Internship CV Example
If you’re new to the workforce or a particular industry, internships can provide valuable experience. They’re often short-term roles where you support a team and learn various tasks, to gain the experience necessary for a permanent position. If you’re searching for an internship, creating a great CV can help you stand out from other candidates. In this article we explain how to write a CV for an internship, with a guide, tips and examples.
Key Sections to Include in CV
There are certain sections employers expect to see on your CV. When writing your CV for internship, make sure to include the sections listed below. If you’re applying for an internship you might be a recent graduate or just starting your career, so it’s normal to lack work experience. As such, you might adopt a CV structure that focuses more on your skills than your experience. This is known as a functional CV.
Make sure your internship CV includes these sections:
Contact details
The first section of any CV is your contact details. Add your name in bold or a larger font, followed by your email address, phone number and postal address or location. You may also add some additional details, such as links to portfolios, LinkedIn profiles, marital status or even a photo. Photos on CVs are typically optional, but if you add one, make sure it’s a professional-looking headshot.
CV objective or summary
Your CV objective is the first opportunity to really grab the attention of the employer. Write two to three sentences to promote your skills and qualities in a nutshell. Use strong adjectives to describe your working style and mention any work experience. You could also highlight your career ambitions and reasons for applying for an internship.
Here’s a summary from a sample CV for internship positions:
A self-starting, confident graduate with a professional manner and an enthusiastic attitude. Motivated to seek an internship role where I can gain valuable exposure to all areas of the marketing industry. Driven by a desire to pursue a career in digital marketing and learn from industry-leading experts and high-performing teams.
Work experience
As internships are junior roles, you might not have much work experience. Nevertheless, employers will still expect you to include a work history section. Focus on work relevant to the role you’re applying for. For each entry, mention the job title, the company name, its location and the dates you worked there. Under each job, add bullet points listing your duties and achievements that relate back to the job description.
A work experience section for an internship CV could look like this:
Part-time sales assistant, House & Home Ltd, Sheffield, 2021 – present
- Providing weekend sales support for a regional homewares store, increasing weekend sales figures by 10%
- Training and supervising temporary agency staff on sales techniques and company policies
- Supporting customer service department, resulting in a 20% improvement in customer satisfaction levels
- Managing inventory and replenishing stock by ordering supplies from wholesalers
Holiday warehouse assistant, Johnstone Logistics, Chesterfield, 2018 – 2021
- Receiving and picking orders in a large warehouse during the busy holiday season
- Packing orders and using software to produce and print package labelling
- Conducting stock-taking activities using inventory software
Education
For internships, your education section may carry more weight than your work experience. You might decide to place your education above the work experience section. Mention your highest level of educational achievement and any professional qualifications you’ve gained. For each entry, include the name of the course or award, the level achieved, the institution, location and your dates of study or graduation.
See below for an example education section:
- BSc Engineering and Technology, University of Nottingham, 2023
- A-levels in Maths, Physics and Art & Design, Stafford Manor High School, 2020
Hard skills
Recruiters hiring for internships might be more interested in your skills than they would for more senior roles. Companies may not expect you to have a wide range of work experience, but they’re likely to seek candidates who can demonstrate they already have the skills necessary for the job. Check the job description for any hard skills required for the role, and make sure you list them here.
Here’s an example of a hard skills section for roles in graphic design:
- CAD software
- Adobe creative suite, including Photoshop & Illustrator
- CSS
- HTML
- InDesign
- UX / UI design
- Sketching
Soft skills
Soft skills may also carry more weight for internship applications than they would for roles requiring greater work experience. These are personal strengths and traits that make you a good employee and colleague. They include behaviours, attitudes and habits that can help you to work in a team and meet the demands of the role.
A soft skills section for a marketing internship CV might include the following:
- Creativity
- Communication skills
- Time management
- Multi-tasking
- Problem-solving
Optional sections
Towards the end of your CV, add any further information to help your chances of success. For internships, these optional details could make the difference and persuade a hiring manager to invite you for an interview. Add any training courses you’ve attended or certifications gained. Include any additional languages you speak. You could also mention any relevant hobbies and interests. Additionally, any volunteer work you’ve done can be a valuable inclusion to an intern CV.
Tips for Writing your Internship CV
Follow these tips for help creating the perfect CV for your intern application:
Choose a format that suits your experience
If you have relevant work experience, you could use a chronological CV format. This emphasises your work history, with a list of your employment directly under your contact details and summary. List your employments in reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent or current. If you lack relevant work experience, you could choose a functional CV, which places your education and skills above your work experience.
Keep it brief
Try to keep your CV as brief as possible, while still demonstrating your suitability for the role. If you can keep your CV to one side of A4 in a readable font size, this is ideal. Keep your CV to a maximum of two sides of A4. If you want to provide greater detail, you can provide more in your cover letter.
Use professional language
Use professional language throughout your CV, but also keep it simple and avoid using industry jargon. Ensure you use a spellchecker to correct for errors of spelling or grammar before you send your CV.
Tailor your CV to the job description
Make sure you adapt your CV every time you submit it for a new internship. Use language that reflects the job description and try to reference the company name. Make sure your work history, education and skills reflect the requirements for the role.
Quantify your achievements
Quantify your achievements for each entry in your work section. This could mean providing figures or evidence of your contribution, such as how many people you were responsible for or how much you increased revenue for a company.
Use a clear, readable design
Make sure your CV uses a professional design with a clear structure and clean formatting. Jobseeker’s CV templates and resume templates provide plenty of designs to suit your style.
Key Takeaways for a Perfect Internship CV
Writing the perfect internship CV means making the most of your experience and skills to grab the attention of hiring managers. Remember, if you don’t have much relevant work experience you can place your education and skills sections above this in your CV. Keep your document brief, professional and use an attractive CV design. You can find CV examples for internships and other roles, and CV and cover letter templates, on Jobseeker. Sign up today to start creating your CV and stand out from the crowd in your next internship application.
