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How to Write an Internship Resume: 3 Examples & Guide

09/02/2024

How to Write an Internship Resume: 3 Examples & Guide

Career Expert

09/02/2024

Doing an internship can give you a head start on the job market. However, some internship opportunities have more prestige than others. Landing these require effort beyond academic achievements—you need an internship resume that makes an impression on anyone reading it.

Top Insights:

Resumes with previous internship experience have a better chance of landing a prestigious opportunity.
An effective education section of an internship resume goes beyond internship requirements to prove the applicant’s knowledge and skills.
Key skills that employers usually expect from interns are communication, teamwork, and critical thinking.

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See three inspiring intern resume examples that you can copy and personalize to match your background:

Internship Resume Example for Engineering Jobs

Ali Leigh

Engineering Student

(222) 333-4444

ali.leigh@email.com

Resume Objective

Enthusiastic and detail-oriented engineering student with a strong academic background and practical experience in aerospace and mechanical engineering. Seeking an engineering internship at StarFlight to leverage my technical skills, analytical abilities, and passion for space exploration.

Core Competencies

Aerospace Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
CAD Software (SolidWorks, AutoCAD)
MATLAB & Simulink
Data Analysis
Problem-Solving
Project Management
Team Collaboration

Work Experience

Research Assistant

The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL

September 2023–May 2024

Key responsibilities:

Supported research projects focused on propulsion systems and aerodynamics.
Utilized MATLAB for data analysis and simulation tasks.
Fabricated and tested experimental models in a wind tunnel.
Contributed to the publication of research papers.

Key achievement:

Implemented a streamlined data analysis pipeline utilizing Python and R, reducing processing time by 40% and increasing the reliability of research outcomes.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering

The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL

Expected Graduation: May 2025

GPA: 3.8
Relevant Coursework: Orbital Mechanics, Fluid Dynamics, Thermodynamics, Aerospace Structures, Control Systems, Spacecraft Design
Projects: Designed a small-scale satellite as part of a capstone project; conducted a comprehensive analysis of its structural integrity and thermal properties.

Relevant Engineering Projects

Capstone Project: Small-Scale Satellite Design

Developed a satellite prototype focusing on structural integrity, thermal properties, and communication systems.

Aerodynamics Research Project

Conducted wind tunnel testing to analyze the aerodynamic performance of various airfoil designs.

Additional Skills

Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Programming Skills (Python, C++, R)
3D Printing and Prototyping
Technical Writing and Documentation
Public Speaking and Presentation

Certifications

Certified SolidWorks Associate (CSWA)
MATLAB Fundamentals Certificate

Volunteer Work

STEM Outreach Volunteer

University of Illinois, Urbana, IL

September 2022–June 2024

Organized workshops and presentations to inspire high school students to pursue careers in STEM fields.
Assisted in hands-on activities and demonstrations related to engineering and space exploration.

Personal Interests

Space Exploration
Model Rocketry
Robotics

Languages

English (Native)
Spanish (Fluent)

What makes it work:

This sample resume for internships is well-suited for engineering students.
It features relevant experience that proves this applicant is a good fit for an engineering internship.
Each section provides information about the candidate’s academic strengths as well as interpersonal qualities.

Internship Resume Example with No Experience

Joseph Anchor

Environmental Science Student

(111) 555-4444

joe.anchor@email.com

Resume Objective

Detail-oriented environmental science student with a strong academic background and practical experience in conservation and natural resource management. Seeking a federal internship at the National Park Service to leverage my analytical skills, fieldwork experience, and passion for environmental stewardship.

Core Competencies

Environmental Science
Natural Resource Management
GIS & Remote Sensing
Data Analysis
Ecological Fieldwork
Problem-Solving
Project Management
Team Collaboration

Education

Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science

University of Oregon

Expected Graduation: May 2025

GPA: 3.8

Relevant Coursework: Conservation Biology, Environmental Policy, GIS and Remote Sensing, Ecology, Climate Change Science, Natural Resource Management

Relevant Academic Projects:

Nature Reserve Management Plan

Developed a comprehensive plan addressing invasive species control and habitat restoration.
Conducted field assessments and stakeholder consultations to inform management strategies.
Utilized GIS software for spatial data analysis and habitat mapping.
Developed a GIS-based habitat suitability model, improving the accuracy of species distribution predictions and informing conservation strategies.

Ecosystem Restoration Project

Participated in the restoration of a degraded wetland ecosystem.
Monitored vegetation and wildlife recovery through regular field surveys.
Collected environmental samples for laboratory analysis.

Additional Skills

Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Programming Skills (Python, R)
Field Sampling Techniques
Technical Writing and Documentation
Public Speaking and Presentation

Certifications

Certified GIS Professional (GISP)
Wilderness First Aid Certification

Volunteer Work

Conservation Volunteer

Oregon Coast Nature Conservancy, Tillamook, OR

September 2022–June 2024

Organized community clean-up events and conservation workshops.
Assisted in habitat restoration projects and wildlife monitoring activities.

Personal Projects

Running a website dedicated to nature trails in the Pacific Northwest, with 15,000 monthly visitors.
Running a local birdwatching club and organizing bi-weekly birdwatching excursions.

Languages

English (Native)
Spanish (Fluent)

What makes it work:

It’s a resume for an internship with no experience, so the education section follows the core competencies part.
Despite a lack of experience, this sample resume features detailed information about the applicant’s academic experience, including research projects and relevant coursework, as well as additional sections to prove they have the required knowledge and skills.

Internship Resume Example with Work Experience

River Aspen

Accounting Student

(444) 333-4444

river.aspen@email.com

Resume Objective

Highly motivated and detail-oriented accounting student with a solid academic foundation and practical experience in financial analysis and reporting. Seeking an accounting internship at Audit Corp to apply my analytical skills, proficiency in accounting software, and passion for financial integrity.

Core Competencies

Financial Accounting
Managerial Accounting
Financial Analysis
Taxation
Auditing
Data Analysis
Critical Thinking
Team Collaboration

Work Experience

Accounting Intern

Harris & Sunn, San Diego, CA

June 2023–August 2023

Key Responsibilities:

Assisted in preparing financial statements and reports.
Conducted account reconciliations and ensured the accuracy of financial data.
Supported the month-end and year-end closing processes.
Assisted with internal audits and compliance checks.

Key Achievement:

Streamlined the account reconciliation process, reducing time spent on reconciliations by 25% and improving data accuracy.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Accounting

Knauss School of Business, University of San Diego

Expected Graduation: May 2025

GPA: 3.9
Relevant Coursework: Financial Accounting, Managerial Accounting, Taxation, Auditing, Corporate Finance, Financial Statement Analysis
Projects: Conducted a comprehensive financial analysis of a Fortune 500 company, providing insights on financial health and performance.

Additional Skills

Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Accounting Software (QuickBooks, SAP, Oracle)
Programming Skills (Python, SQL)
Technical Writing and Documentation
Public Speaking and Presentation

Certifications

Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor
Microsoft Excel Certification

Volunteer Work

Volunteer Tax Preparer

VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) Program, San Diego, CA

January 2023–April 2023

Prepared tax returns for low-income individuals and families.
Ensured compliance with IRS regulations and provided tax-related guidance.

Languages

English (Native)
Spanish (Fluent)

What makes it work:

This accounting intern resume example belongs to an applicant who has already completed one internship.
The previous internship is described in detail to highlight the candidate’s knowledge and experience.
The information included in additional sections is relevant to accounting internships.

How to Write a Job-Winning Internship Resume

Completing an internship can give you a 12.6% higher chance of getting invited to a job interview. And that’s just one of the benefits! Here’s another one: creating an internship resume will also allow you to learn the principles of resume writing. The sooner you know how to write a resume targeted at a specific position, the quicker you reach your career goals.

1. Start with Analyzing the Job Ad

Let me show you an ad for an engineering internship:

We are looking for engineering students who approach problems with curiosity and enthusiasm, as well as treat them as learning opportunities. A successful candidate:

Effectively uses prototyping abilities, programming skills, and engineering knowledge to produce results.
Is proficient in mechanical engineering, with a foundational knowledge of aerospace engineering.
Demonstrates the ability to collaborate and coordinate team projects requiring analyzing large amounts of data.
Pursues a BS/BA in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or applied science engineering with an overall GPA at or above 3.0.

And here’s a short bio of the student who got this internship:

Ali Leigh is a dedicated engineering student at the University of Illinois, majoring in aerospace engineering. She has hands-on experience working as a research assistant, where she helped improve propulsion systems and aerodynamics. Ali is skilled in using CAD software like SolidWorks and AutoCAD, and she’s great with MATLAB and Simulink for data analysis and simulations. She’s passionate about space exploration and has worked on projects like designing a small-scale satellite. Ali also volunteers in STEM outreach, inspiring high school students to explore engineering. She’s set to graduate in May 2025 and is fluent in Spanish.

Now, this might surprise you: the first draft of Ali’s internship resume was pretty bad. That was their personal introduction:

I’m Ali Leigh and I’m an aerospace engineering major. I’d like to gain practical experience in a real-life aerospace laboratory setting.

The description of her relevant experience also wasn’t great:

Supporting research projects
Analyzing data
Contributing to research publications

That wouldn’t land them the internship position she wanted. Luckily, Ali knew they needed support in creating the application, so they decided to use ResumeLab’s resume builder to write a tailored internship resume. Here’s how you can do it, too:

1. Write a Resume Profile That Shows Your Strengths

Recruiters usually scan, rather than read, a resume. The most common gaze pattern is F-shaped, and that’s why you must make the upper half of your internship resume so convincing that it will entice the recruiter to read the rest of the document.

The best thing to catch their attention? An impressive resume profile. Its job is to introduce your academic background, highlight your strengths, and show the value you can bring to the organization.

What makes this profile for an internship resume effective?

It features resume keywords that appeared in the internship advertisement.
It mentions Ali’s academic strengths as well as positive personality traits that make her a good candidate.
It highlights the skills that the organization can find useful.

The most fitting type of profile for an intern resume is the resume objective, as it focuses on knowledge and skills. However, if you already have several achievements from university or a previous internship, you can also try writing a resume summary.

Expert Hint: Counting on landing a paid internship? NBER’s report shows that these are most common in the following occupations: architecture, engineering, construction, and sales.

2. Show Your Core Skills and Competencies ASAP

Follow your introduction with a core competencies section. The purpose of this part of a college student's resume for internships is to show that your knowledge and skills align with the position's requirements. While the NACE report from 2023 shows that the three essential skills for interns are communication skills, teamwork, and critical thinking, remember that the exact list must reflect what’s in the advertisement—it will help to make your intern resume ATS compatible.

Aerospace Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
CAD Software (SolidWorks, AutoCAD)
MATLAB & Simulink
Data Analysis
Problem-Solving
Project Management
Team Collaboration

What makes this section good?

The list combines soft, technical, and hard skills.
It uses keywords from the internship advertisement.

This section doesn’t need to list all your hard and soft skills—you can make an additional skill section later to feature other relevant qualities.

3. Add Relevant Experience to Your Internship Resume

OK, but what’s relevant experience? These are any paid or unpaid activities you’ve done that match the internship position you’re pursuing. They might include regular work experience as well as volunteer work, part-time work, community service, research experience, etc.

The key to making your experience section effective is focusing on the results of your work instead of on your duties. See how Ali did it:

Work Experience

Research Assistant

The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL

September 2023–May 2024

Key responsibilities:

Supported research projects focused on propulsion systems and aerodynamics.
Utilized MATLAB for data analysis and simulation tasks.
Fabricated and tested experimental models in a wind tunnel.
Contributed to the publication of research papers.

Key achievement:

Implemented a streamlined data analysis pipeline utilizing Python and R, reducing processing time by 40% and increasing the reliability of research outcomes.

What makes it effective?

Each bullet point starts with an action verb to catch the reader’s attention.
The descriptions provide specific information about Ali’s areas of expertise and skills they used.
The section includes a key achievement that follows the Problem-Action-Result formula for extra impact.

Be equally specific when describing your relevant experience on an internship resume.

What if you’re writing a resume for an internship with no experience? I recommend the following:

Make a list of all activities you’ve done since high school and consider whether any of those can be considered relevant. Even supporting a family business can show you’ve got transferable skills such as time management or communication.
Consider volunteering to gain some experience. You can even do that remotely, as many charity organizations offer online volunteering opportunities.
If you truly can’t find any experience to show on your intern resume, skip the experience section and focus on describing your education in as much detail as possible. I’ll talk about that in the next chapter.

Expert Hint: Studies show that having a previous internship experience can improve your chances of landing a second internship by 30%. So if you haven’t interned yet, I recommend trying to gain some experience in unpaid internships—that will boost your chances of beating the competition for more prestigious opportunities the next time.

4. Make the Education Section Shine

Most internships have specific educational requirements. The education section of your internship resume must not only show that you match those but also exceed them. Listing your degree, major, school name, and graduation date—these are only the basics. To make it more impressive, you can add:

Your GPA (it might also be required in the internship ad)
Relevant coursework, especially if your degree isn’t directly related to the internship you’re pursuing.
Academic or research projects that showcase the practical application of your professional knowledge and interpersonal skills.
Your thesis, dissertation, or published works
Scholarships and awards
Extracurricular activities, such as fraternity or sorority involvement, club membership, volunteering

See how Ali described their academic performance:

Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering

The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL

Expected Graduation: May 2025

GPA: 3.8
Relevant Coursework: Orbital Mechanics, Fluid Dynamics, Thermodynamics, Aerospace Structures, Control Systems, Spacecraft Design
Projects: Designed a small-scale satellite as part of a capstone project; conducted a comprehensive analysis of its structural integrity and thermal properties.

Relevant Engineering Projects

Capstone Project: Small-Scale Satellite Design

Developed a satellite prototype focusing on structural integrity, thermal properties, and communication systems.

Aerodynamics Research Project

Conducted wind tunnel testing to analyze the aerodynamic performance of various airfoil designs.

What makes it great?

This education section includes both essential information and additional input that adds value to an intern's resume.
Selected additional sections describe activities that are relevant to an engineering internship.

Expert Hint: Is your GPA far from perfect? Don’t worry, there are plenty of internship opportunities that don’t require a high GPA score. For example, the Federal Aviation Administration’s Aviation Safety program is eligible for students with a GPA equal to or higher than 2.0.

5. Choose Extra Sections to Add Value to Your Internship Resume

You’ve completed the essentials. Now, time to pick a few extra resume sections that can help your application stand out. They’re also great for filling space on a resume for internships.

I recommend the following categories:

Foreign languages, along with indicating your proficiency level.
Additional skills that you couldn’t fit anywhere else.
Volunteer activities that weren’t a part of your education setting.
Personal projects or interests, such as writing a blog about local traditions when you’re pursuing an internship in a cultural institution.
Certifications and licenses (always check if any of those are required for the internship)
Publications: for example, it’s worth mentioning any works published in print or online if you’re applying for an internship in journalism or media.
Awards and honors: winning competitions not only shows that you’ve got expert knowledge but also highlights dedication.

Additional Skills

Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
Programming Skills (Python, C++, R)
3D Printing and Prototyping
Technical Writing and Documentation
Public Speaking and Presentation

Certifications

Certified SolidWorks Associate (CSWA)
MATLAB Fundamentals Certificate

Volunteer Work

STEM Outreach Volunteer

University of Illinois, Urbana, IL

September 2022–June 2024

Organized workshops and presentations to inspire high school students to pursue careers in STEM fields.
Assisted in hands-on activities and demonstrations related to engineering and space exploration.

Personal Interests

Space Exploration
Model Rocketry
Robotics

Languages

English (Native)
Spanish (Fluent)

Here’s why they’re great:

Additional skills and certifications mention specific software that’s often used by engineers.
Volunteer experience highlights Ali’s initiative and dedication to the subject.
Personal interests and languages are mentioned very briefly so they don’t occupy too much space.

You don’t have to pick that many additional sections for your internship resume. I strongly advise creating the essential sections first and then seeing how much space you have left on your template for extra information.

You can learn about writing the contents of your resume for internship positions in more detail by studying these guides:

If you’ve got enough info for now, scroll to the next chapter to learn about the visual aspects of an intern resume.

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Make Your Internship Resume Template Look Irresistible

Just like academic essays have specific visual requirements, your internship resume template must also follow certain guidelines. Luckily, you don’t have to be skilled in graphic design to create a resume that looks professional.

A resume for an internship doesn’t have to be highly aesthetic. Just keep the structure organized and easy to follow. Make each section distinct using headings, list information with bullet points, and don’t skip white space.
Mariusz Wawrzyniak
Career Expert

If you want to save a lot of time, I recommend using a free resume template or an online resume builder. They’ll handle all formatting matters for you. Of course, if you’re experienced with Word or Google Docs, you can create your own internship resume template. Just follow these tips:

Set up the layout of your resume: It’s best to follow classic resume designs rather than unusual ones. Select a popular resume font, create a header with your contact information, and decide if you want to add color to headings or, rather, keep everything black and white.
Limit the length of your resume to one page: Unless you have truly extensive experience, there’s no need to exceed that limit.
Make it memorable: Think about adding subtle resume icons or progress bars in the skills section. However, don’t overdo the visuals unless you’re applying for an internship in a creative field.
Ensure ATS compatibility: To make sure your template is ATS friendly, save your resume as a PDF file, and then copy-paste the contents to Notepad. If you can read the results, then your internship resume should be parsed by applicant tracking scanners.

You can learn more about resume layouts in more detail from these helpful articles:

You can also continue to see three inspiring intern resume examples that you can copy and personalize to match your background.

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Congratulations—you’ve got the knowledge needed to create an effective resume for internships. Feel free to try our resume builder, as it will help you make your application quickly and effortlessly. Good luck!

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