Internship Resume Format

Whether you need a conventional college student resume or are looking for something specific, like a computer science internship, writing your CV doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Follow these six steps to create a stellar internship CV and land the internship you want.

Write a targeted student internship resume objective

A resume objective statement is the greatest approach to make a positive first impression when applying for internships since it enables you to target your application specifically to a certain employer and to clarify your aims.

Your internship resume aim should emphasise your eagerness to learn and your plans for using the transferrable abilities you’ve previously developed in the new position.

Your resume objective as a student should highlight your most marketable personality features, pertinent talents, and academic background. This is an illustration of a high school student’s internship resume objective:

Objective for internship resume (high school student)

Student with a 3.8 GPA who is dedicated and works hard and can meet deadlines. attempting to use my strategic analytical abilities for The Middlebrook Times’ Reporter/Researcher Internship. Possessing writing and research skills that have been proved will help you reach your productivity goals.

And here is an illustration of a resume aim for a college student applying for a marketing internship:

Goal of internship resume (college student)

Graduate student at the University of Georgia pursuing an MA in Marketing with vigour and desire. aiming to combine knowledge of advertising, public relations, and product creation along with skills in consumer research to fill the open Marketing Internship role at Athens Advertising.

As the two samples above show, a strong resume objective gives companies a glimpse of what you’d be like to work with and what skills you’d bring to the role, pulling them in to read more of your resume.

Add extra details to your education section

If your educational experience is greater than your relevant work experience, put the education section of your resume near the top of the page. Try to include as much information as you can that’s relevant to the internship you want, like the following:

GPA

Putting your hard-earned GPA on your resume (assuming it’s 3.5 or higher) tells the hiring manager that you can be trusted to produce quality work within deadlines.

Here’s an example of how to include your GPA:

Bachelor of Arts in Communications
University of Washington, Seattle, WA
August 2018 – May 2022
GPA: 3.8/4.0

Relevant coursework

Listing your relevant college coursework gives employers a better idea of your existing knowledge and skill set. Remember to only list classes relevant to the internship you’re applying for.

Here’s an example of how you can list your relevant coursework:

Bachelor of Arts in Communications
University of Washington, Seattle WA
August 2018 – May 2022

Relevant Coursework: Foundations of Journalism & Public Interest Communication, Advanced Journalism & Public Interest Communication, Writing for Mass Media

Honors & awards

Adding academic-related awards shows hiring managers that you’ve been recognized for your hard work and accomplishments in the past. For example, you can include making the dean’s list on your resume.

Here’s an example of how you can include the dean’s list award on your resume:

Bachelor of Arts in Communications
University of Washington, Seattle WA
August 2018 – May 2022
Dean’s List for 6 semesters

Extracurricular activities

Your extracurricular activities will demonstrate your other skills, such as leadership and communication, when you list them on your resume.

An illustration of how to list extracurricular activities in the education section is as follows:

Bachelor of Arts in Communications
University of Washington, Seattle WA
August 2018 – May 2022

Resident Advisor, August 2019 – May 2020

Make a section for your major student accomplishments

After you’ve listed your main academic details, give your internship resume some more substance. Create an additional section that’s relevant to the internship, you want and highlights your greatest accomplishments as a student.

Some potential titles in this section, depending on what you’ve studied (or are currently studying), include:

• Projects
• Campaigns
• Achievements
• Research Papers

You can elaborate on the best parts of your educational experience by adding one of these categories.

What can I include in this section?

Almost anything can be included in this area. However, it’s essential to limit your themes to those that are pertinent to the internship and will provide employers the best idea of how you’ll perform for them.

In general, high school students emphasise their involvement in clubs, whereas college students highlight significant class projects.

How do I format this section?

The format for this area is the same as for the work experience portion of your resume. Utilize the title of the club or project as the headline, then list your pertinent accomplishments and responsibilities under the header in bullet points. Provide the dates you spent working on the project as well.

One high school student formatted their key accomplishments section as follows:

Major Achievements

Heritage High Newspaper
Reporter | Sept 2017 – Present

• Covered the boys varsity basketball team during its run at the state championship, resulting in a major boost to school spirit and helping drive a 20% increase in ticket sales
• Pitched and researched 3–4 informative and engaging stories per issue, targeting both the student body and faculty

If possible, highlight key accomplishments on your resume like the candidate above by using hard numbers to help employers understand your achievements better.

Here’s an example of a projects section of a college student internship resume:

Design Projects

“Building a Greener Future” UI Design Project in Marketing 343
Lead Designer | May 2020 – December 2020

• Awarded 1st place for my design work in the UNR Marketing Department’s competition to build the best green initiative marketing campaign
• Created 5 unique digital design assets using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Figma
• Collected feedback from 200+ students to determine which design made the greatest emotional impact using a 20-question questionnaire
• Optimized 4 different file types (PNG, SVG, JPEG, and GIF) of the winning design to be featured across the Marketing Department’s website

While this section is ultimately just an extension of your education section, it strengthens your resume by giving the impression that you have relevant work experience.

Highlight your hard and soft skills

Include a thorough talents section to wrap up your internship CV. You most certainly acquired a variety of important job-related hard skills and soft skills throughout your time as a student (whether you were enrolled in class or a club), which strengthens your application for internships.

While soft talents are tied to your personality, hard skills are typically gained in the classroom. You can use the following two lists as inspiration for what to put in your own abilities section:

Good hard skills for your intern resume

• Writing
• Editing
• Software: Microsoft Office, Adobe
• WordPress
• Online research
• Computer skills: typing, email
• Remote communication technology: Zoom, Slack
• Mathematics
• Presentation skills
• Language skills
• Social media
• Photo editing

Good soft skills for your intern resume

• Organizational skills
• Multitasking
• Collaboration
• Communication skills
• Leadership skills
• Problem solving
• Empathy
• Time management skills
• Critical thinking
• Analytical skills
• Teamwork skills
• Interpersonal skills

Do not be concerned if you lack numerous important technical abilities. Employers in most industries don’t require their interns to have many technical talents, therefore highlighting your soft skills will help you fill out this area even if you lack hard skills.

Use online resources and college services to discover relevant internships

Start looking early because it frequently takes longer to find the internship you desire than it does to write your resume. Our top five advice for locating internships is provided below:

1. Contact career services at your college or university

If you’re a college student, your institution has a division that helps you connect with internship opportunities. Most potential interns will find this to be a terrific place to start, but make sure to get in touch with them as soon as you can to increase your chances of landing one of the most sought-after internships around.

2. Reach out to businesses and professionals in your field of study

You’re more likely to locate a summer internship linked to the type of work you want to pursue after graduation if you’re prepared to be proactive about putting yourself out there.

• Cold call businesses in the industry. Sometimes all it takes to get an internship interview is a few short phone calls to nearby companies.
• Contact professionals in the industry. Maybe you’ve done the research to identify professionals in your network or have a family member or friend who works in the field you want to enter. A courteous email could open up opportunities for you to gain knowledge or establish contacts with organisations that are hiring.

3. Attend a career fair

If your school doesn’t hold any career fairs, you can easily identify ones happening in your neighbourhood by performing a quick online search. After you’ve located a career fair that appeals to you, be sure to abide by the following advice:

• Wear some business casual attire
• Figure out what you need to bring to a job fair
• Prepare some questions to ask employers at the job fair in advance

If you’re anxious, consider bringing a friend with you. Having some company can help you feel more confident and extroverted. After you succeed, pursue your passions and begin networking with potential employers.

4. Check with your network of friends and family

If you know someone who works somewhere that requires an intern and they have a good impression of you, you’re already a long way closer to getting an internship because employers adore references.

Did you know that networking helps people find jobs in 85% of cases? Let them know what you’re searching for by contacting them, and then watch what happens.

5. Touch up your online presence

If you aren’t using your social media accounts as business tools, you’re missing out on chances because 84% of firms utilise social media to recruit new recruits. Here are a few strategies for using social media to draw employers.

• Update your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a useful resource for networking with businesses and industry leaders, expanding your network, and keeping up with the newest job openings. Make sure all of your best qualifications are highlighted in your profile.
• Clean up your social media accounts. Make sure there is nothing on your social media profiles that you wouldn’t want a potential employer to see to increase your chances of getting an interview or getting the internship. Employers can decide not to contact you if your profile contains offensive or divisive comments.

TIP: To increase your chances of landing an internship interview after finishing your CV, don’t forget to draught an internship cover letter. Once you do, remember to use our advice for acing your first job interview.