Internship Resume Examples and Writing Tips

Key Sections to Include in a Resume for Internship

Every resume is different, but internship resumes are particularly unique. Generally, people seek internships at the very beginning of their professional journey, usually while they’re still in college.

A resume for internships has unique priorities, such as putting a stronger emphasis on education over work experience.

Let’s take a look at the key sections in an internship resume and what to put in them. 

If you’re looking for more advice on how to build unique resumes, browse our resume articles.

Header

Your resume header is the first thing a hiring manager sees, so it’s important that it’s well-formatted and includes actionable contact details.

Your contact information should include:

• Full name
• Phone number
• Email address
• LinkedIn profile

If you’re a student and don’t have a LinkedIn profile yet, we highly recommend you make one. It helps you establish yourself professionally, even before you’re done with your studies.

This is also where you would add a relevant blog or website. For example, if you’re seeking a marketing internship, adding your blog about current marketing trends would showcase your industry knowledge.

Should you add your address to this section? Few professionals need to nowadays, but if you want the full explanation, read our blog post about putting your address on resumes.

Resume objective or summary

Writing a resume objective enables you to start your resume off strongly. This is a section where you can summarize your goals and use powerful action language to stir up the recruiter’s interest.

When crafting an internship resume objective, focus on where you are now and where you aim to go. Try to tell the hiring manager about yourself, but at the same time, focus on how you can help their company, not what you expect to get out of the partnership.

Education

In a standard resume, work experience is the most important section. However, when writing a resume for internships, the education section is the most critical.

We recommend you lead with this section and place it directly underneath your objective. 

List your coursework, class details, and any projects that a recruiter in this industry would find interesting. If you’re a recent graduate, put your graduation date, if you haven’t finished your studies, list your expected graduation date.

For a full guide plus formatting tips, read our article on how to put your education on resumes.

Work experience

It isn’t the most important section, but putting work experience on your internship resume can still be valuable.

If you have work experience, include it, but don’t lead with it. It’s also important to ensure it’s relevant or has key transferable skills.

For example, a retail sales associate role isn’t relevant experience for an IT internship, but it would be for a sales representative internship.

This section is also a good place to add completed internships.

Hard skills

Hard skills are the strongest skills in your repertoire and the main ones that recruiters look for.

List relevant technical skills in this section – try looking at the internship description for inspiration on which skills they’re looking for.

Here are a few internship resume example skills for an IT role:

• JavaScript and Python programming languages
• Troubleshooting and problem-solving
• C++ programming language
• Data entry

Soft skills

Soft skills aren’t the main skills that hiring managers look for, but they’re still crucial to list.

These skills are transferable between positions and come from many places, which makes them essential when you’re trying to secure a role in an industry you have little experience in.

Here are some example soft skills:

• Leadership
• Communication
• Curiosity
• Time management
• Empathy

Optional sections

You’ve finished the strictly necessary sections, but there are a variety of optional sections that can help showcase your qualifications.

These optional sections include:

• Certifications
• Languages
• Hobbies and interests
• Volunteer work

Volunteer work and hobbies and interests are the two most important sections for internship resumes. Because most people looking for internship roles have little work experience, it's important to display your skills and work ethic through charitable work and dedicated hobbies.

These sections can also show valuable experience in a related field, like securing a medical internship by showing your volunteer work at a pet hospital.

Optional sections also help align you with a company’s culture. For example, displaying your interest in sports helps you stand out to a company that has strong values around physical exercise.

Tips for Writing an Internship Resume

Now you know the sections and structure you need, but let’s review a few tips to make your internship resume shine.

Use the reverse chronological format

The ideal format for an internship resume is the reverse chronological format, which is also the most common way.

A chronological resume details your most recent educational achievements and classes and works backward, listing previous education after it. This ensures the hiring manager sees your most recent accomplishments first.

Read our full guide to learn how to use the reverse chronological format in your internship resume.

Tailor your resume to the internship you’re targeting

It’s essential to tailor your resume to the exact internship you’re targeting. 

Review the internship description and try to mirror its language. For example, if it uses “MBA” instead of “Master of Business Administration”, make sure to list your education the same way.

This helps your resume stand out in an applicant tracking system. Check out our blog post for more insights on how to build an ATS resume.

Quantify your achievements

Resumes are more effective when you list quantified achievements, and internship resumes are no different. This means adding numbers and percentages to drive your qualifications.

An internship resume example of this strategy would be:

“Achieved a GPA of 3.8.”

To quantify your achievements, keep track of your grades and work and keep the data at hand. Focus on data that is valuable to employers, such as your accuracy and productivity.

Use a resume template

One of the best ways to build an internship resume is to use a template. Looking at a sample resume for internships gives you a great launching point for structure and formatting.

These templates have been designed by professionals, so you can focus on your skills and qualifications instead of trying to become a master at writing resumes.

Check out CVwizard’s resume templates for inspiration!

Secure Your Dream Internship With an Excellent Internship Resume

You don’t need extensive work experience to impress a hiring manager. Internship resumes can stand out from the crowd using these tactics:

• Focus on education, interests, and skills
• Quantify your achievements
• Tailor your resume to the internship description
• Look at internship resume examples for inspiration

Follow these tips and build an internship resume that accurately showcases your qualifications and impresses hiring managers.

Ready to get started? Use CVwizard’s Resume Builder to quickly build a professional, attractive resume.