Why your emails about internships are not getting a reply?

I received an email from the same person the second time today as a “gentle reminder.” The student is asking for an internship opportunity. I hadn’t replied to the earlier email, so the student reminds me again that his research interest exactly matches mine, telling me in detail about his interest in machine learning, data science, neural networks, optimization techniques, experience with Python and other programming languages, among others. In his words, “I have found that your research work matches my interests to a remarkable degree as I am deeply intrigued by Machine Learning and Data Science.” How touching! Just that my research does not focus on any of the things he mentions.

Here is another one. “I believe this can be a perfect opportunity as your areas of research completely align with my interest which is human resource, product management, and financial literacy.” And another one. “I am very passionate to work in the field of Finance, which overlaps with your area of interest.?I am in the Top 4 of my department with 100+ students enrolled in that course in [name of the institution]. I have some basic knowledge about Financial Accounting, Probability and Statistics, Business Research Methods, and Statistics for Management. I am well equipped with knowledge and experience of working with Python, C, C++.” I have never heard of many of the terms the person mentions. I could go on and on.

?I get hundreds of such emails every year. I do read them with interest. Then I file them in a folder called “lazy, insincere writing” and forget about them. Do I have time for lazy, passive aggressive emails not directly written to me? No. Even if your research interest matched mine and your email was sincere, I may or may not be able to mentor you. However, I will write you a short reply thanking you for your interest. But not for these emails. ?

?I thought that I would point out some of the glaringly obvious cardinal mistakes internship seekers are making.

?1.??????Addressing me as “Sir”—This happens very frequently. The student assumes that a professor is, by default, male. They may be typing my email address with my name. They will still not make the connection.

?2.???????Addressing me as “Hi” and keeping me in bcc. If you don’t have the time to write a personal email, don’t expect a reply.

?3.??????Using an odd email id. I understand if you do not have an official/institutional email id. A personal id with your name would be fine. But geekrockzz or dancingdiva at gmail.com make you look suspicious.

?4.??????Strewing your email with bold font, acronyms, and underlines. You are making it very hard for me to comprehend your message amid the clutter. ?

?5.??????Writing a long email. Tell me quickly who you are and what you want from me. Preferably in two paragraphs.

?6.??????Boasting and showing off, telling me how prestigious your institution is. I am not looking for a job there. You are drowning your core message in endless noise.

?7.??????Patronizing language. Don’t make it sound like it’s my good fortune that your research interests match mine. Be humble and sincere.

?8.??????Copy-pasting mass-produced formats. Remember, your peers are bombarding me with the same emails at the same time. Just the name and GPA changes. Also, use the same font type and size. When I get an email with only my name in a different font type and size, I know that this is a copy-pasted, mass-produced email. ?

?9.??????Putting “URGENT!” in the subject line. It is not my urgency.

?10.???Going on and on about how you will be a great addition to my team. Let me be the judge of that. ???

What you could do instead for starters?

?1.??????Spend some time reading about what the faculty really does before spamming them. Do not contact everyone. Not everyone does machine learning and data science even if it sounds very cool.

?2.??????Take time out to write a personalized email using professional language. Don’t spam someone with multiple emails. Stop using the term “gentle reminder.” These reminders are seldom gentle.

?3.??????Address someone appropriately, either as Dr. [Last name] or Prof. [Last name]. Keep it gender neutral.

?4.??????Stop boasting about your rank and how well known your institute is. Show rather than tell. Don’t just say you can learn quickly. Show me an instance (briefly) when you learnt something quickly.

?5.??????Keep it short and sweet. Get rid of bold font. Reduce clutter. Proofread your email before sending it.

?While writing, keep your audience in mind. You will benefit from an internship through some work experience that you can put on your vita leveraging on the IIMA brand. But what is there in it for the person who will be spending time and energy training you? I am sure someone could use an interested intern to take over a small part of an ongoing, large-scale project. But it could come at a cost. Professors often do not get enough credit for mentoring interns. They have to train the intern first with the skills needed to do a project. I have seen interns mysteriously disappear after their big promises about learning quickly and working hard. It becomes additional work to follow up, resulting in last-minute, shoddy quality reports I would not want my signature on. Getting an internship is the student’s headache but getting out of the mess becomes the professor’s headache. But I digress here. Work on your communication skills. You have only one shot (and a few seconds of the professor’s time, if at all) to create an impression. Don’t hurt your chances by taking shortcuts. It really doesn’t work. Good luck! ????