A Comprehensive Guide To Building a Striking Resume for Internships

Do you want to make your resume stand out? Do you wish to be a candidate that shines brighter than the rest? If so, then we have got you covered. This blog will walk you through all the essential elements that you require for building an impressive resume. In the upcoming sections, we will learn everything about building a resume for internships for freshers. Before we get into the details let us first explore what a resume is.

What is a Resume?

A resume is a mandatory document commonly when applying for internships. It gives a summary of your skills, professional experiences, and education. A student’s resume contains essential details that an employer needs to know about the student before they can offer her a position in the organization.

Resume Format for Internships

Resume templates available online are different from the resume templates needed for an internship. In the following sections we will give you a detailed guide to how to make a resume for internships:

1. Layout

There are mainly three types of resume layouts, namely Chronological, Functional, and Combination. Each of these layouts has its purpose, however, the most appropriate layout for a fresher resume is the Functional Layout. This layout highlights the skill section. Thus, it is perfect for those with little to no experience.

2. Contact Details 

The header of the document has all the information that makes up the contact details. You must have your name, email id, phone number, and address included in this section. The following points need to be remembered: 

• Ensure that you’re available on the phone number and email ID you’re putting on your resume. 
• Use a professional email ID as it will make you look more credible in the eyes of the employer.
• Do not write your complete address, only your locality and city are important.

3. Opening Statement 

Most students use the common template. But before you copy-paste the same statement it is important to know that there might be a lot of others who would be doing that and it will only decrease your chances to get selected. Though you should not skip it, if you use this space wisely then it may help grab the attention of the employer. Try to mention your skills concisely explaining how you can help the company.

Tips:

A. Sum it up in not more than three lines
B. Try to avoid using a personal pronoun.

4. Educational Qualifications

This section is a must for an internship resume for freshers as it includes your educational degrees. Since freshers have limited work experience, this section can greatly boost their resumes. You can make it more credible by adding information about your college or school and providing an aggregate percentage.

Tips:

A. Try to follow the reverse chronology.

B. Don’t write the percentage for all the semesters.

5. Skills  

When you are applying for an internship, your technical skills play a huge hand in your role. You can list all of your skills that are relevant to the role you are applying for, in bullets, as it will make it easier for the reviewer to read and understand them. Suppose you’re applying to a web development internship, you can list the skills as follows:

The management students can list the skills that are related to their coursework. The skills like leadership qualities, time management, and critical thinking can be mentioned under them. If you are in the first year of your college, you can enlist the technologies and concepts that you’ve learned so far. For instance,

6. Work Experience 

List all the highlights from your previous stints. It will give an insight to the employer and help them understand your qualities better. You can give details about the companies that you have worked for, and the roles that you were assigned. You can also make it better by mentioning the responsibilities that you handled. Try using the following phrases instead of generic ones: 

• Addressed the concerns of 200 customers daily via emails and calls
• Identified and met customers’ needs by helping them register on the platform

These statements would tell the employer that you are good at written and oral communication and have the ability to learn about a product in and out.

How Should I Write About Work Experience When Applying for My First Internship?

If you have zero work experience and you are applying for your first-ever internship, make sure to give more weightage to your Skills and Educational Qualifications sections. You can also showcase the volunteering that you may have done during your summer breaks or as an extracurricular activity. You can also talk about workshops or college projects that you participated in. If you present some personal projects that show the skills that are required in that job then you might get even luckier.

8. Academic Projects

You can use the projects that you might have worked on during your college. These projects will help reflect your practical knowledge and patience to the employer. You should keep in mind to not put out any project that is not related to the role that you are applying for as it would be of no use. Try to mention the projects that are relevant to the internship you are applying for.

9. Training & Certifications 

In this section, you should enlist any training completed and certificates you might have received. It will add credibility to your resume and leave a good impression on the employer about your academic capabilities. If you do not have a lot of material to add to this section, then you can merge this with the Work Experience section.

10. Additional Details  

This section clubs your achievements and extra-curricular activities and acts as a savior when you are taking your first step toward your career. Listing out the details of participation in various college events and competitions denotes your holistic growth as a student. You must include your involvement in student organizations and clubs, your volunteering experience, and scholarships.

Internship Resume Template

You can go online and search for the resume template of your desire. It enables you to input all the information that is required to build a resume and you get a resume ready to use. You can make your resume using these Internshala recommended sample resumes for freshers – Sample-internship-resume, Resume-template-1, and Resume-template-2.

Points to Remember

• Finally, here are some quick resume-writing tips and tricks that you should keep in mind:
• Do not provide a heading to your resume.
• Keep your resume short and try to fit all the details in 1 page.
• Make sure that you do not include any unnecessary personal and informal details.
• Do not use an informal tone.
• Try to proofread the information once your resume is ready.
• Never copy the details of other people from the templates.
• Always prioritize putting the recent qualification on top.
• Try to be concise and informative.

Recommended Tools for Resume Writing

• Google Resume – This is a step-by-step guide for getting your dream internship from a former hiring manager at Google. You can create concise and compelling resumes for internships with this tool.
• Internshala Resume – The site will provide you with attractive and easy-to-make resume templates. You can make your online resume by registering on Internshala. It will ask for your details and once you fill them, it will create a resume for you that you can download and use whenever required.

Conclusion

Finally, you know how to make a resume for internships. Now that you have created a resume that employers can’t help but notice, what next? Well, do what you made the resume for – apply to some internships and kick-start your career!