Internship Resume: How to Make a Resume for an Internship (+Examples)

Whether you only need a general college student resume or are looking for something specific like a maritime internship at Intership, resume writing doesn’t need to be a huge burden. We outline how you can easily make your own resume for an internship — whether it’s just for a summer term or longer.

1. Use an internship resume template

Your time is better spent finding the internships you want than formatting and rearranging your resume.

Downloading a free resume template online is one way to get the job done quickly. Or you can copy-paste the blank internship resume template below into your preferred Word processor, and fill it out with your relevant information:

1. Header (Contact Information + Name)

FIRST AND LAST NAME

Email: professional-email@gmail.com | Phone: 775 422 3142 | Address: 1243 Valley Wood Drive, Reno, NV 89523 | Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/yourprofile

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2. Resume Objective

Motivated college [freshman/sophomore/junior/senior] majoring in [major name] at [university name]. Seeking an opportunity to leverage my [internship-specific hard skills, like Adobe Photoshop or writing] skills this summer as an intern at your company. A [positive personality trait] student driven to contribute immediately to [company name] and learn as much as possible.

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Education

Degree title, major & minor (if applicable) / GPA (if above 3.5)
College Name – City, State
Expected graduation date: month, year
Honors and awards: [Dean’s List, etc.]
Relevant coursework: [Copywriting 300, Business 201, etc.]

Class of [graduating year] / GPA (if above 3.5)
High School Name — City, State
Honors and awards: [class graduation rank if high, etc.]
Relevant subjects / coursework: [AP or IB classes, etc.]

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Projects & Milestones

[Most Relevant Project / Campaign / Achievement Name]

One sentence description that concisely summarizes this project / campaign / achievement for the reader.

• Bullet point highlighting a key achievement of this project / campaign / achievement, tying in its relevance to the internship if possible
• Use strong action verbs to start off each bullet point
• Make sure you add numbers wherever you can in these bullet points as well

[Second-most Relevant Project / Campaign / Achievement Name] 

One sentence description that concisely summarizes this project / campaign / achievement for the reader.

• Bullet point describing your primary success of this project / campaign / achievement
• Start these bullets off with descriptive action verbs (“Drove traffic” rather than “Got traffic”)
• Include numbers in your bullets, and add an additional bullet point or two if necessary

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Skills

• Hard skills relevant to the internship (can list multiple)
• Soft skills relevant to the internship (can list multiple)

Be specific whenever you can. For instance, mention the actual names of software or tools you’re able to use.

2. Write a targeted student internship resume objective

Every good resume has a hook.

Job seekers have a variety of options when it comes to writing their resume introduction. But for students applying for internships, a resume objective is often the best opening because it allows them to target their application directly at a specific company.

Despite what you might see published on other websites, a resume objective is NOT a statement that tells an employer what you want from them. Instead, the goal of an objective on your internship resume is to highlight your willingness to learn, and apply the skills you’ve already cultivated in school to their open internship position.

As a student, your resume objective should showcase your most marketable character traits, relevant skills, and abilities. Here’s an example internship resume objective for a high school student:

Resume Objective for Internship (High School Student)

Hard-working and passionate student (3.8 GPA) capable of meeting strict deadlines. Seeking to apply my strategic analytical skills to the reporter/research internship at your newspaper. Possess proven writing and research abilities that will aid [Newspaper Name] in achieving its productivity milestones.

And here’s an example of a college student resume objective for a marketing internship:

Internship Resume Objective (College Student)

Energetic and passionate college student working toward a BS in Marketing at the University of Georgia. Aiming to use my knowledge of advertising, PR, product development, and consumer research skills to fill the open marketing internship role at [Company Name].

As the two samples above demonstrate, a strong resume objective gives companies a glimpse of what you’d be like to work with and what skills you’d bring to the role, pulling them in to read more of your undergraduate resume.

3. Fill out your education section with extra details

For jobseekers with work experience, a resume education section would normally be placed near the bottom of their resume and include only basic information.

However, because you’re writing a student resume for an internship, your educational experience is likely greater than your relevant work experience at this point in your life.

The education section of your internship resume should highlight the following information:

• GPA: Including your hard-earned GPA (assuming it’s 3.5 or higher) tells the manager that you can be trusted to produce quality work on a deadline.
• Relevant Coursework: Listing your relevant coursework gives employers a better idea of your existing knowledge and skill set. Remember to only list classes relevant to the internship you’re applying for.
• Honors & Awards: Adding academic-related awards shows hiring managers that other professionals have recognized your hard work and accomplishments in the past. For example, you can include Dean’s list on your resume if you made it multiple times.
• Extracurricular Activities: Including extracurricular activities on your resume like clubs and sports showcases additional skills you may have, like leadership and communication.

Details about your education should be the focus of your student internship resume. Because you lack professional experience, fill out your education section with as much information as you can that’s relevant to the internship you want.

4. Make an additional section highlighting your major student accomplishments

After you’ve listed your main academic details, it’s time to fill out your internship resume with a bit more substance. Depending on what you’ve already studied (or are currently studying) in school, create an additional section that’s 1.) relevant to the internship you want, and 2.) highlights your greatest accomplishments as a student.

Some potential titles for this section, depending on your major and background, include:

• Projects
• Campaigns
• Achievements
• Research Papers

Including one of these categories gives you a chance to expand on the top highlights of your educational experience.

What can I include in this section?

Students can elaborate on just about anything in these sections. But it’s best to stick to topics that are relevant to the internship and will help an employer best understand how you’ll perform at their company.

In general, high school students tend to focus on their club participation, while college students often describe major class projects.

How do I format this section?

Think of this section as a work experience section. The name of the club or project should be used as the header, and you should explain your relevant achievements and duties in bullet points under the header. Also include dates if the project was done under a time constraint.

Check out how this high school student’s major achievements section is formatted:

Major Achievements Section (High School Student)

Major Achievements

Heritage High Newspaper

Reporter | Sept 2017 – Present

• Covered the Boys Varsity Basketball Team during their run at the state championship, resulting in a major boost to school spirit and a 20% increase in ticket sales
• Pitched and researched 3-4 stories per issue that were informative and stimulating for both the student body and faculty

If you want to take this section a bit further, highlight accomplishments on your resume like the candidate above by using hard numbers. Numbers help employers understand your achievements better, so include them whenever possible.

Here’s an example of a projects section from a college student internship resume:

Projects Section (College Student)

Design Projects

“Building a Greener Future”, UI Design in Marketing 343

Lead Designer | May 2020 – December 2020

Awarded 1st place for my design work in the UNR Marketing Department’s competition to build the best green initiative marketing campaign

• Created 5 unique digital design assets using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and Figma
• Collected feedback from 200+ students to determine which design made the greatest emotional impact using a 20-question questionnaire
• Optimized 4 different file types (PNG, SVG, JPEG, and GIF) of the winning design to be featured across the Marketing Department’s website

While this section is ultimately just an extension of your education, it strengthens your resume by giving off the impression that you have relevant work experience, even if it took place as a college student.

5. Highlight several hard and soft skills

Wrap up your internship resume with a balanced resume skills section. During your time as a student (whether studying or in a club), you’ve likely built up a range of relevant hard and soft skills that make you a stronger intern candidate.

Hard skills are usually learned in the classroom, whereas soft skills are more related to your personality. Here are two lists to give you some ideas of what you can include in your own skills section:

Good internship resume hard skills

• Writing
• Editing
• Software: Microsoft Office, Adobe
• WordPress
• Online Research
• Computer skills: typing, email

Good soft skills for an internship resume

• Organization
• Multitasking
• Collaboration
• Communication
• Leadership
• Problem-solving

If you don’t have many technical skills, don’t worry. Placing emphasis on your soft skills helps you fill this section out even if you’re lacking in the hard skills department, and employers in most industries don’t expect their interns to have a huge range of technical skills anyways.

6. Use online resources and college services to track down relevant internships

Finding the internship you want will often take longer than writing your resume, so it’s best to get started early. Here are some of our top tips for finding internships as a student:

1. Contact Career Services at your college or university.

If you’re a college student, your school will have a department dedicated to linking you and your classmates to potential internship opportunities. This is a great starting point for most aspiring interns, but be sure to reach out to them early if you want to land some of the more desirable internships available.

2. Cold call businesses related to your field of study.

Sometimes all it takes is a quick phone call to a few local businesses to land an internship interview. Do the legwork and you’re more likely to find a summer internship that’s related to the kind of work you’d like to do after graduating.

3. Attend a virtual career fair.

Even though the coronavirus has made in-person career fairs less feasible in 2021, you can still use the internet to your advantage and connect with businesses from all over the country at a virtual career fair.

Once you’ve found an online job fair that interests you, put on some business casual clothes, jump online, and start meeting potential employers.

4. Connect with friends and family (your “network”)

Employers love referrals, so if you happen to know anyone working somewhere that needs an intern and they have a positive impression of you, you’re already one huge step closer to landing your next internship.

Did you know that 85% of jobs are filled through networking? Reach out and let people know what you’re looking for, and see what comes up.

Good luck finding an internship you love! Just remember that once you finish your resume, don’t forget to write an internship cover letter to give yourself the best chance of landing internship interviews.