In order to find success in your post-graduate career, the first step is finding an internship.
The best way to find an internship job and be successful in the job search is by writing a strong intern resume.
This article is made specifically for college students and entry-level professionals who want to find a good internship position in their relevant field of work. With the help of our resume sample and more examples, you can write the perfect internship resume.
As a recently graduated college student, the best route to take for building a career is finding a company that's looking for interns. There are going to be many companies that require intern work.
Indeed the internship position is very popular in many fields, and students across different majors can find meaningful work as interns.
The average annual salary for an intern in the United States is $39,000. Some senior-level internships can pay up to $62,000 per year (Glassdoor.com).
Because of the useful nature and salary of many internship positions, they have become quite popular with young job seekers. Therefore, the competition is going to be high for most of your journey finding internships.
A great way to increase the effectiveness of your application is by making sure you've written a good resume.
Rise above the competition by following our tips, tricks, and examples, as well as checking out our resume builder here!
How to make an Intern Resume
If you're writing a college student internship resume, you'll need to take care of a few things before you write the text and content for the application.
Making sure your resume is prepped for writing is an essential first step in the application process.
You can get your resume ready for filling it with information by providing an effective resume layout and structure for the application page.
Check out our resume builder and more examples on our website.
The layout of the Intern Resume
If you're looking to get into your dream internship, you'll have to send out a good-looking application.
A proper-looking resume that is well laid-out and logical is going to build more interest with potential employers than a plain-looking application.
One way we can improve the way your resume looks is by giving the application page an effective internship resume template or layout.
The resume layout will determine how the content appears on your resume.
Your work experience will go to the experience section, while your academic background will be explained in the education section.
Here's a list of all the important resume sections that are essential to making a great resume:
- The contact information
- The resume objective
- The job description (work experience section)
- The education section
- Additional sections
The structure of the Intern Resume
Now that we've discussed the importance of making your resume look good with a proper layout, it's time to talk about writing the content itself.
Creating a strong resume layout is just as important as ensuring that the resume text is well-written, structured, and presented in an appropriate manner. In order to ensure your resume has a good structure, you can do a few things.
Here are a few pro tips to get a perfect resume structure:
- The format: the information you put into your resume has to be written in a certain way. Use chronological formatting when writing about your experiences, education, etc. Write information from oldest to newest.
- Bullet Points: Utilizing bullet points in your resume is another essential way to demonstrate your experience as a translator. If you have a skill section or other list, define them using bullets.
- Font style & size: It is always best to keep a resume at 1-page length, so the font size should be large enough to accommodate large amounts of text. For font sizes 10-12, we recommend using the Times New Roman/Arial style.
- Action verbs: Use impactful wording whenever you're talking about your past relevant work experiences. Start each sentence of the job description with words such as organized, analyzed, managed, etc.
Start with the Contact information of the Intern Resume
Before you start writing about your work experience and part-time job history, you're going to have to introduce yourself to the person reading your resume.
You'll be able to show the reader your contact details by writing a proper contact information section.
The contact information section is going to be the first thing a hiring manager will see on your internship resume, so this part of the application needs to be made effectively.
Write your contact details below your name. Include your job title, physical address, phone number, email, and LinkedIn or another relevant personal website.
Example of a header / Example of a bad header for Intern
Bank Intern
York, SC
RonaldDParks@jourrapide.com803-684-3824
https://LinkedIn.com/RonaldParks
Make sure to always highlight your name. It is the title of your intern resume, so make sure it’s visible to the reader.
Ronald D. Parks
Bank Intern
4576 Granville Lane
York, SC
RonaldDParks@jourrapide.com803-684-3824
https://LinkedIn.com/RonaldParks
Is a photo required in the Intern Resume?
Most companies don't hold a professional photo on a resume as a determining factor for hiring candidates, and would prefer to focus on their skills and abilities.
Resume Objective for College Student Internship Resume
Most companies that are hiring for internship positions will often receive hundreds of resumes each day. Because of the high volume of intern applications, hiring managers will often skim through most resumes.
In order to get the hiring manager interested in your internship resume, you'll need an effective way to briefly introduce your skills and experiences.
A proper introductory section is essential for any entry level professional or someone looking for odd jobs or even career changers. An introduction section is going to be called a resume objective statement.
Remember that the objective statement should not exceed 2 - 3 sentences. Keep this section very short.
Internship Resume Objective Examples
An objective statement should be short and only present your best characteristics and show your ambitions, passion, enthusiasm for the position and future goals. Never make it ambiguous, try to keep things very clear.
Recent graduate with previous experience as Bank teller and marketer with excellent attention to detail and a strong ability to complete tasks accurately in a fast-paced environment. Keen to join a company such as Smithtech Industries with a good reputation for exceptional work ethic and career advancement. Having been a dedicated and enthusiastic fan of Smithtech my entire life, I am able to offer dedication and enthusiasm as an intern at Smithtech.
Someone with experience working in a bank, looking to join a team that’s motivated and successful. Very focused and know how to get tasks done quickly, in a fast-paced environment with conflicting deadlines.
Work Experience in the Intern Resume
Every sample resume, whether it's for an entry level or a senior position, needs a solid work experience section. You need to show the hiring manager your professional work background.
Your work history needs to be written effectively in this section, even if you only have one work experience that's relevant to the internship you're applying to.
If you'd like to impress the hiring managers, you must be able to demonstrate your professional expertise precisely and effectively.
If you don't have a lot of work experience, you can also mention other relevant internships and volunteer work. Volunteer experience still counts as essential working experience.
Describe your professional experiences on your Intern Resume
The experience section needs to be written in a way where it comes off as clear and concise to the reader as possible. Making this section effective is the best way to guarantee job search success.
There are several things to keep in mind when writing the experience section for your intern application.
Here are a couple of career tips for writing the experience section:
- The job description: Each job description should be started with the job title from your previous work, followed by the company name, location, and period of time worked. After writing this, start discussing your main responsibilities, achievements, and experiences.
- Use the chronological format: Always make sure that your resume format is appropriately implemented into the text. The chronological order makes the job descriptions much easier to understand.
- Use bullet points: Make sure to use bullet points in the job description.
- Use action verbs: Action verbs make for a more impactful job description.
For more resume format ideas and resume examples, click here!
Examples of professional experiences for Intern
The Standard Bank
03/2021 - Present
- Provided exceptional financial service to new and long-standing customers, resolved their concerns and developed satisfactory solutions.
- During the winter season, provided company management updates for all renewals including at-risk renewals and forecasts for future costs.
- Implemented a rewards program for customers who make payments.
The Marketing Company
03/2021 - Present
- Implemented a pricing strategy that addressed company goals, satisfied customers, and enabled the company to exceed its profit objectives.
- Created strategies to increase revenue and profits.
- Collaborated with advertising managers to design and implement plans for digital customers.
Education in the Internship Resume
Having a strong education section on your resume is very important for the effectiveness of your internship resume, especially if it's a student resume.
Many companies in today's market will ask for an education section as one of their requirements on the job board. This is an excellent opportunity to show that you're a hard worker and have the necessary knowledge to perform the job well.
Most potential employers from different companies will look at your education section to view some important information about your candidacy.
Should you start with education or work experience for an Intern Resume?
If you're wondering how to properly make a resume layout, then look no further.
The question of which one should come first - the work experience or education section can be answered by the following.
Recent graduates that don't have a lot of work experience should make their education the highlight of the application and include the academic section first.
Candidates with a few years of relevant experience can put their experience section first.
How to properly list your education in an Intern Resume?
In order for your academic section to be successful, there's a couple of things you can do to ensure it looks great.
The following tips can help you write a better educational section:
- Start with the latest degree: The first thing you're going to write about in this section is the latest academic degree you've earned. For example, if you're getting a college degree and have a high school student diploma, write about your college degree first.
- List the information: You have to list the information about your school and degree, much like a job description. Starting with the name of your degree, provide the name of the school, the address, and the graduation date.
- Provide additional information: If applicable, we recommend including your current GPA, relevant coursework, and extracurricular activities after writing the name of the school. Being on the Dean's list is a great key point you can add.
- Use bullet points: Make sure to use bullet points every time you'll be listing additional details about your education.
Example of the education section of an Intern Resume
Bachelor of Science in Statistics
University of Gronnenberg
2011 - 2015
- Relevant coursework: [ Insert relevant classwork here ]
- GPA 3.87
Additional Headings for your Internship Resume
If you're thinking about boosting your resume's potential and effectiveness, it's always a good idea to include a couple of additional sections.
Additional headings will give you a chance to show more relevant information about your candidacy for the internship.
Certifications in an Intern Resume
If you're thinking about increasing your level of expertise in the industry that you're trying to intern for, then getting certified is a great option.
If you possess any relevant certifications that are related to the position you're applying for, then you should definitely add a certificates section to your resume. Let the hiring manager see that you're certified.
Skills to put in the Intern Resume
In case you weren't able to mention or highlight some skills and abilities you think are the most relevant skills for your candidacy, then dedicating a section to your abilities might be necessary.
A skills section that's able to showcase your soft skills, as well as your hard skills, is a great addition to the resume layout.
Mentioning some transferable skills that were a part of your previous profession might be effective too!
You need to make sure that the skill set you'll be showcasing stays relevant to the internship requirements.
What are the main skills sought for in an Intern Resume?
Skills need to be highlighted on a resume. Skills can determine whether or not your candidacy will be successful or not.
Here are some relevant skills we think might be helpful for most internship positions:
- Budgeting
- Creative problem solver
- Project management
- Conflict resolution
- Inspection and examination
- Customer Satisfaction
- Reporting
- Adobe Illustrator
- Microsoft Office
- Analytical thinker
- Data analysis
- Multi-task management
- Computer proficient
- Access management
- Research and analysis
Languages in an Intern Resume
If you have knowledge of multiple languages and are multilingual, then it might be beneficial to let the recruiters know this about you.
Some internships and entry-level positions will offer positions only if the applicant knows a certain language. Therefore, it's a good idea to include your knowledge of different languages in your internship resume.
Summary: Key Points for Writing a Perfect Internship Resume
For an application to be successful during the job search, resumes must clearly and concisely display a candidate's capabilities.
We’ve gone through a lot of different details for writing a strong resume. Let's review all of the key points!
When writing a resume, make sure you remember these points:
- Your name should appear as the title of your resume.
- Your resume objective should reflect your education, skills, experiences, and career goals.
- There must be a section on work experience on an internship resume. It is easier to read job descriptions if they include bullet points.
- Make sure your skills section contains the skills required for the position.
Write a Cover Letter That Goes With Your Intern Resume
A great way to improve your candidacy chances is by writing an additional cover letter that goes with your internship resume.
Cover letters are a half- to a page-long essay about why you're applying for the intern position in a specific company.
Discuss your relevant skills and career goals, your previous work history, and what you've learned from it, as well as your motivation for applying.
For more cover letter ideas, check out our career blog.
Frequently Asked Questions for an Intern Resume
If you're an applicant for an internship as well as a student at the same time, there is no need to worry.
You can still talk about your previous work history as well as your current education. Make sure to mention the relevant coursework that you're taking.
Your current education university should be included in the resume, along with GPA, classes, as well as other honors and information.
Your previous internship experiences go into the work experience section.
Internship experience is still a part of your work history and is considered as a job.