Internship CV

Internship CV Structure

An internship is the role of a student or trainee who works in a company to gain knowledge. An applicant must first grasp what an employer needs. An Internship CV is a delicate process. You must show how your soft skills will be of use all the whilst developing your hard skills.

Writing a good Internship CV will need you to use some soft and hard skills at the same time. This is a great moment to put those to work and showcase what you can do. For example, writing a great CV demands good writing skills, persuasion skills and practical skills. If you are still unsure what these skills are, you can view our CV Hard Skills and CV Soft skills pages.

• Implement the right CV structure. Before you do something else. Many types of structures exist. The most easy and common used amongst interns is the Chronological CV. Simple to use and effective. You are also making the recruiter’s life easier without you even knowing. Many employers use employment software. This includes software such as Pinpoint, which filters all CV formats which do not meet the criteria.
• Present your contact details in a clear manner. Follow simple rules to make your CV as readable and pleasant to look at. Start by writing your name in 8-10 font sizes above the rest of your text. Then, move on to putting your private email address, contact number and relevant social media handles such as LinkedIn. Avoid adding a picture or your marital status, it actually has an adverse effect.
• Set out a professional CV layout. You want the recruiter to read a well spaced, well-designed and clear CV. A clear font such as Arial, a good font size between 10-12 and spacing between lines of 1.5-2 will be sufficient.
• Make sure your Intern CV contains the following segments:
  • Personal Contact Details
  • Personal Statement
  • Education
  • Professional Work Experience
  • Skills
  • Hobbies
• Finally, once you have gone through all the steps, make sure to save your CV in Word or PDF format. The last thing you want is your boss to be unable to open your CV.

Okay, we have now laid out the correct CV structure to follow for your internship applications. Let’s take a deeper look into what actually needs to feature within each segment.

Internship CV Education Segment

It is logical to start with your education as you are seeking professional work experience. Once you have finished a few internships, this segment will be replaced by your work experience.

It is safe to assume you are in your final year of a Bachelor’s Degree, so this is what needs to feature.

• The Course, the University and the type of Degree should be the initial features (BA : Bachelor of Arts or BsC: Bachelor of Science). It is also a positive to include when you expect to graduate.
• If you have completed several bachelor degrees or even a Master degree, start with the most recent one. Use an anti-chronological CV approach in this instance.
• Mention your final grading position and all certificates at College. (First Class Honours, 2:1, 2:2).

Feel your CV can be more substantial? Then make sure to add your final year thesis and key degree modules. Highlight the aptness of these modules with the internship you would like to get. Academic achievement and extracurricular activities are always an added bonus on your CV.

Example:

Sept 18- Sept 21 Business Management with Financial Services (BA)

University of Cambridge, First Class Honours

Core Modules

• Financial Engineering: Modelling business plans, Stress test scenarios.
• Marketing : Business Branding.
• Final Thesis: The Influence of Social Media in Financial Decision Making.

As you can see throughout the case, the aim is to show how your hard skills match the demands of the internship.

Internship CV Work Experience Segment

If you have not had the chance to be in a working habitat, don’t worry, this segment is not necessary. But, if you have, now is the moment to show it. Work during weekends or summers, paid or unpaid, this is your moment to shine.

• Employ the anti-chronological method to your CV. Start with your most recent work experience and work backwards.
• Insert 3 main tasks that you carried out for each job position. Even so, the aim is not to merely state the role you had. Try and show how this relates to the internship you want.
• Add precision to your work experience by listing tangible achievements in numbers. For example: Over 6 months, me and my team increased customer loyalty by 12%. This resulted in the average basket of goods sold increasing by £12.00.
• Use the S.T.A.R (Situation, Task, Action, Results) or P.A.R (Problem, Action, Results) methods to structure your work experiences.

Pro tip: If you don’t have any work experience to add to your CV, join a volunteering club. Unpaid work can be a great way to show your resolve to go the extra step to reach your goals.

Skills to Include on an Intern CV

Internships are a great way to enter almost any industry. By giving your time and creativity, you gain knowledge. Each field demands a specific set of skills. These skills are not static amongst all fields so you need to do some homework.

• Read the job advert carefully and pick out all the key tasks that you are expected to take on. For each one, find the key skills needed that cover that task.
• Look back at your work experience and volunteering. Find the key skills that you have developed through those pursuits.
• Compare your current set of skills with those required. Ideally, you will find a few common skills. You need to pick a variety of soft and hard skills.
• Soft skills are more vital at this stage than hard skills. The hard skills you will learn once you are an intern.

The trouble of creating a CV for internships is there is no size fits all. Each application must be tailored. You are setting yourself up for failure if you send the same CV to 100 recruiters.

Skills to feature on your Internship CV

• Work Ethics
• Problem-Solving Ability
• Social Skills
• Time Management
• Punctuality
• Leadership
• Social Communication

Hobbies for an Intern

It is common knowledge that a banking intern job advert sees over 4000 applications for a single internship. To come out on top requires character and identity traits unknown to the masses.

A great way is to include your hobbies. This segment is all about yourself.

• Add a languages section. All of us have learned at least 1 language at school. Leverage that onto your internship CV.
• Hobbies. A great way to show your passions. An employer will be able to relate to you if you have the same passions. It can also be a great way to start an interview.
• Be a Volunteer. If you haven’t been able to gain work experience, this can be an excellent way to start.
• Create your own business or projects. Anything the normal candidate would not do is an added bonus.

Key points for your Internship CV

Here’s what you need to keep in mind when you build your CV:

• Use an anti-chronological CV layout to create your Intern CV.
• Replace the work experience segment with your education. Your CV must follow the same structure as the pros.
• Find your core skills and match them with the job role.
• Include a hobbies segment. It can only add to your chances of success.

There we have it. A full guide on how to turn your education into a winning Internship CV. With the right tools and process, you are on your way to that 1st internship.