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5 Intern Resume Examples & Guide...

5 Intern Resume Examples & Guide for 2024

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Breaking into a new market as an intern can be scary. You’re starting out at the bottom, and you are coming in to soak in all the knowledge your manager and coworkers offer.

It can be even more difficult to write an internship resume.

Don’t fret, though. You’ve got lots of valuable relevant skills and experience which you can highlight on your resume. In this article, you’ll gain all the information you need to write an excellent internship resume. If you follow the steps below, you’ll have everything you need to craft a resume that catches a hiring manager’s attention.

The very first thing I tell every intern on the first day is that their internship exists solely on their resume…

Jay Samit, Serial Entrepreneur

College resume examples

College student internship resume example

Why this resume works

The following candidate offers a well-built resume that underlines extraordinary qualities:

  • Cohesive introduction that presents the youngster as a self-motivated and ambitious person
  • Volunteering backed up with complex tasks and quantitative data
  • A balance between soft and hard skills; admirable time management
  • References and certifications prove that the candidate can bring value

High school student internship resume example

Why this resume works

This high school student shows a decent example of how you can make an admirable resume with almost no experience:

  • A compelling summary that presents the candidate’s passions, goals and soft skills
  • Coherent Education section that lists essential achievements
  • The applicant mentions a 2-month training program as a valuable experience
  • Certifications and References presents the youngster as a reputable individual
  • Strengths and skills indicate consistency and ambition to bring value

Summer internship resume example

Why this resume works

  • A consistent Summary section that introduces a candidate with small experience and powerful skills
  • Well-built Education section that describes interests and achievements in the school years
  • Impressive results from a training program that is only 3 months long
  • Strengths indicate the youngster is a responsible and self-motivated individual
  • My Time section illustrates strong time management skills

Choose the best format for your intern resume

We’ve recently done a study at Enhancv, and we placed our modern resume templates against typical resume templates from Microsoft Word for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). And you know what we found? Our templates are easier for ATS to scan.

In order to make sure that your resume is geared towards ATS, avoid basic mistakes. Here are some tips when formatting your resume:

  • Length/Columns: Whether you choose to go with a double or single column layout, it really doesn’t matter. As well, choosing between one or two pages isn’t that big of a deal. However, if you can condense your resume to a one-page resume, it may be easier for a hiring manager to read.
  • Section headings: According to ATS best practices, the section headings of your resume are just as important as the content. Make sure that you name the ‘eperience’ section accordingly, or it may be less recognizable.
  • Colors and Design: Eye-catching colors and graphics can actually make your resume stand out. Although they aren’t scanned by ATS, recruiters may be more drawn to a colorful resume.
  • Fonts: You’re not just limited to Calibri or Times New Roman when creating your resume. In fact, all popular Google fonts can be read just fine by ATS.
  • File format: The easiest file format for ATS is PDFs, as they are easy to scan and components of your resume won’t get jumbled or missed.

You may also choose to use a reverse chronological resume format, as you’re able to put the most recent experience upfront.

Alternatively, you may choose to format your resume using a hybrid format, a style which highlights your skills with the same weight as your experience. This format is good to use when you are switching industries, which you might be doing as an intern. It’s also great to use if you are in a creative industry which values skills as highly as experience.

Add your contact information in the resume header

Did you know that ATS also scans your resume header? That’s why it’s important to make sure that your header is free from mistakes and is up-to-date.

Here are the major things you should include your resume header:

  • Your first and last name
  • Your title (e.g. Dr. or Esq.)
  • Your phone number
  • Your email address
  • Your location
  • Relevant social media handles like LinkedIn (optional)
James Moriarty
Intern
555-555-5555
jmoriarty@gmail.com
London, England
RIGHT

Craft an engaging intern resume summary

Your resume summary is essentially an elevator pitch for you. It’s a brief opportunity where you can share why you’d be a good fit at a company.

Let’s look at some of the most important things to include in the resume summary:

  • Your title and years of experience
  • The most recent skills you’ve gained in your field
  • Your top two greatest professional achievements
Summary
Dedicated BA student from the University of Southern California at Davis majoring in marketing with a minor in economics. Aim to use my understanding of supply chains, marketing tactics, product development, and consumer research strategies to succeed as a marketing intern at the XYZ Marketing firm.
RIGHT

Feature a standout intern experience section

Here’s the issue: you may not have a lot of experience when you are applying for an internship position. However, there are some experiences that you can include, whether from academic pursuits in college or other jobs that you’ve worked previously. These can help to show that you are the perfect candidate for the position.

Here are some of the most important things to consider for a resume experience section:

  • Reverse chronological order: You always want to have your most recent experience at the top of the list. Include your latest work experience even if the internship that you’re applying for is in a different field. Do your best to include the most relevant experience that you have to the internship you’re applying for.
  • Job title: Including a job title is important, as it can help to shed light on your duties. In certain keywords from job titles can actually help you perform well in ATS.
  • Company’s name, location, and description: Always include the company name that you work for, as it provides credibility to you and your resume.
  • Date of employment: The applicant tracking system has an easier time of scanning resume experience sections, which include both month and year.
  • Achievements and responsibilities: In all of your experience, be sure to include achievements and responsibilities that you performed. You need not add all of your responsibilities, but only include the four or five most important ones in bullet points.
  • Volunteer work: If you are a college student, there’s a good chance that you have some volunteer experience. Include it even if it is as simple as weekly volunteering at a campus bookstore.

Internship resume experience, example 1

Experience
Manager
USC Bookstore
Location
Company Description
  • Cultivated a professional demeanor and excellent customer service skills
  • Managed the inventory of the bookstore, working with suppliers to make sure that the bookstore was fully stocked.
  • Lead a team of four sales associates and inspired them to increase the quarter for sales figures by 25% from the previous year.
  • Oversaw the day-to-day operations of the bookstore, including accounting and financial duties.
RIGHT

Internship resume experience, example 2

Experience
Business Plan Competition
The University of Southern California at Davis
Location
Company Description
  • Created a competitive business plan for a small construction company.
  • Surveyed homeowners in the area around my university, seeking to understand their major needs and goals for home repair.
  • Developed a $2000 marketing campaign, assessing the return on investment that a typical small business may receive.
RIGHT

The example above lists a project that the applicant worked on, and this might be an excellent piece to include in your experience section. If the program that you studied in college lines up with the feel that you’re applying for, include some university projects that you completed.

Internship resume experience, example 3

Experience
Certified professional resume writer
Resume Hero
New Bend, OR
Company Description
  • Cultivated excellent creative writing skills and created resumes that caught the attention of hiring managers.
  • Created resumes which were geared to ATS, using keywords and high performing resume formats.
  • Gained transferable skills within the publishing business
RIGHT

Highlight your education

Your education section may be one of the most important things to include in a college internship resume. You’re fresh in your field, and most of the experience that you bring to the table is the time you spent in classrooms. Lean into this, and include some projects that you’ve worked on, any theses that you wrote, and any other thing that relates to your college experience.

Here are the important things to include in your education section:

  • Degree Name
  • University, college, or other institution
  • Location (optional)
  • Years attended
  • Your GPA
  • Honors, dean’s list, and awards
  • Student accomplishments
MBA
MBA
Dartmouth
GPA
3.75
/
4.0
RIGHT

List your relevant intern skills

Just like work experience, you’ve picked up a lot of skills throughout your education. You should attempt to highlight those skills, pointing out both technical skills and soft skills that you’ve gained along the way.

Hard skills

These are the technical skills that can allow you to stand out from the competition. Some of them may be gleaned through study or through certificates, others you gained through hard work and dedication. These skills would include your knowledge of coding languages, understanding of cybersecurity, and your skills with customer relationship management software.

Here are some tips when writing hard or technical skills on resume:

  • Use bullet points for the skills.
  • Use only the most relevant skills for the job you’re applying for.
  • When possible, quantify those skills (‘Increased sales by 15% using a new CRM software,’).
  • Don’t exaggerate your abilities.
  • Use the job description as a guide for your skills section.
  • Scatter those skills throughout other parts of your resume.

That last point is significant for ATS, as ATS combs through your resume to find specific keywords, some of which are skills.

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Top 4 technical skills for interns

  • Microsoft Office Suite
  • Data analysis
  • Social media skills
  • Research skills

Soft skills

Soft skills are people skills and are much more difficult to quantify than hard skills. But they’re just as important for applicants to have.

Here are some tips for including soft skills on a resume:

  • Avoid generic terms like “Good communication skills”.
  • Tailor your soft skills to the job that you’re applying for.
  • Use action verbs when describing your soft skills, “Worked to resolve conflicts”.
  • Use language and phrases that match the company’s values.
  • Use your cover letter to shed light on your soft skills, giving concrete examples.

Some companies may pride themselves on their inclusive culture, which might be something that you could highlight in your soft skills section. Maybe, as leader of a club at your university, you create initiatives to make sure that no one felt out of place in your club. Mention that on your resume.

Highlight your soft skills through your achievements. You can write this on your cover letter, but come ready for your interview with specific instances for each soft skill you list.

Strengths
Skill 1
Communication: Cultivated effective communication with professors and other students.
Skill 2
Adaptability: Learned how to think on my feet while switching my career in accounting to marketing.
Skill 3
Time management: Working through university in the hope of leaving school debt-free, I discovered time management strategies to make sure I could keep a 3.8 GPA throughout school.
RIGHT
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Most popular 4 soft skills for an internship

  • Communication
  • Adaptability
  • Problem-solving
  • Time management

Include your intern certificates

Most industries have internship programs, which means there are a wide variety of certificates you may include on your resume. Certificates are important because they might give you an advantage against other job seekers.

If you’re including a certification, here’s what you should include:

  • Certification name
  • Name of issuer
  • Year of obtainment
  • Location (if applicable)
  • Date of expiration (if applicable)
  • Expected date of obtainment (if applicable)
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Top 3 intern certificates for your resume

  • First aid
  • Certificate in a foreign language
  • WHMIS

Add other relevant sections to really shine

You can also include other personal sections, including a ‘Day in My Life’ section, just like Marissa Mayer did on her resume. It doesn’t influence ATS and may help to show more of your skills to a potential employer.

Below, you can find some other sections you wish to include:

  • Volunteering: If you’re an intern, there’s a good chance that you’ve got some volunteering under your belt. Mention the skills you gained from your volunteer experience, and why you think you’d be a good fit for the organization.
  • Language skills: In the globalized world market that we live in, having the ability to write or speak another language is a huge skill.
  • Awards: Whether academic or from extracurricular activities, your awards may highlight your worth to potential employers.

Create a matching cover letter for your intern resume

Cover letters are important because they help you to make your case on why you’re the perfect fit for the position. A cover letter may also give you the ability to explain more about your skills and abilities.

Here are some things to include in a cover letter:

  • Contact information that corresponds with the resume.
  • Greeting.
  • Achievements in the first paragraph.
  • Cover letter body:
    • Work experience
    • Skills
    • Why you’d be a good fit
  • Call to action

Cover letter example

Key takeaways

  • If you’re switching careers, use a hybrid resume format to place your skills section on the same level as your experience.
  • Your header will still be scanned by ATS, so check it for spelling and grammar errors.
  • Your summary is your elevator pitch, your opportunity to share why you’d make an outstanding employee.
  • Include quantifiable examples in your experience section.
  • Tailor your skills section to the job description.
  • If you’re fluent in another language, highlight those skills in a separate section.
  • Use your cover letter as an opportunity to shed light on your resume.
intern resume example

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