The Do's and Don'ts of Creating a Standout Intern CV

An internship CV is to help you get an internship by presenting important information about you, such as your education, skills, or interests, which will make you stand out from the crowd of other candidates. They are created by people who are preparing or are already in the process of searching for an internship.

Doing your first internship after graduation is definitely too late - start much earlier! Your experience with internships is worth starting as early as possible. Don't wait until the last minute, or worse, until graduation.

Internships are just for the purpose of gaining knowledge and starting to be introduced to the industry you dream about. And if it is one of the top industries, even more so, you need to start acquiring the top skills required in it as soon as possible, which is usually associated with a free internship.

It depends on which industry you want to work in and for which position. Free internships for jobs where it doesn’t matter whether you have any experience or not because in both cases you will do it at least well enough, doesn’t make sense. An example of such work is, for example, cleaning in a hairdressing salon, and taking care of the office.

In situations where the company's risk is very low, and at the same time the knowledge that is transferred is elementary and very quick to acquire - free internships are groundless. 

Consider first what kind of industry you are interested in and what kind of position you are aiming for. If it is one of the top industries or perhaps a top position then a free internship is perfectly justifiable. Why? Because you'll gain valuable knowledge and skills without which you wouldn't be able to do the job even adequately.

If you decide to have one of the top professions in the world (IT, architects, doctors, etc.), i.e. you base your future knowledge/earnings on advanced (practical) knowledge, this implies that the employer will bear a huge risk when hiring you and a very high cost of transferring this knowledge to you. What kind of risk might this be?

Imagine that you are building a brand and you write a text that completely doesn’t correspond to the needs of customers and will only scare them away, and the product costs millions $, and you, through your ignorance and lack of experience, made a mistake that is difficult to repair. Another example - is when an office manager badly organizes an important meeting, which may result, for example, in not signing an important contract. This is, of course, a stupid mistake, but nevertheless, it has a huge impact.

Also consider that the people you are learning from are usually earning very large amounts of money, and you are getting in their way (taking up their time and, in fact, their profits). Therefore, they need to know that it's worth all that risk for you. Free internships are for ambitious people who don't give up easily. They are also a proven way to weed out people who don't want to sacrifice.

In conclusion - if you are interested in gaining experience within top industries or positions, then a free internship is for you! Also, remember that an internship is an experience that will pay off and increase your chances of getting a well-paid job in the near future. Completing an internship increases interest from recruiters and potential employers. Interns receive 16% more job offers than those who do not complete an internship. 

Here's everything you need to prepare before starting your internship CV.  

The search for an internship is not difficult, but it can be time-consuming. How to speed up? Start with the closest environment and ask your friends from school/university. Or you can consult a career counselor or get advice from professors in your studies. 

Once that's done, find out when the nearest job fairs or industry events are taking place in your area. Take part in them and learn more about the industry or specific companies that interest you the most. What else can you do? 

Expand your network of contacts

Did you get a business card from a company representative at a job fair? Did you exchange e-mails with HR specialists? Dare to contact them. Are you feeling intimidated? I have talked to a lot of recruiting people. Believe me, they will really appreciate it if you talk to them and show that you care. There is nothing strange about this! Portals such as LinkedIn were also created for this purpose. Don't be afraid to use it, because it can be a big help for you.

Follow social media companies

Add social media profiles of companies you are interested in into the ones you follow and mark them to display their posts first. A company looking for an intern will certainly publish a post on recruitment. You will learn about it much faster than other applicants!

Write an advertisement post

If you want your employer to see you, you have to make them notice you. Before you get scared, believe me - it's easier than you think. Write a post announcing that you are looking for a job. Use your profile for this, e.g. on LinkedIn. Ask your friends to share your post and write a few good words about you. This increases the chances of reaching an HR specialist who is currently recruiting. It's also a good idea to join Facebook groups that bring together people looking for work in your industry.

Here are the most reliable online sources where you can find information about an internship:

a) LinkedIn - 87% of recruiters think LinkedIn is the most effective online tool for screening applicants. On LinkedIn, you will quickly find a job, develop your networking and meet valuable people who will help you develop your career. 

b) Internships - is the largest website fully dedicated to internships and internships, which helps graduates to start their careers. You can find apprenticeships or internships in any number of hours and also find your first job. 

c) Glassdoor - is a platform, that brings together employees and candidates from all over the world.

Here you can view the latest job and internship offers. Thanks to the opinions and reviews, you have the opportunity to obtain reliable information about a given internship program or workplace.

Other things to do on the web:

• Alumni Networks,
• Internmatch.com,
• Idealist,
• RocketJobs.

Start by checking the companies that are looking for interns. Make a short list of those that match your area of ​​interest.  When browsing the offers, pay close attention to the employer's requirements. What is the scope of duties in a given position? What words do recruiters use to describe the ideal candidate? What experiences, general education or interests are they looking for? Use the job description as a guide to finding out what to put on your internship resume and what to focus on. 

Imagine that your CV is a short book or article about you. What should the next chapters look like? Think this way and make a plan calmly. Prepare all the key information about your education, past achievements, and activities during your studies.  Then narrow your list down to events that are significant to your prospective employer. Perhaps you will use some of your CV experience, even if it was a summer job. 

Browse templates and be inspired by modern CV designs. This will allow you to be up to date with the current trends. It's also worth watching how others describe their skills and experiences. Perhaps someone else's CV has a similar story to yours and will serve as an example for you to present your experience in an attractive way.

References in your CV for an internship will help you increase your credibility in the eyes of your future employer. This is also confirmed by statistical data – 48% of companies claim that references are important for the decision about the future of the candidate. Who can give you references? It is a good idea to choose someone you know from your studies, perhaps a lecturer, internship coordinator, or student organization leader. 

You shouldn't use regular text editors to build your internship resume. It takes many hours of painstaking work, and the result is a mediocre document with an outdated appearance. Instead, use the CV builder. This will save you a lot of time and create a resume that leaves an unforgettable impression. 

What to pay attention to when choosing the CV Builder?

1) Quantity and quality of additional functions, i.e., listing of references

2) Possibility of being redirected to your LinkedIn profile or blog

3) Options for editing and modifying individual sections 

4) Data visualization in the form of infographics 

5) Aesthetic and clear design 

6) Option to download CV in PDF format

Research shows that recruiters spend only ... 7 seconds reading one CV. That's all you have to convince the recruiter to read the rest of your CV. That is why the structure of your CV is so important. The appropriate CV format will determine the first impression you leave behind. The following examples will show you what an internship CV should contain and what is better to avoid.

The first section of the trainee's CV consists of the heading. Include your personal and contact details in it.

In this section, you should put a few sentences describing your career goals. Before you move on to writing a goal, however, there are some important points to note.

The career goal in your CV is a brief description of your key skills, education, achievements, and career plans. This section is placed at the very top of your CV.

Each resume should begin with a summary or goal. But what to write on a resume without work experience? 

The purpose of a CV is the best solution for

• students,
• graduates,
• trainees,
• candidates without work experience,
• job seekers with career breaks

In other cases, you can use a summary of the professional curriculum vitae.

Here is what should be included in the CV of a graduate without experience:

a) One sentence about your education and information about what you do (if you have something to boast about).

b) Description of your most important skills and achievements from the employer's point of view.

c) An explanation of why you found the job offer interesting and a description of your career goals.

Below are examples of a well-formulated and poorly formulated professional goal in a trainee's CV:

After having formulated the goal, complete the education field. List your education, starting with the latest university. You can provide a bulleted list of relevant courses, achievements or extracurricular activities, and any sports or clubs you have participated in. Also, describe any relevant lessons learned during your studies (laboratories and projects). 

The most important elements of the description of education in a CV:

• name of the school or university
• name of the field
• years or year of graduation (entering months is not necessary)
• obtained academic or professional title.

How to fill in the correct section of education in the graduate's CV and how not to do it:

Time for the most difficult part of the graduate or trainee's CV, the experience section. This is where people, even with little work experience, should enter their employment history.

Don't worry about your inexperience. Your potential employers are looking for an intern, not a managerial employee. However, this section should not be omitted entirely. It is worth including: 

a) part-time work, 

b) summer work,

c) participation in volunteering,

d) internships,

e) student internships. 

Good and bad examples from the employment history in the graduate's CV: 

This is a section dedicated to your abilities. Highlight your best qualities and list all your skills. It is also worth considering the passions and talents that can distinguish you from other candidates.   

Regardless of the internship position you are applying for, it is important to include both hard and soft skills in your CV. Hard skills refer to your learned skills, such as knowing specific programs. However, soft skills are equally important and should not be overlooked. They relate to the ability to understand people and the world around them. 

The best hard skills for a trainee's CV:

a) Computer skills (e.g. making presentations)

b) Office and administrative tools (Microsoft Office, Google Workspace etc.)

c) Graphic design (Adobe, Corel, Affinity Designer)

d) Data analytics (e.g. Google Analytics, Ahrefs, SAS software)

e) Programming skills (e.g. programming languages, i.e. JavaScript, Python)

f) Knowledge of software for project work (Jira, Trello, Asana)

g) Social media support (administration of social media channels, creating advertisements, e.g. in Facebook Ads)

Useful soft skills which you can include in your trainee CV:

a) Willingness to learn and grow

b) Time management 

c) Problem-solving

d) Collaboration

e) Organizing

f) Verbal and written communication

g) Critical thinking

h) Active listening

How do I include skills in my internship CV? Include some of the most important skills in a bulleted list. Here is the correct and incorrect way of listing skills in your CV: 

Finally, there is only a bonus section that you can include in your internship CV. The additional section is the perfect place where you can exchange your awards, certificates, or university achievements. languages ​​section, hobbies or interests section, or certification section. 

What should you remember when creating a CV for an intern? We present a handful of tips that will help you quickly create your CV and get into your dream internship.  

Not every CV format will work for people with no experience. Before you start writing your CV, you need to choose the layout that suits you best. Below, I have outlined the three basic formats for a resume and who is the best for.

Layout in this resume shows your work experience from the newest positions to the oldest, and then your education and skills. While this layout is most liked by recruiters, it may not be the best choice if you don’t have work experience. The reverse-chronological format will be ideal for people with medium to high experience. 

Interns or recent graduates should focus on this format. It first highlights the candidate's skills and achievements, and only then shows the work history. A functional resume format is ideal for a trainee resume as it makes potential employers notice your qualifications first. Thanks to this, the lack of experience in the CV will not be so visible. 

CV in mixed format is a combination of the chronological and functional layouts. This arrangement emphasizes both skills and employment history. This format is ideal for candidates with very extensive experience who are applying for senior positions. Now, do not use it, but remember about it in a few years, when you gain a lot of professional experience;)

Adapt the language to the requirements in the advertisement with the internship or job offer - thanks to this, you will create a CV tailored to the requirements of a specific employer. It is also important to write succinctly and to the point. The most important information in the trainee's CV should be included at the very beginning. Thanks to this, you increase the chance that the recruiter will be interested in your application from the very beginning and will not reject your CV after reading the first line. 

Before your CV reaches the recruiter's hands, it will probably first be scanned by the candidate selection program, the so-called ATS (Applicant tracking system). ATS programs evaluate submitted CVs based on their content and degree of suitability for a specific position. According to Capterra over 75% of large corporate employers use ATS. In order for ATS to pass your CV through to the next round of recruitment, it needs to find the right amount of keywords that match the job description. Therefore, be sure to include phrases and phrases specific to your profession in your CV. How do I find out which phrases are best to use? You will find them in the job advertisement you are applying for. It is a mine of keywords to add to your CV.

Write a CV that has a well-organized and clear layout. Too fancy graphic design will distract recruiters from what is most important in your CV. Remember that employers read hundreds and thousands of resumes and want to quickly find what they are looking for. Recruiters will appreciate the clear division of sections, consistent colors, and legible font in your CV. Extras, e.g. data visualization in the form of nice infographics will increase the attractiveness of your CV and highlight the most important information. 

If you want to get into that coveted internship or company you've always dreamed of - forget the generic CV. If you really want to be chosen from the many other people who apply for this internship, show that you really care. Maybe, for example, you've been following the company for years, you know its products and communication very well, so you have new ideas to propose, to promote it.

We are slowly approaching the end of our guide. At this stage, you already know how to create a professional CV (and what mistakes to avoid). Now it's time to put this knowledge into practice! Here is an example that will show you exactly what your perfect internship CV should look like.  

Here is an example of a home page in an online resume.

Here's how you can creatively describe your abilities in your CV: 

Remember - include only the most essential information relating to the internship you are applying for.

Don't think of this part of your CV as unnecessary! Employers are keen to find out what you are interested in and, above all, how you expand your passions and related knowledge. People who are keen to develop their interests are perceived well by recruiters, as they are considered to be people who are willing to acquire new and valuable knowledge. You can list your interests in such a section or focus on one of your passions and you can, for example, briefly tell how it links to the internship you are applying for.

The last page of your online CV will serve as a place to enter your contact details. 

Classic CV with a traditional look will be the perfect choice for the legal, financial and business sectors. This layout of the CV emphasizes the candidate's achievements, which adds professionalism.

This format will work for a CV:

a) junior accountant, analyst, business developer, 

b) apprentice in administration, finance, law.

A modern template will make your CV innovative. The modernist character of the CV alludes to technological interests. 

This format will work well in a CV:

a) novice programmer or engineer

b) candidate for an internship in a technology company

Creative CV will work in professions where creativity counts. The biggest advantage of this CV template is the use of interesting infographics that immediately catches the eyes of recruiters.

This format will work well in a CV:

a) a junior marketing, advertising, PR specialist of a

b) candidate for an internship in a creative agency

Graphic CV emphasizes the visual aspects. It will be an ideal solution for people who want to show off their portfolio. 

This format will work well in a CV:

a) graphic designer or video creator in the junior position of a 

b) candidate for an internship in the art industry