How to Write a Resume for Internships
Internship opportunities may present the first time that many will have to write a resume. There are many templates and formats to be found both online and with the major word processing programs, but a perfectly polished resume is about more than font choice and line spacing.
The resume is an outline of all of your skills and accomplishments, and how they are presented and worded can make the difference in getting the internship you want.
Writing a resume as a student is slightly different from writing a professional resume. You will have to think about your experiences in the classroom, at work or in extra-curricular activities and present them in a clear and concise manner. After you have located the template you would like to use, follow these steps to make sure that your resume is complete and attractive to internship supervisors.
- Begin by outlining your high school experience, being sure to highlight and honors or advanced placement classes, appearances on the Dean’s List or participation in clubs, sports or other after-school programs. Include the years that you attended and when you graduated.
- Next describe your higher education, calling attention to any relevant classes, or classes that you have done particularly well in. Again, include any extra-curricular activities that you participate in, what position you old in each one as well.
- Next highlight any jobs, including babysitting or after school chores, that you may have had during high school. In one or two sentences, describe your responsibilities. Include the dates during which you worked at each job, and any contact information.
Once you have the building blocks of your resume in place, you can focus on your grammar and style. Resumes rarely use the first person "I’, and should use the active rather than passive voice (ex. "Learned Microsoft Office Suite" -active vs. "Was taught Microsoft Office Suite" -passive).
Sentences should be as succinct as possible, and any extra words or descriptors are probably unnecessary.
After you have written a draft of your internship resume, give it to someone you trust, like a parent or professor, to proofread. They will be able to give you advice for how to improve your presentation, and might be more familiar with the professional jargon and language that employers will be accustomed to.
After you’ve done a few edits and reread your resume, you’ll be ready to submit to all of the great internship programs you’ve found!