Internship resume examples & templates

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. 

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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.

Resume guide for an internship resume

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:

• How to write an internship resume
• Choosing the right resume format for an intern
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Adding your internship experience
• Listing your education
• Picking the right resume design/layout

How to write an internship resume

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:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

Internship - Key components writing examples

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.

• Include languages. If you speak more than one language, that can be a big advantage. Many companies are multinational and can use employees who can communicate with others around the globe.
• Mention extracurricular activities. Carefully consider whether you can point to an achievement in these activities, or link it to a skill your potential employer would appreciate in an internship candidate.
• Add hobbies. This section can add a little personality to your resume, but it can seem as though you are merely trying to fill space. If your hobby is related to your chosen field, consider adding that information in the skills section of your resume.

Choosing the right resume format for an intern

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.

Include your contact information

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:

• Full name & title. List your first and last name. Use the title of the role you are pursuing. Try not to fall back on “artist.” Mimic the exact title from the job description.
• Professional email address. Use a clean format like [email protected]. Don’t use a quirky, unprofessional email address.
• Phone number. List a number where you can be readily contacted, with a professional voicemail greeting.
• Location. List only your city and state. Don’t list your street address or zip code. It’s both outdated and unsafe. Note ' Willing to Relocate' here if applicable.
• Portfolio. If you are a coder, web designer or artist, showcase your talents with a portfolio you can link to in your internship resume.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth: Not necessary.
• Personal details: Marital status, social security number, passport number, etc.

Make use of a summary

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. 

You can find adaptable internship resume example summaries below:

Outline your work history: you’ve got more than you realize

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:

• “Did a research project on how work affects student grades”
• “Mentored other interns”
• “Communicated effectively”

Use resume bullets with action verbs and see how they can enhance the education content of your internship resume:

• “Wrote research paper that involved surveying 50 students and analyzing data to test my hypothesis that too much outside work drives down student grades.”
• “Mentored and coached fellow intern peers, providing training on data analysis and use of Tableau.”
• “Leveraged excellent communication skills to partner cross-functionally and with leaders, earning positive feedback from manager.”

Take a look at the intern employment history resume sample below:

How to write an internship resume with no experience

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. 

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great intern

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:

• Teamwork skills by describing your role in completing a project and how you collaborated with others
• Decision-making/problem-solving skills by explaining how you helped resolve an issues or challenges (don’t forget to document the outcome)
• Verbal communication skills by describing ways you communicated with the person in charge and positive recognition you received
• Role-related skills by describing your experience with tasks required in the particular role. For instance, note your social media talent for a marketing internship or your coding skills for a developer role
• Technical chops by detailing the relevant systems and software you’re familiar with. Include both industry-specific tools and general business systems, like Google Suite.

Detail your education

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.

Pick the right resume layout and design for an internship resume

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?

Internship text-only resume example

Internship job market and outlook

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.

What type of salary you can expect as an intern

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.  

Key takeaways for building an internship resume

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.