happening every day, with classes to attend, internships to start, tours to go on, and sights to see. But that’s just the study abroad experience; I quickly realized that work-life in Ireland takes a much more leisurely pace. When I show up to work in the US, I jump right into my first task, with supervisors constantly on hand to remind me to stay focused, avoid distractions, and meet deadlines. When I show up to my internship at Griffith College Marketing, I stop to greet everyone in the office, make myself a cup of tea or coffee, chat with my supervisor, sit down at my desk, and just take a moment to settle in before I start to work. Sometimes, it even includes a breakfast out after work hours have started. A few hours later, everyone takes an hour-long lunch before finishing off the day’s work.

Graysan Tompkins is an official CAPA vlogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A communication major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she is studying abroad in London this semester.

In this week's vlog, Graysan talks about the differences between interning in the U.S. versus interning in the U.K.

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Thanks Graysan!

Graysan's journey continues every Friday so stay tuned

Words by Haley Mahan, a CAPA Spring 2017 student in Dublin, in honor of World Water Day.

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For the past two months I have been interning with Wells for Zoe, a small yet incredible non-profit organization based dually out of Dublin and Malawi. Wells for Zoe installs pumps in villages in Malawi in order to bring clean water to people who would typically have to walk extremely far distances for contaminated water. These pumps, along with rainwater harvesting and dam technology, make clean and safe water easily accessible for communities. They also open new doors for endless opportunities because with clean water so much more is possible. Wells for Zoe works with community members in Malawi in sustainable agriculture, micro-credit schemes, and education for girls and women.

Danielle Thai is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2017, sharing her story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A resource economics major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she is studying abroad in Shanghai this semester.

In this week's post, Danielle shares her experience taking classes and interning abroad in Shanghai so far this semester.

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This may not be the first thing that comes to mind when talking about studying abroad. It may even slip many peoples minds, especially those who only see the pictures posted all over social media. In a way, it is hidden and overlooked but yes – I do take classes here!

All the noise and adventures students take on when they are in a foreign region often masks the thought of classes. During the past few years, studying abroad has become associated with a semester of just traveling around with friends, eating good food, and trying new things.

Photo: Mao Statue in the front of an academic building.

Colin Gilbert is an official CAPA blogger for spring 2017, sharing his story in weekly posts on CAPA World. A marketing and supply chain management major at the University of Pittsburgh, he is studying abroad in Sydney this semester.

In this week's post, Colin talks about his marketing internship experience in Sydney so far with global start up Marley Spoon.

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“What do you mean you didn’t bring a coat?” my supervisor asked as I arrived on the first day of my internship. For some reason, I thought I could logically omit winter jacket from my packing list for a semester in Australia. A quiet chuckle swept through the office as they looked at me and Matt, my friend and fellow intern, in disbelief. We were instructed to wear “long pants, runners, and a jumper” as we’d be working in a refrigerated area for the day, so we donned the thickest sweaters we’d packed and hoped for the best. 

She handed us—I kid you not—a balaclava. As in, an over the head, fleece-lined ski mask. This time, Matt and I were the ones chuckling in disbelief. We followed her into the refrigerated food packing area bustling with workers in heavy parkas, scarves, gloves, and hats. Kept at 2-3°C (37°F), it was definitely brisk, but it wasn’t the arctic! If it were a 37° March day in Pittsburgh, there’d surely be several pairs of shorts seen on the streets.