In today’s day and age, getting an internship you want is a tough business. You search the internet to look for a guide on how to write a resume for an internship but end up finding nothing. You have been made to believe that only experienced professionals need a resume.

Well, let me break it to you. They are wrong.

So, let’s go step by step and explore the depths of an Internship Resume; the why and the how.

Why should you make an internship resume?

Why do you need a resume for an internship that is not even paid? Doesn’t slavery exist in just Quentin Tarantino movies?

You are straight out of college with a huge debt in your bag and no skills in the pocket.

What do you do?

That is where an internship comes into the picture. An internship could be extremely helpful in bridging the gap between you and your desired job when you will be out of college.

The skills you gain while interning sharpens your professional skills and will help you be ready for the professional world. Think about it. College is over and you have applied for your dream profile. So have hundreds of other people. If the recruiters are tasked with filtering hundreds of resumes for one vacancy, how do you think they’ll go about it? 

If your resume is marked with a few internships while the same is not the case with your friend who also applied for the same job listing, who do you think the recruiter will pick?

You know the answer. Now continue reading.

How to make an Internship Resume? 

Now that we have covered the why, the most important question arises - how do you get a job-winning internship resume? An internship is only for a limited time, fought for by thousands of applicants just like you.

The jury is still out on what works and what does not. But the key to getting shortlisted for an internship is an impeccable resume. 

Here, the golden rule will do you no harm. An Internship resume should consist of Contact Information, Objective, Education, Extra-Curricular Activities, Volunteering Experience, and Internship Experience (If any), etc.

Let’s talk about them one by one. 

Contact Information

Writing your contact information is no rocket science, right? It is crazy to even point it out, let alone make a separate section for it on how to write it.

But, it is important. We have seen people carrying extensive professional experience make these silly errors.

Although, it is pretty simple. Contact Information should be at the top and never to be repeated in a resume. Let’s take a look at the example below:

Name | Contact Number | E-mail | Location 

Brad Pitt |+1 (666) 555- 4321 | bradpitt@xyz.com | Los Angeles, CA

An extension of that would be to not include headers and footers in your resume containing your contact details. To reiterate, your contact information will only go once, ideally at the top.

Objective:

Let’s clear one thing before we proceed - a Professional Summary is for experienced professionals, and Objective Statement is for internship & entry-level job seekers.  

But how to go about writing a well-crafted Objective to get the desired internship? An objective section is like an introspective journey. You have to look within to write one.

The example below will give a concrete idea on how to write an objective section.

“Detail-oriented History major looking to Intern at the Historical Research Company for leveraging exceptional writing skills and deploying researching capabilities. Result-oriented professional with an ability to work in teams and thrive under pressure.” 

In the objective, you have to prioritize as per the internship requirement and make the appropriate changes. 

Education

There are two ways to write the Education section.

Let us consider an example:
 

University of Chicago

B.A History

Will be graduating in the summer of 2022 

This format isn’t going to be helpful. Just mentioning what you did is probably not the way to go, since this section is pretty much all you have.

Let us take a look at another example: 

University of Chicago | B.A History | Jul ’18 – Jun ‘22

• Secured the first rank in the class of 150 for Ancient and Modern History
• Selected for Cassius Dio scholarship out of 1000 participants to travel to Greece for a case study

 
The format above is eye-catching and surely showcases the abilities and contributions of an applicant.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Since a college student does not have any professional experience, extra-curricular activities play a major role in crafting an internship resume.

Let us discuss how to draft this section in your resume. 

Event Coordinator | Histrionica Quiz

• Secured funding of ~USD 5,000 as the Event Coordinator to represent Histrionica on various occasions
• Organized 2+ quizzes open to 300+ students across all departments

Core Member | Film Society

• Core team member for 50 students to organize film festivals for emerging local artists

Volunteering Experience

We do not get to hear a lot about this, but volunteering experience is just as crucial as paid work if you’re making your internship resume. Volunteering experience in your resume will go a long way in convincing recruiters that you possess values crucial to flourish in society. In every industry, there are some qualities that are highly sought by the recruiters in potential candidates.

Below is an example of how you can showcase your volunteering experience in an internship resume:

Volunteer | Climate Awareness Program | Apr ’19 – Sep ‘19

• Boosted awareness on the effects of climate change in the city of California
• Conducted 10+ sessions and seminars every quarter to tutor people on steps to revive the environment

Volunteer | Making a Difference | Jun ’18 – Sep ‘18

• Taught communicative English to 20+ children at risk
• Steered monthly events in coordination with the City team for the entire volunteer base of 300+

Internship

This section is essential for individuals who have previous internship experience. Ideally, the format for this section should be the same as professional experience.

So, without further ado, let’s get to it.

Summer Intern | History Essentials Incorporation Limited | California, US | Jun ’17 – Aug ‘17

• Assisted 5 Research Associates in managing Greek mythology archives
• Oversaw project to write the history of slavery and key personalities who helped abolish slavery

In this section, we have to make sure we use an action verb to begin each point and not end with a full-stop, since they are not complete sentences. Additionally, one should not exceed one line to elaborate on a point.

This makes it pretty clear how important an internship resume is for targeting your desired internship.

About the Author: 
On a quest to help professionals across the world land their dream jobs, Aditya lives and breathes Hiration — a platform to help job-seekers find their way in the treacherous job market — where he’s a Co-Founder and the unofficial CPO (Chief Problem-solving Officer). He likes to code away his days and nights when he’s not busy disrupting the career space.