DOS pathways program

[Midd2005]

So i just applied to some dept of state internships with the pathways program.  what i couldn't figure out is why there was no blank for a cover letter.  i looked through the application many times to find the space for this but never could locate anything.  am i blind? 

 

the jobs are only open for a very brief time, ultimately allowing a relatively small group to apply.  i'm wondering if the app i just filled out is just a preliminary step and a cover letter would come later if you get that far.  or can it be that it's based entirely off of resume?  has anyone gone through this process and can shed some light on this for me?

[Damis]

I interned for State (POL/ECON, Frankfurt Consulate) in 2010, and did not have to submit a cover letter. The person who decides ultimately bases it off of the information asked for online. I think they've changed the internship application process up a bit since I interned, but I doubt they would ever ask for a cover letter.

[Midd2005]

strange.  i did an unpaid internship in the berlin embassy (logged a few days in frankfurt too) in 2005, and i know i had to write some sort of SOI for that.  also, i recently applied to unpaid DC based internships with state and i had to do a cover letter for that.  thus i just found it very strange that for well paid internships, there was no cover letter.  seems like without cover letters it would be that much harder to decide between applicants.  certainly made it a lot easier to apply though.

[Damis]

Interessant! Strange indeed. I can't remember what was asked for entirely, but my application was submitted via USAJobs. I don't remember doing a CL, but I obviously completed the application lol. Perhaps I did something of the sort and can't remember at the moment.

 

Good luck, regardless! State is awesome!