Preparing an Effective Resume for Internship Applications

     During your college or post-graduate studies, many programs may require internship fulfillment for credit toward your degree. Other students simply want to gain some valuable working world experience, or determine what field they would most like to pursue a career in. Many internships may also convert to a full-time permanent position after completion. They may be paid positions or not, and possibly located in your town or require relocation. The first step to applying to any program is writing an effective resume that displays your relevant skills and studies. Here, we’ll discuss some of the important points you should review and implement in your resume writing practice.

     After you have found the internship advertised that you would like to apply to, review the requirements and description of the position. Employers and businesses will pay special attention to those resumes reflecting relevant skills and school studies. By determining what the employer is really looking for, you can use this information to your advantage. You always want to indicate on your resume what you can do for the employer; never indicating your long-term goals and aspirations. Your resume is the first line of introduction, and they are typically uninterested in how many children you would like to have or the early retirement you want to work toward. For example, if the job description says you will be working with customers on a daily basis, emphasize that you have the ability to converse well with strangers, have great people skills, or can diffuse negative arguments easily.

     If you have no work experience, or very little, you want to emphasize all achievements and activities you have been involved with. Highlight your accomplishments such as improving your GPA or a special honor you received due to an increased effort on your part. This strategy gives the employer a better insight into what you may be able to accomplish for them, and is much more advantageous than simply listing the duties required of you from past jobs or coursework.

     Choose the format of your resume wisely. Many word processing programs come equipped with saved templates to help in this process, but you also don’t want your resume to look like everyone else’s. You want the document to look clean and uncluttered, however some fields like advertising and marketing may warrant more creative alterations. Use the company’s atmosphere and job type to help determine this step.

     Two main types of format approaches are the functional and chronological approach. In the chronological approach, job and school history is listed in order by most recent to earliest work. Experience is listed first, followed by education and extracurricular activities. If you do not have any work experience, list your coursework and education in the same manner. Job titles or specific courses should be listed in bold type on the right hand side of the page.

     The functional approach is becoming more popular and relevant to today’s work world. This method groups relevant achievements and skills according to functions. For example, your “writing” function section may group relevant school work or report writing you’ve completed in the past. Use your most prominent abilities to choose the function headings. This method is especially useful when there are large gaps in education or work history that is unexplained, or if you are applying for an internship that is not necessarily related to your field of study.

     Though it is less common, some programs may require a curriculum vitae versus a resume. A curriculum vitae is a longer document that highlights academic details, scholarships received, and research or teaching experience. Generally, these are required for permanent research and education positions, but you should be aware of what they are in the rare case one is required for an application.

     Modern resume trends are using alternative fonts versus the standard Times Roman, and may also include your personal website address. However, you want to ensure that the site does not contain any information or images which may be unattractive to a possible employer. Also, check your voicemail to make sure your message sounds professional and identifies that the caller is in fact reaching you. Objective statements are not generally used, unless a cover letter is not required for the admission. You should also avoid including references or past salary information (unless required), as well as personal information like age or nationality. Employers want to be able to quickly scan your resume and determine if you might be a good fit, so unnecessary information is simply a waste of time. Finally, ensure you are using a good, high-quality paper, and proofread, edit, proofread, edit, then have someone else proofread and edit for you. It’s absolutely unforgivable that a professional student or academic would submit a resume with grammatical and spelling errors; there is no better way to ensure your resume will end up in an employer’s trash can.

     Many colleges and universities will have an onsite career center that may have additional workshops and resources available in your area. The professionals that work in these departments also know a great deal about the companies looking for interns, and what they typically like to see on incoming resumes. These are valuable resources that are free and readily available, so commit to taking advantage of the added help.