Resumes & Cover Letters
Internships can be a valuable work experience that provides you with on-the-job training for your career. Most often, adding internships to your resume can help enhance the quality of your work experience and show employers what you are capable of. It is important to know how to add your internships to your resume so you can distinguish yourself from other candidates. In this article, we discuss how to list an internship on a resume and when to include these details, plus provide a template and examples you can use for inspiration.
How to list an internship on a resume
Follow these steps to include an internship on your resume:
1. List the company name
Add the internship company name and location to your resume to make sure the hiring manager can search the company and review its credibility. This is especially important if you have worked with a well-known company that has received praise for their work or another aspect of their business. Listing highly credible companies that you interned for helps you to appear more desirable as a potential employee.
2. Include the internship title
Make sure to include your internship title rather than just the generic title of "internship." For example, if you completed an internship at a law firm, you may write your title as "Legal Intern." This way, it is apparent to the hiring manager that you have previous experience working in the legal field. It also helps you to appear more detailed and credible.
3. Mention the duration of the engagement
Most internships do not take place year-round like more typical full-time positions. Therefore, it may be best to list the dates of your internship by month and year. For example, you may define the duration of your internship as "August 2018 to December 2018."
4. Add your responsibilities and achievements
List responsibilities you have had during your internship that are most relevant to the job you are applying for. Highlight any special projects you worked on during your internship so a hiring manager can understand more about your abilities and experience. You can include your internship accomplishments and typical tasks in two to four bullet points.
Related: How To Include Accomplishments on Your Resume
Internship resume template
Here is an internship resume template that can help you format and list your own internship experience:
[Your name]
[Address]
[Phone number]
[Email]
Professional profile
[Description of professional experience]
Education
[Degree level - Graduation year]
[CGPA/Aggregate score]
[School name]
Internships
[Company Name, Location]
[Internship title, Date]
- [Responsibilities/Achievements]
- [Responsibilities/Achievements]
- [Responsibilities/Achievements]
[Responsibilities/Achievements]
[Company Name, Location]
[Internship title, Date]
- [Responsibilities/Achievements]
- [Responsibilities/Achievements]
- [Responsibilities/Achievements]
- [Responsibilities/Achievements]
Related: Writing an Internship Cover Letter (With Examples)
Examples of internship resumes
Below are a few examples of internship work experience in resume format:
Example 1
Internship experience
New Technologies Computers Private Limited, New Delhi
Merchandising intern, May 2019 to July 2019
- Assisted in inventory development and quantitative analyses of stock
- Lead the data entry and spreadsheet development process of inventory for new stock
- Performed market research on upcoming products, their features and speculative price ranges to make a market analysis report
Made weekly presentations of personal progress and development for management officials
*Digital Media Social Traders, New Delhi
Marketing intern, January 2018 to March 2018*Assisted in the development of an e-commerce platform for retail experience
- Led social media campaigns to boost brand image and sales
- Integrated e-commerce website to function with various social media platforms and company profiles
- Made presentations on best practices for customer support and sales executives
Example 2
Work experience
Educate for India Program
Mumbai chapter
Teaching intern from March 2018 to May 2018
- Formulated and documented a curriculum for primary school students
- Sourced and procured study materials in bulk for distribution in several public schools in the country
- Performed secondary research into alternative learning methods targeted at primary school kids
- Helped coordinate and organise a workshop on basic computer literacy for participants of all ages
Facilitated the physical registration procedure for participants during a computer literacy workshop
Bombay Publication House
*Mumbai
Publication design intern in July 2017*
- Performed primary research into inclusivity in publication design, targeted at multiple age groups
- Presented research findings and inferences to publication program leads through a formal report
- Developed inventory and library management skills under the guidance of department leads
Example 3
Internship record
AXB Legal Consultancy
Bangalore, India
Legal intern
December-January 2018
- Helped prepare case briefs
- Helped organise documentation and case documents into individual binders for archival purposes
- Assisted in building an archival index on spreadsheets
- Performed primary research on ongoing cases with the assistance of junior lawyers
When should you list internships on a resume?
An internship record usually appeals to a hiring manager, however, it is important to refrain from adding internship information if the details do not add significant value to your resume. Here are some instances where adding an internship record is appropriate:
- College graduate: consider including your internship experience when you are a new college graduate and do not have any professional experience in your specific field.
- Current student: if you are pursuing a formal degree and want to highlight the professional skills and experience you have gained, share the details of your internship so a hiring manager has a more thorough understanding of your background.
- Career change: when you change careers and want to list relevant work experience for a new position you are applying for, your internship can showcase the skills you have that make you an ideal candidate for the role.
You may consider leaving your internship information off your resume in these scenarios:
- Work experience: if you have a verifiable record of a few years' work experience in the relevant field, you may want to leave your internship history off your resume and instead, focus on your previous positions as a full-time employee.
- Irrelevant internships: when your internship experiences are not relevant to the position you are applying for, consider focusing instead on your relevant skills, work experience, school projects and any other part of your resume, like volunteer opportunities.
Related: Writing a Resume With No Experience
How to describe your internship experience
After you complete an internship, it is common practise for candidates to prepare an internship report that summarises their experience during the engagement. An internship report can include important details of the experience, such as the job description, the primary duties and responsibilities associated with the position, any noteworthy tasks or projects you completed and a list of skills you may have developed as part of the experience. Follow these steps to prepare an effective internship report:
1. Create a title page
The title or cover page should include your name, the duration of the internship, your job designation in the organisation and the name of the organisation. This helps hiring managers to identify your report and quickly connect it to your name. This detail can also be a way to display your professionalism to an employer.
2. Add a table of contents
It is good practice to provide a table of contents as the first section in your internship report. This will allow readers to navigate the document with ease and get an accurate idea of what it contains in the sections that follow. Including a table of contents can also show that you are detail-oriented.
3. Include company history
Internship reports should ideally contain a section that describes the organisation's history and the nature of its operations. For example, you may include the year in which the company was founded, the mission statement of the organisation, the types of products or services the company offers and other relevant information like the names and designations of top management officials and your supervisor. Providing this context can help a reader understand your experience better.
4. Describe your position and the responsibilities it entails
In the body of the report, go into the specific details of your internship experience. Describe the basic duties and responsibilities it entailed, and include any accomplishments or recognition you received. This provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of your internship experience.
5. Discuss what you learned and the skills you developed
Following a description of your role, plan a section to highlight what you learned and the skills you may have developed during the engagement. You can also relate these learnings with your education background. You may go into specific details of the experiences within the organisation that contributed to your personal development.
6. Conclude with your future plans
Consider writing about the areas where you want to develop further. This can help you plan for the position that you want to pursue following the internship. These details also help a hiring manager understand you more as a potential candidate for their position.
Read more: How To Create an Internship Report
Tips for adding internships to your resume
Consider the following tips when you are adding internships to your resume:
- Make your resume consistent. Use consistent formatting throughout your resume, making sure that the font style or size for your internship experience is the same as other parts of your document.
- Highlight responsibilities. Include only your most noteworthy responsibilities as an intern.
- Write short sentences with action verbs. Explain your tasks using action verbs in clear and concise sentences.
- Quantify achievements. If you achieved something important, such as exceeding a quarter's sales goals, then add those details to your internship section.
