Jamie BettlesIn this guide youâre going to get the best tips for seriously impressing employers and earning your dream internship.
Just skills and experience arenât enough to stand out from a huge pile of CVs, you need much more than that.
Thatâs why Iâm giving you the essentials to internship CV writing and all the tips you need to know before applying for a job. This guide includesâŚ
- How to prepare your CV & what information you should include.
- Writing tips for creating an impressive CV.
- What to write when you have no work experience.
- An internship CV example to inspire your writing.
First, hereâs what you need to prepare for your internship CVâŚ
1. How to prepare your cv for an internship â what information you should include
The preparation of your CV is just as important as the creation of it. There is a lot of information to collect and of course, it all needs to be completely accurate.
There is often a short wave of panic when writing a CV⌠âHave I remembered everything? What have I left out?â
Fear not, applying for internships is stressful enough, so rely on our handy checklist. Hereâs the information you need to collect before writing your CV:
Contact Details
This is pretty vital, please donât forget to include your contact details (youâd be surprised at how many people do!) By contact details, we are referring to:
⢠Your full name â no nicknames or abbreviations.
⢠Phone number â a mobile number will do just fine.
⢠Email address â avoid CrazyCatLady6789@gmail.com or any other inappropriate variant of this that will make you look unprofessional. Try just to stick to your name, such as JohnSmith1@gmail.com.
⢠Social media â only include this where itâs appropriate and relevant. For example, if youâre applying for a creative or social media job and you have a professional profile, itâs a good idea to include this.
⢠Website â if you have one, great! Make sure to include the URL if itâs relevant to the job.
Personal Information
Who are you? A daunting question⌠we know.
But, in the first short paragraph try sum yourself up in a few short, punchy sentences.
Include your most favourable characteristics, any relevant hobbies, what youâre passionate about and your future goals (hopefully working in the sector that youâre applying for).
Work Experience
This can be one of the lengthiest tasks when collecting information for your CV.
Reflect back on your full history of work experience and make note of dates (months and years â you donât have to be too specific) and the role you had at each particular job.
Make a summarised timeline of your employment history that is in easy to digest bullet points or short paragraphs.
As an internâŚ
You may not have years of experience, but really try to make the best of what you do have. It doesnât matter where youâve worked, chances are, you will have improved your communication, team working and customer service skills.
Skills
Ah, the star of the show. Your impressive set of remarkable skills. This is your time to shine and really sell yourself to potential employers.
Use your work experience, education and hobbies to create a list of the admirable skills you have acquired. Once you have brief points of the skills you want to mention, you can go into detail when actually writing your CV.
As an internâŚ
Youâre bound to have picked up more skills in University and even college. So, think really hard about what your best skills are. Click here to view some examples in our CV template
Education & Qualifications
Where did you go to school? What qualifications did you gain? What additional education or training have you acquired?
These are the questions you need to find answers to when preparing to write a CV.
As an InternâŚ
Remember that this section doesnât just refer to school or university. If you have additional training that could make you stand out from other candidates, make sure to include it. Some examples could be:
⢠First aid training certificate
⢠Any training programs you completed in previous employment
⢠Courses you have taken that are relevant to the job
⢠Apprenticeships or internships you may have completed
References
Most employers donât expect a full reference on your CV as they will usually request one when needed.
However, it is important to include some details about a reference, so employers know that they can have access to one.
At the end of your CV, simply include the name, number, email address and their relationship to you (e.g previous manager, school teacher, trainer etc). Just make sure you have the persons permission first.
Or, write a short explanation stating that a reference is available upon request.
As an internâŚ
This is a great way to show what you can do even if you donât have years of experience. A reference gives an insight into how you are as an employee, so find someone youâve had a professional relationship with that can illustrate just how brilliant you are.
Youâve collected all the information, hurrah! Youâre halfway there, now find our top tips for creating an impressive CVâŚ
2. Writing tips for creating an impressive CV
You know what to include, youâve rounded up the relevant information, I think youâre ready.
Ready to create the best CV to ever exist.
A slight exaggeration? Maybe. But after these 9 tips your CV will be a shining beacon of hope in the thick pile of documents on your potential employersâ deskâŚ
Be relevant
Did you have a dog walking job for a year in 2015? Great, it probably taught you responsibility, patience and organisation.
For your CV, thatâs all it needs to be.
Being relevant doesnât mean you canât mention slightly irrelevant work experience, but it shouldnât take up more than a line or two.
Focus on what is relevant to the job and make this the star of your CV.
As an internâŚ
Think back to all the jobs youâve ever had, even if it was only for a short period of time. This could be babysitting, working in a family shop or volunteering. Summarise the unique skills you learnt from each experience and youâre well on your way to an impressive CV.
Be specific
âWorking as a waiter was beneficial for my career and personal developmentâ isnât going to cut it.
Why? Why was your work experience beneficial? What did it teach you? How can it be applied to the job you are applying for?
Include all those juicy details that your potential employer is looking for.
And donât forget to explain how you would apply it to the job, as thatâs what this whole CV malarkey is all about.
But, this doesnât mean you should write 3 paragraphs about how waitressing taught you excellent time management. Be concise and straight to the point when you are talking about the skills you have gained.
As in internâŚ
Use your summarisation and writing skills to impress your potential employer. They may have never thought themselves that work experience in a clothes shop gave you a creative eye, which could be applied to the graphic design internship youâre applying for⌠so point it out to them!
Keep the layout simple
Less is more, as the late great Robert Browning wrote in his poetry. Itâs a concept you should really adapt to when creating your CV.
Ditch the unnecessary calligraphy fonts â this is a job for good old Arial or Calibri.
Stick to clean, professional fonts allows the reader to focus on what youâre saying, rather than the distracting font.
It also allows the reader to take you seriously, as a silly font may translate that youâre not taking the job seriously or that youâre inexperienced in the professional world.
As an internâŚ
Itâs all about showing how you can be totally professional. Youâre eager for more experience and want to show that youâre serious about joining the world of work. If youâre unsure about trying a fancy font or quirky layout, err on the side of caution and play it safe.
Use a template
Cheating? We donât think so!
Not only does a template save you a serious amount of time, but it is a sure way to make sure your layout is clean, simple and on point.
After all, it should be your brilliant writing and stellar skills that are stealing the show, not a fancy layout.
A lot of good inspiration can be found on Pinterest.
Get someone else to check it
Youâve checked it a million times, but that just might be the problem.
When youâve been working on a single document for so long, it is easy to overlook the most common or frustrating errors.
Donât leave it to chance. Our recommendation? Ask a dear friend to proof read it for you. Preferably someone who is pretty clued up with spelling and grammar.
They may point out something you never thought of or have a spectacular suggestion that boosts your CV to wordsmithery success.
Always keep it up to date
Handing in an out of date CV is a major offence that is highly punishable by⌠not getting the job.
But seriously, an out of date CV can make you look lazy, disorganised, uninterested and unprofessional. Not exactly the kind of first impression you are looking to make.
Always make sure your CV is up to date and regularly amend it with any new skills, qualifications, experience or training you receive. This means it is ready to go when you are!
As an internâŚ
Do you find it difficult to remember all your work experience, including small weekend jobs or the occasional babysitting? Make your life easier by updating your CV as you go and adding in experience as you complete it.
Use positive language with a professional and friendly tone
Who would you hire from these 2 examples?
âWorking in a charity shop gave me lots of skills like customer service and communication.â
âI gained my fantastic communication abilities and finely tuned customer service skills from my enriching work experience in a charity shopâ.
Getting the experience is the first step, but how you express it in your CV also holds a lot of weight in how it is received by a potential employer.
Using positive language to show enthusiasm is a simple way to engage any reader. Also make sure to keep a friendly tone and stick to professional writing. By this I mean avoid slang or any inappropriate language.
As an internâŚ
What you write on the page isnât the only way to impress a potential employer. Use your CV to show off your incredible writing skills and take some extra time to carefully select your language. This is especially useful if you donât necessarily have qualifications in writing, but you know itâs a great skill that you possess.
Keep it to a maximum of 2 pages
If itâs any longer than this, I can almost guarantee that most employers would skip it all together.
Have you ever been faced with copious amounts of text and thought âIâd rather not botherâ? Well, employers are human too and pages and pages of text is overwhelming!
You want to make it easy for them to digest the information and be able to quickly see the key points. Keep text short and concise and always try to edit unnecessary sections out.
As an internâŚ
Pages of unedited (slightly waffle-y) writing can be the first sign of inexperience. Even if you donât have lots of professional experience, show that you are ready for an internship with your ability to summarise and condense key information.
3. What to write on your Internship CV when you have no experience
CVs are designed to sell your best qualities, they arenât all about work experience. You have plenty of desirable characteristics that make you highly sort after in the professional world, I believe in you.
If youâre writing a CV with no work experience, all you need is a little guidance and support. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Did you have any responsibilities at school?
Netball captain? The book club organiser? Great, sounds like you have strong leadership skills and impressive organisation abilities!
- Do you have a driverâs license?
If you do, make sure to include this. It shows independence, good focus and initiative.
- What are your best characteristics?
If youâve always been a hard worker or have strong creative writing skills, then sell these desirable qualities. They didnât come from work experience, youâre just naturally gifted.
- Have you travelled?
Talk about how this taught you cultural awareness and strengthen your communication skills when in a foreign country.
- What is your proudest achievement?
Perhaps it was that English essay you received an A* star on, or maybe the charity event you organised. Whatever it is, talk about why your skills made it a success and how they could be applied to the job.
- Are you open to learning?
Of course you are! Youâre an eager, ambitious candidate that is ready to throw themselves into a new role. You may not have a long history of employment, but show your thirst for learning and how youâre ready to gain knowledge and experience.
4. Example of a good CV for an internship
Need a little more inspiration to get your creative juices flowing?
Click here or the button above to view our CV internship template and see all of our tips in practice. Download the template and share with friends to get your CV writing in full flow!