Internship CV Example & Writing Guide

An internship is a great way to gain work experience and learn new skills. To get an internship, you’ll need to write a CV that outlines your qualifications, current abilities, and experience (if you have any).

Here are three tips on how to write a CV for an internship:

1. Include any relevant experience you have

If you’re applying for an internship and don’t have any professional work experience on your CV, that’s okay. You can include relevant volunteering and extracurricular activities in your CV instead to show your target employer that you’ve got the skills and qualities they’re looking for.

When adding volunteer experience to your CV, list the name of the organisation you volunteered for, your role and responsibilities, and the dates you volunteered.

For extracurricular activities, include the name of the organisation or club, your role (if relevant), and how long you’ve been involved. If you have any leadership experience, highlight this to demonstrate what you’re capable of.

2. Use the skills-based format

If you’re applying for an internship, write a skills-based CV to minimise your lack of experience. This CV format focuses on your attributes and abilities, which makes it especially useful if you have little work experience or are applying for an internship in a new field.

To use this format, list your most job-relevant skills at the top of your CV, under your personal statement. Include evidence of how you’ve used each skill, whether through academic coursework, extracurricular activities, or volunteer work. Pairing your skills with specific examples of how you used them shows readers what you can do and how you’ve acquired these skills.

Next, write a CV education section under your skills section. List any relevant coursework, internships, or school projects you’ve completed.

Here’s an example of skills and education sections on a skills-based internship CV:

3. Write a personal profile highlighting your strengths

When you write a CV for an internship, target your personal profile specifically to the internship advert. Personalising your personal profile statement will help you stand out from the crowd and show the internship provider that you’re a good match for their specific requirements.

Here’s how to customise your CV’s personal profile:

First, take a close look at the internship advert and make a list of the key skills and experience that they’re looking for. Then, use these keywords in your personal profile to demonstrate that you meet the job requirements.

For example, if the employer is looking for someone with excellent communication skills, you could write a concise profile statement like this:

By using specific keywords that match the internship advert in your profile, you’ll immediately grab the reader’s attention and show that you’re a strong candidate for the role.