Internship Resume - Land the Job in 5 Steps

It’s never too early to have a great resume. In fact, the internship resume is a must even in Freshman year. Where do you begin though, if you don’t have years of experience under your belt? Don’t worry. We’ll show you how to perfect your internship resume in 5 steps.

There are a few key things to remember when creating an internship resume. What seasoned professionals have are years of full-time work experience and in some cases, brand names to strengthen their candidacy.

What college students have going for them, on the other hand, is willingness to learn, energy and good theoretical knowledge. It’s key to leverage all of those aspects.

In this guide, we will teach you how to:

The summary is the intro to your resume. It aims to capture the recruiter's attention and quickly let them know what you do, what your industry is and why you're a great fit for the job.

In the case of the internship resume, you won't have enough experience to write a summary, so you should go for a resume objective instead. The objective is a sentence or two explaining what skills you can leverage and why you should get the job.

Key information about the resume objective:

• Has to be 2-3 sentences at most.
• Must be clear and concise.
• Must explain clearly what your experience and education is.
• Should contain keywords from the job description.

Remember to keep the internship resume objective short and sweet. Two sentences will be plenty.

So why does this objective work?

• We know the level of education of the candidate - second-year student
• We know the name of the school - Boston College
• We know they study Economics which is directly relatable to the stock market
• The applicant tells us a bit about themselves - that they are "highly self-motivated" and "deeply analytical"

In these two short sentences, we find out quite a lot about the student. There is no need to go deeper than that in the internship resume objective. Recruiters like straightforward and clear information.

The strength of the college internship resume lies in the education section. Since you don't have a decade of work experience behind you, your best bet is to show that you are actively pursuing a degree in a related field.

How do you talk about your relevant courses? First, study the industry and see what's applicable. For example, if you're applying for a Financial Analyst internship, mention that you're taking courses on investing, global politics and risk analysis.

Do keep in mind, though - the courses have to be relevant. You don't want to end up like this guy...

Let's have a look at a sample internship description:

Since the responsibilities here include "risks analysis" and "research," go ahead and mention that you're taking a course on Economics & Stock Market Risk Analysis as well as the research that you've done in college.

It would look like this:

The course description is tailored to the company's needs. It tells the recruiter that the student has a good knowledge of stock market patterns throughout history and does extensive research, which is one of the responsibilities.

Feel free to include all the relevant courses which have a connection to the internship. In the case of an internship resume, your education section can easily take up 50% of the page, if not more.

One thing to bear in mind here is that you don't have to include ALL the courses you take. If you're applying for a financial position and are taking an acting class, you should leave that out.

Recruiters are busy and want to be able to quickly skim a resume and know whether someone is a good fit or not. Help them ease the process.

When it comes to grades, it's a good idea to include it if it's higher than a B. For example, if you're taking Econ 101 and have an overall grade of C+, it really doesn't make you look good. If you're at an A-, on the other hand, definitely mention it.

While grades aren't necessary in your course description, that information can help. It's a good idea to list your GPA as an overview of your work if it's above 3.0.

Tailoring any resume is crucial for getting the job, regardless of whether it's a full-time position or an internship. In fact, recruiters spend time writing job descriptions and criteria for their ideal candidate because they want to make the process as easy and quick as possible.

Use the recruiter's favorite words. What do we mean by this? Read the job description carefully and insert keywords. Let's look at the internship description again.

The keywords here are:

SKILLS & MENTALITY - self-motivated, energetic, work in a team, target-oriented, fulfill and exceed quota.

ABILITIES - make cold calls, research, field sales.

There are no guessing games here. The recruiter states plain and simple what their intern must have in order to get the job. So what do you do with this knowledge? Insert it intelligently into your internship resume.

This objective hits most of the qualifications needed. The key here is not to copy word for word the job description. That's too obvious and may come across as fake.

Instead, find a way to rephrase it. For example, instead of saying "I can work in a team," say "team player." Instead of saying "I can assist the manager," show that you have experience assisting tenured professors.

It's important to include as much experience as possible to go with your relevant education. Now, what if you are a first-year student with no experience?

In this case, the applicant can't rely on experience which is why they will talk about their "passion" and "interest" in the field. Everyone has to start somewhere, right? The recruiters know that well, so in this case, they will be looking for a hard-worker who's personality is a good fit.

Instead of saying "experience," the candidate says that they have "knowledge" of research. That's a great way to include the keyword "research" while telling the truth without exaggeration.

Finally, the student says that they would love to learn while following instructions which demonstrates initiative and includes another key phrase.

It's always essential to tailor your resume to the job, regardless of whether it's an internship resume or a full-time position. One resume won't fit all jobs, remember that.

As we've already mentioned, college students aren't expected to have as much work experience as regular applicants or even recent graduates. This is why you have to work every angle in order to land the internship.

Make your hobbies and interests work for you. It's important to prove that you'd be a good fit for the company culture. How do you do that?

Research the company. Find out everything you possibly can about it - what events they organize for employees, what values they care about and what news they share.

Social media is your friend. You'll see it in all good resume templates Make sure that it represents you correctly. This is a great way to show your personality and stand out from the competition. Plus, many companies don't allow photos on a resume. Having a good LinkedIn photo will let the recruiter put a face to the resume. You're not just a bland piece of paper anymore!

Now that you know what the company values, it's time to once again TAILOR your internship resume accordingly.

Make a list of all your hobbies and interests. Then go over them and see which are relevant. How do you know which are relevant? The key is not in the hobby itself; it's the personality qualities it demonstrates.

For example, if you need to be a "self-motivated" worker and you like running 10K races, mention it. It takes a lot of physical and mental strength to engage in endurance running, so let your hobby speak about your strengths.

If the internship needs someone "analytical," mention that your hobbies are to play sudoku or dominate at Monopoly. When it comes to showing that you are a "team player," mention the club sports you do in college.

The most important aspect of talking about hobbies and interests is that they show and not tell the type of person that you are.

That being said, not all hobbies and interests are created equal. There are 4 types of hobbies and interests recruiters love. It's good to have as many of these on your resume as possible.

Let's have a look at what each of these categories entrails. The good news is that unlike full-time professionals who work at least 40 hours a week, college students have more time to pursue hobbies and interests.

CREATIVE HOBBIES

Show your creativity. If an internship position calls for someone who "thinks outside the box," mention one of the following:

• Mock trial team
• Web design
• Creative writing
• School paper
• Improv acting
• Photography club
• Radio/ TV station
• Chess club

These interests and hobbies speak volumes about your creativity. Some, like chess club overlap creativity and analytical abilities, which is even better.

ATHLETIC

Athletic hobbies and sports clubs are always great to have on an internship resume. Why? Sports show a high level of motivation, team spirit, and physical strength. It's no secret that good athletes are well-admired.

Here are some examples of athletic hobbies and interests to include on your resume:

• Tennis
• Soccer
• Basketball
• Squash
• Baseball
• Rugby
• Sailing
• Equestrian team

These can be either at varsity level or club sports. It's the involvement that counts. Playing sports shows stamina, high energy, and motivation. Every single internship position requires all three.

You get bonus points if you've got a leadership position on any of those teams, as it proves that you can be relied on and deal well with people.

PEOPLE-ORIENTED

Most internships will require good people skills, as you will be learning from supervisors, managers, and full-time employees. The key aspects here are to show that you accept advice and instructions well and are diplomatic.

Check out these hobbies and interests that demonstrate people skills:

• Mentor programs
• Tutoring
• Debate club
• Student government
• Event planning
• Greek house involvement
• Volunteer projects
• Habitat for humanity
• Team sports

Why is it important to have people skills? Those come in handy in most industries out there. If you can't get along with your colleagues, you won't be able to be a leader, and companies want leaders.

Demonstrating your communications skills through hobbies and interests is a great idea since it's no longer enough to just say "I'm a good communicator." You have to provide the proof.

College students have a great deal of freedom to be social and practice their people skills, as they have to be in class with dozens of others and interact with professors and roommates all day.

This is a great place to include your volunteer work, as it not only demonstrates your people-oriented personality but also your willingness to help others.

ANALYTICAL

Finally, you should include some analytical hobbies and interests on your internship resume. Why do you need to show that you're analytical? Many internships will require you to be detail-oriented, calculative and perform tasks with a great deal of thinking and concentration.

Let's look at some hobbies and interests with an analytical side:

• Investment club
• Chess club
• Book club
• Teacher's assistant in math, computer science
• Philosophy club
• Model UN
• Mock trial
• Web design

One interesting thing here is that when it comes to proving that you're analytical, you don't necessarily have to show off hobbies that include numbers. For example, the investment club is a great choice but so is philosophy. Both require deep thought.

Ideally, you will have all 4 categories of hobbies and interests on your internship resume. If you don't though, just make sure to have those that are most relevant to the role.

References are a key part of any resume, be it an internship resume or a seasoned professional's. In the case of the college student, however, references are what can take you that extra mile.

Why is that? Well, while established professionals have their experience speak for them and can demonstrate promotions and awards, college students can't say the same.

So, who should you ask for references? Hint: the answer is not your parents.

While we're sure that you're very capable and your mom knows you better than anyone else, it has to be a person of authority who is relevant to the internship field.

Who to ask for references:

• Your college advisor
• Your professors in a field related to the internship
• Past employers
• Club leaders in whose organization you participate
• Coaches
• The professor liaison to a club you lead
• College officials (Dean's Office, event planning)
• College board of trustees
• Benefactors to the college who are sponsoring your studies

All of these are great references to have on your resume. Your college advisor is the professor closest to you who's helping you follow through with your studies and have a good college experience. Chances are that this person will know you well.

When asking professors for references, choose those who are relevant to the internship. For example, if you're applying for an internship in economics, a reference from your acting professor won't be as good as your Econ professor.

If you have any professional experience from summer jobs and internships, it's a good idea to ask your past employers for a reference. They can speak about your professional performance.

Are you involved in a club? Ask the professor liaison for a reference. Same goes for the coach if you're on a sports team.

If you can't think of any suitable professors or club leaders, you can turn to the college administration. If you help organize events, or lend a hand with administrative tasks, ask the supervisor to say a few words about you.

Finally, you can turn to college trustees or any sponsors whose donations are going towards your scholarship if you have one. If someone chooses to invest money in you, they'll definitely have something positive to say.

Now that you've created a list of people to ask for a reference, how do you go about it? Check out this sample e-mail:

What we have here is a brief and clear note to the professor. Make it easy for them and say what you have to say in as few words as possible. Professors are busy people.

The student mentions the following:

• What position they are applying for
• What class they've taken with the professor and its duration
• A brief description of the intern position

Why is this important?

First of all, you have to mention what position you're applying for. Otherwise, the professor won't know what you're trying to showcase. In that case, the reference may end up being too general which you don't want.

Secondly, the student includes what class they've taken with the professor. Chances are that professors write at least a couple resumes per week, so don't take it personally if they can't recall their relationship to you.

Finally, the student includes some information about the internship. This makes it easier for the professor to TAILOR the reference.

Yes, references just like resumes get tailored. You want to be as specific and as relevant as possible.

One thing to remember here is to be very brief. Perhaps even include a few bullet points instead of the entire description. Professors don't have time to read internship requirements.

The student is gracious and thankful in their asking, which is a MUST since professors aren't obliged to write references. This is a favor they do.

The same principle applies when you ask a past employer or a coach. Specify how they can be of use to your internship application. For example, if you send an e-mail to your rugby coach, you can say: "I'm hoping that you could say a few words about my work ethic and team spirit."

You have to tailor the email asking for help before the person you're asking can tailor your resume recommendation.

Once you've gathered a list of names and some recommendations, you can attach them to your resume file. Be sure to be concise and not add too much or irrelevant information.

Now let's do a quick recap of everything we've learned about preparing a great internship resume.

So, let's do a recap:

• You have to pull in the recruiter with a great introduction. This is your resume objective. Make it clear who you are, what you study, what experience you have and what you're trying to achieve.

This objective has to be tailored to the internship position and specific. Don't make it too general.

• Showcase your most relevant courses. Education is key on an internship resume. While full-time professionals can let their experience speak for them, college students don't have that yet.

Include every relevant course with a very brief description. Mention your grade if it's higher than a B and your overall GPA if it's better than 3.3.

• Make yourself a good fit for the company by researching them. Go on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and the company website to see what values they hold and what they care about.

Be genuine about your own values. Align them to those of the company but don't lie or exaggerate.

Leverage your hobbies and interests. Again, you have to use everything in your arsenal to make up for the fact that you don't have too much work experience and let your personality shine through.

• Remember to add keywords from the internship description. After all, this is why descriptions exist - so hiring managers can quickly and easily find the perfect candidate.

Refer to the 4 types of hobbies and interests recruiters love: creative, athletic, people-oriented and analytical are all great for an internship resume.

• Ask for references to attach to your resume. You can reach out to professors, your advisor, scholarship sponsors, past employers, team leaders if you participate in a club and sports coaches.

Try to incorporate as many of these essential practices as you can in your resume. It's a good idea to look into who the recruiter is. You can use LinkedIn for that.

It doesn't hurt to reach out via LinkedIn with an invite and a question on the application. This will grab the recruiter's attention and will demonstrate that you really are putting care into your internship resume.