To get an internship, you need to make an approach like a seasoned pro, and that starts with an excellent internship resume. You’ve already taken the first step by thinking about an internship, which shows you’re a go-getter.
Whether you’re in high school or college, an internship is a great way to give you a leg up in your choice of profession. It all begins with impressing the recruiter enough to get an interview.
How? With a resume that clearly states who you are and the foundation skills you want to build on.
Resume.io is here to help with job-winning resources for success. That includes more than 500 occupation-specific writing guides and corresponding resume examples, plus field-tested templates and builder tools to help you create both resumes and cover letters.
This resume writing guide, along with sample resume sentences specifically for internship candidates, will set your candidacy apart from the pack. You'll learn how to:
Although you are still in school, you have the material to create a strong resume that will plant you firmly on your career path.
Resume formats contain standard sections, but they also contain some that are optional, depending on the career you seek and your achievements and skills.
Your resume should contain the following elements:
Now, let’s focus on optional resume information you should consider that will showcase your talents. All of this data shows the internship coordinator that you will add value to the program.
Don’t forget the ATS
An applicant tracking system, or ATS, is a system used by companies to collect and track job applicants. If you’ve ever applied online to a job, chances are you’ve put your information into an ATS.
Why does this matter? Well, while the ATS is mostly a giant filing cabinet, there are advanced systems that use algorithms to help filter or sort through resumes based on how well their resume fits the job. For example, the internship job posting might require:
To ensure your resume makes the cut, you could include the following in your resume summary: “Engaging and driven college student working toward computer science degree. Previous experience interning at Google and eager to leverage excellent communication skills in a summer internship.”
Learn more about creating an ATS friendly resume.
In cases such as internships, where knowledge and skills are just as important as where you have worked — if not more so — a functional resume may be your best bet. It offers greater flexibility to emphasize your most relevant strengths in a section labeled “Experience.”
The most commonly used reverse chronological resume format is designed as a straightforward way for job candidates to organize their experience and qualifications below employer headings and dates; in order from most recent to earliest. But for an internship, a functional or hybrid format may be more suitable, depending on the nature and relative importance of your employment history.
A hybrid, or combination, resume format offers even more versatility. Job seekers can integrate chronological and functional elements in the most applicable manner.
The format you choose should depend on the type of job and industry, and how best to present yourself as an ideal match.
Our resume builder offers dozens of options in all three formats. You can see what completed designs look like in our resume examples.
A distinctive resume header can visually set you apart from other intern candidates. It enhances the reader-friendliness of your document while also readily identifying who it belongs to.
It also displays your contact information prominently so recruiters can readily get in touch to arrange an interview.
Here’s what to include:
Don’t include:
Tony Sanders
Intern
sanders_tony_2@gmail.com
(425) 807-3212
Bellevue, WA
Tony Sanders
Intern
sanders_tony_2@gmail.com
(425) 807-3212
22 Snowdrop Circle
Bellevue, WA 98008
Your summary is the perfect opportunity to show you have the right combination of knowledge, drive, and personality to succeed in the internship. Your resume may look similar to many other applicants, but the message in your summary is unique to you. Also known as a profile or personal statement, your summary allows your resume to stand out.
This is your chance to get a little creative and give potential employers insight into who you are and why you’re the best candidate for the internship. Add 2-3 sentences to differentiate yourself and show your knowledge of your chosen field.
Analyze the internship job description. Once you have a firm grasp of exactly what skills the employer wants, use this resume section to explain your expertise or positive qualities using action verbs that tell what you have done or are able to accomplish.
For more ideas and inspiration, check out these writing guides and resume examples from the related education category:
You can find adaptable internship resume example summaries below:
Hardworking and enthusiastic student seeking to gain knowledge of social media marketing and use my advanced communication skills to effectively serve your company in an internship position. Dedicated and committed to becoming a dependable and valuable team member.
Hardworking and enthusiastic college student working towards a B.S. in Marketing. Seeking to use my superior knowledge of social media marketing and my advanced communication skills to effectively serve your company in an internship position. Dedicated and committed to becoming a dependable and valuable team member.
Hardworking and enthusiastic college student working towards a B.S. in Marketing. Seeking to leverage my knowledge and experience from my prior marketing internship to effectively contribute to your company. Adept at social media marketing and using advanced communication skills to achieve marketing objectives. Dedicated and committed to being a dependable and valuable team member.
Experience means more than just jobs in your field. You can describe work that points out your relevant skills. Don’t forget those resume keywords! The focus of your life so far has been your education.
As you make the leap into the workforce, this resume section will fill out. In fact, although it is hard to believe now, one day, you will be trying to pare this down instead of beefing it up. But even as an intern, you probably have more experience than you realize.
Recruiters looking to hire you for an internship understand that you will not have vast experience. They do want to know, however, that you are responsible, serious about your work, and have interpersonal or technical skills.
It would be ineffective to list your actions in a generic way. View an example:
Use resume bullets with action verbs and see how they can enhance the education content of your internship resume:
Take a look at the intern employment history resume sample below:
Sales Associate at Gary's Department Store, Bellevue
September 2018 - May 2021
Office Assistant at The Harkins Group, Seattle
June 2017 - August 2018
Assistant Dog Trainer at Gracelane Kennels, Norwalk
November 2016 - May 2017
Sample experience categories you may want to list on your resume for an internship can include a previous internship, even if it’s not in the same field as the one you are seeking. High school or summer jobs you have had, whether babysitting, retail, or working at a fast food restaurant, tell an employer something about yourself as a worker.
Volunteer work, even if it was required by your high school for graduation. If you used skills relevant to your career, list them on your resume.
Personal projects such as: a blog that highlights your thinking or writing; a programming challenge or hackathon; an amateur theater project; or a website you developed with friends.
These are perfect ways to show alternative experience on an internship resume.
Do not fluff up this section in an attempt to fill space on your resume. Human resources professionals and recruiters can easily spot drastic exaggerations or overplayed achievements.
You will tailor this section to the internship you want. Each employer wants something a little different, so ensure your resume reflects that. As a student, you are just beginning to develop hard skills, so soft skills will play a large role.
Make a list of all the skills you have. Put them down, even if they seem irrelevant. This will be your master list, and brainstorming will give you a baseline from which to choose the most important qualities as you adjust your resume for each internship opportunity.
Our resume builder shows a variety of key skills you can select. You also have the option to write in your skills.
This is what the skills box looks like in our intern resume template.
Give an example on your resume of a time you had to use a particular skill and the result of using it. In fact, your skills should be found throughout your resume and only briefly highlighted in this section.
In your work experience section and professional summary, you’ll want to highlight your:
Classes in your chosen field have already given you both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience. In this section of your intern resume, explain how your education up to this point makes you a great candidate.
College classes in your major are the perfect preparation for internships. Look through your course descriptions and syllabi for examples of transferable lessons or skills. If relevant, you can include specific college courses you’ve taken for your major.
While the bulk of this section will detail your academic experience, you can also include other courses or certifications. For example, if you’re studying computer science and have taken side courses in a particular coding language, you can add that here.
If you’ve joined any business associations for your industry, or even relevant school clubs, those may also make sense to include. Running the marketing club may have provided you with the skills for a marketing internship, while being part of your college’s chapter of the Society for Human Resources Management looks great on an HR internship resume.
Then, highlight keywords and projects you have completed that are directly related to the internship you seek. Your academics are your current career, so treat them as such. Analyze the internship description for skills and highlight the important keywords to include on your resume.
Bachelor of Marketing, University of Washington, Seattle
August 2017
High School Diploma, Franklin Academy, Bellevue
September 2013 - June 2017
A well-designed and formatted resume document from applicants with little or no professional experience can actually put you miles ahead of others seeking the same position.
When it comes to layout, design and formatting choices, you’ll want to keep your resume looking clean and simple, without sacrificing visual appeal. After putting time and effort into crafting your resume text, it's important to ensure the document is easy to read.
Choose fonts wisely. Use boldface, type size, and fonts to draw recruiters’ eyes to the most important information on the resume.
Use color sparingly. A splash of color is fine, but too much is distracting and looks unprofessional.
Resume.io's field-tested resume templates can make it easier to create a job-winning resume. Choose one of our four resume design categories: modern, professional, simple, or creative.
But before you settle on a template, consider what the presentation says about you as a candidate. Is the internship for a serious company in a traditional field with a formal image? Or do you think your potential employer would appreciate a more modern resume?
Profile
Hardworking and enthusiastic college student working towards a B.S. in Marketing. Seeking to use my superior knowledge of social media marketing and my advanced communication skills to effectively serve your company in an internship position. Dedicated and committed to becoming a dependable and valuable team member.
Employment history
Sales Associate at Gary's Department Store, Bellevue
September 2018 - May 2021
Office Assistant at The Harkins Group, Seattle
June 2017 - August 2018
Assistant Dog Trainer at Gracelane Kennels, Norwalk
November 2016 - May 2017
Skills
Education
Bachelor of Marketing, University of Washington, Seattle
August 2017
High School Diploma, Franklin Academy, Bellevue
September 2013 - June 2017
The job market for interns has shifted a bit in recent years. When the economy is booming and companies are actively seeking talent, they’re often more likely to have a robust intern program. After all, talented interns are the talented employees of tomorrow.
However, when the job market hits a lull and companies have fewer hiring needs—or even find themselves laying off staff—they often pause their internship programs or bring on fewer interns.
Overall, companies with high demand are likely to continue hiring interns, while those in hard-hit industries may not have a need. In general, internships are most common during summer months when most students have a break from courses, but you may also be able to find internships that take place during the academic year.
Because internships vary between fields, there is no standard compensation. In fact, some internships don’t even offer pay—unpaid internships historically offered college credit in lieu of compensation—although this is becoming more and more rare.
Paid internships may pay an hourly wage or a salary, depending on the type of work. According to Glassdoor, the estimated average intern salary is $48,300 per year. Interns typically do not work year-round, so their estimated pay would be prorated accordingly.
To impressively showcase your talents, think carefully about the order of your resume sections and put your most impressive ones first; highlight your outstanding classwork and achievements, and tailor your skills to each internship.”
Internships offer training, mentorship, and new skills that will help you enter your chosen field. However, with little or no experience, your resume needs to shine.
By using our online resume builder, you can save yourself time and take the margin of error out of your resume creation.