Internships are your launchpad to the great professional career ahead. Plenty of successful people started with one. Steve Jobs had a summer job at Hewlett-Packard as a teen, where he developed a penchant for technology. Andrea Jung, the CEO of Avon, was once a retail intern at Bloomingdale. And of course, there’s Lauren Weisberger, the author of The Devil Wears Prada, which was roughly based on her time as an assistant to Vogue’s editor.
But because good internships open many doors, the competition can be cut-throat. Half of internship seekers submit over 50 applications before landing a spot. This means you need to come prepared.
This post will show you how to write a resume for an internship that’ll make recruiters say “Congrats, you’re in!”
Resume Sample for Internship (Word)
Download resume example (.docx)
Internship Resume (text version)
1919 Illinois Avenue, Wilsonville, OR 97070
(123)555-1234
joshua@email.com
A soon-to-be environmental science B.S. graduate (May, 2019), with a specialty in water/sewage treatment/cleanup and conversion of saltwater to potable drinking water; an individual with a passion for contributing to resolution of the global water shortage. Looking for an internship for summer, 2019, prior to beginning my graduate studies.Education:
Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
Graduation: May, 2019 (Cum Laude)
B.S., Environmental Sciences – GPA: 3.87
Research Paper Subject: “The Impacts of Water Conservation Strategies on Water Use”
Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
Master’s Program Admission for Fall, 2019
Honors and Awards:
- Dean’s List: 2015 – 2019 (every semester)
- Environmental Sciences Achievement Award – Development of Electrical Conversion Procedure of Saltwater to Potable Water, January, 2019
Relevant Skills:
- Electrical engineering
- Analytical skills
- Public speaking
- Good eye-to-hand skills
- Team player
- Report writing skills
- Preliminary ecological appraisals
- Great interpersonal skills
Work History:
Environmental Sciences Department, Stanford University
Research Lab Assistant (Sept-2017-present)
- Performed experiments under the direction of Dr. Harry Schwartz, Research director
- Wrote experiment reports and co-authored a paper (to be published in Nature).
Greenpeace, San Francisco Office
Summer Intern (May 2016–Sept 2016)
- Assessed and recorded data from ocean water testing
- Assisted with the preparation of informational report for donors.
- Designed water conservation brochures and leaflets for the So-Cal area.
St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District, St Louis
Part-time Assistant (2015 – 2018)
- Analyzed water samples to ensure potability.
- Assisted senior personnel with on-site inspections.
Co-Curricular Activities:
- Sierra Club – 2015- Present; President, 2018-2019
- Friends of the Earth – 2015 – Present
References available upon request
Sample Resume for Internship With No Experience
Lina Brook
(123)555-1234
lina.brook@email.com
linkedin.com/in/linabrook
Book Enthusiast | Aspiring Editor
Third-year student at the University of Rhode Island with a major in English Literature and a Minor in PR. Avid reader and reviewer (over 800 reviews on Goodreads). Top-rated NetGalley reviewer of ACRs, primarily new YA releases.
Leader of the cross-faculty book club.
Education
University of Rhode Island, South Kingstown, RI
Expected Graduation: May 2025
BA in English Literature, Minor in PR
GPA: 3.8
- Relevant Coursework: Literary Criticism, Africana Studies, Creative Writing, Media Studies, Editing for Journalism.
- Honors and Awards: Dean’s list, Fall 2022, Spring 2024. “Best Creative Short Story” winner in RI Literary Reviews Magazine.
University of Rhode Island, South Kingstown, RI
Advanced Creative Writing Program – Fiction
September 2024-present
Was selected to participate in a 10 people program, based on my short story contribution. Participate in intensive writing and reading workshops and peer review sessions.
Publications:
- “My Skin” essay – The Iowa Review, May 2023
- “Summertime superior” poems – RI Literary Reviews Magazine Dec 2022
Skills
- Structural & Development Editing: Strong grammar and punctuation knowledge; experienced in peer and literary editing.
- Research: Proficient in academic and literary research, familiar with MLA and APA citation styles.
- Writing: Well-trained in academic, fiction, and journalistic writing style. Self-started in social media writing.
- Literary criticism: Capable of providing jargon-free explanations of key themes, symbolism, and narrative techniques, used in the novels.
- Digital Savvy: Knowledge of advanced Google search commands, online quantitative research methods, Google Workspaces, and all major social media platforms.
Projects
You Too Wanna Read Book Club
May 2023 – present
President
- Started an informal weekly book club during my sophomore year, designed to promote reading with students at other faculties
- Host weekly discussions, explaining the basics of critical reading and understanding of classics to participants
- Grown the club from five members to over fifty non-recurrent members.
“Female POC Author Debuts” Blog Series
Content Creator
June 2021 – Present
- Created an ongoing list of debut novels by female authors on Goodreads
- Publish detailed reviews of new releases and advanced reader copies
- Curate reviews and recommendations on personal Instagram (8K+ followers)
Do you also need a cover letter example for your internship? Check this sample.
How to Write a Resume for an Internship: Step-by-Step
A good college student resume for an internship offers a clear overview of your skills, competencies, and academic achievements.
Since you may not have much (if any) relevant work experience, you skip the chronological resume format for a better alternative — a functional resume or a combination resume.
Instead of focusing on where you’ve worked, a functional resume emphasizes what you can do. Your skills go at the front in the form of a resume summary and a featured skills section, then education and work history or personal projects.
A combination resume, in turn, blends the best of both worlds, spotlighting your skills while also giving a nod to your work history. It’s ideal if you held several jobs, but want to also showcase your academic credentials and skills acquired via other avenues — volunteering, previous internships, and so on.
Once you’ve settled on the format, start filling up the key resume sections: header, skills, work experience, and education. Here’s how to do this.
Your Personal Information
The resume header must include personal information — your name, contact info, and LinkedIn profile (if you have one). A home address is optional (and a bit old-fashioned).
While it may seem obvious, you will be amazed at how many applicants forget to include their contact deets or think they don’t need to include it on their resume.
Next, always title your resume with your name. Your name should be the title of your resume or CV and not ‘Resume’ or Curriculum Vitae’. Your name and contact information should really stand out so that the reader can easily go back and find it should they wish to invite you for an interview.
Resume Summary
A resume summary gives a short introduction of your background and main competencies.
It should basically cover why you think you are the person suitable for this internship.
Most employers don’t have a lot of time to sit and read a large amount of text. So keep this to about three to four sentences. Include a resume objective statement as the last sentence i.e., tell exactly what you’re aiming for with this internship.
Showcase Your Key Skills And Qualifications
Most internship applicants have little work experience. But that’s not a deal-breaker. Use the extra space to accentuate your skills instead.
Always start with your most recent qualifications as these are going to be of more interest to the employer. You could elaborate a bit here by detailing some of the key modules or projects you studied and the skills you picked up as a result that would be useful to apply in the internship role.
Include a combination of hard and soft skills. Remember: Most employers aren’t looking for super-competent interns, but rather people with a good personality match: Solid self-management and interpersonal skills.
For extra ideas, look again at the internship job vacancy description. It will often give you clues such as ‘the ideal candidate will have XYZ skills or competencies’. If you have matching skills – list them on your internship resume.
Browse more resume examples from our team to get a better sense of skills you can list for different types of jobs and industries.
Education
State upfront that you’re a student or a recent graduate — employers are here for those academic creds. Include the name of your school, your degree, and your major and minor, if it’s relevant to the position. Then your expected graduation date (or actual date if you’ve already thrown that cap in the air!).
If you’ve got a GPA above 3.0, list it on your resume too. Otherwise, keep it on the down-low. Don’t forget to add honors like Dean’s list, relevant coursework, academic achievements, or extracurriculars that make you truly shine.
Extracurriculars can go either into your education section or work experience (if that one is sparse). Highlight activities where you honed leadership or administrative skills. If you’ve taken any special certifications, training programs, or even online courses, slip those in here as well.
Tailoring your education section to align with the internship you’re eyeing shows you’re not just another student – you’re a future intern who’s got the goods!
Work Experience
Employers will be impressed to see that you already have some work experience under your belt, so include your most recent employment or work experience first. Make sure you emphasize any skills used in that job that are useful or relatable to the internship you are applying for.
Listing your positions in reverse chronological order is important here so they can see your most recent job or work experience. Include any responsibilities or achievements accomplished while working to show that you are dedicated and have good leadership skills. You should bullet-point your key skills to emphasize them better.
Hobbies And Interests
Remember that employers are looking for interns who can work well as a team and culturally add to the organization. So if you have some space left, throw in a couple of hobbies and interests.
But be strategic about your choices. Saying that you’re an avid gamer is great if you want to intern as a designer with a game development studio, but hardly so if you’re after an accounting position. Mention interests that relate to the company, sector, or role in some way.
Offering References
Listing references on a resume makes sense if the company explicitly asked for those. In most cases, you can limit this to the “References available upon request” statement at the bottom of the page and provide the contact deets later during an email exchange.
Some internship positions may also ask for a letter of recommendation. Your favorite professor, past boss, or even a peer from a club are good candidates to ask for one.
Final Touches: Add an Internship Resume Template
If you don’t like the plain boring look of a Word file or struggle to fit all your deets into one page, use a professional resume template. It’ll keep things sleek, organized, and eye-catching, making sure your application pops right off the recruiter’s screen.
We have over 180 fabulously free resume templates on our website. The most popular resume designs among interns include a Sweet & Simple resume template with a photo, a minimalistic Straight Shooter Word resume template, and a two-column Sunny Afternoon template.
