How to List Internship Experience on a Resume (With Examples)
Early on in your career, the experience section of your resume might feel a little thin. This isn’t uncommon, but it can be a problem when you start to look for a full-time job. Hiring managers need to see that you’re someone who has the skills to get the job done, and that’s tough to demonstrate when you don’t have much experience. What’s more, companies often use automated screening tools to help them sift through resumes, and if yours doesn’t include the required keywords, your application might be passed over.
Including internships on your resume can help you pass companies’ screening processes and demonstrate that you meet the requirements of the job you want. We’ll explain when it’s a good idea to list internships on your resume and show you how to do it so that you come across as a strong candidate.
Should you list internship experience on your resume?
If you’re an entry-level candidate or only have one or two jobs under your belt, it’s a good idea to beef up your resume by including your internship experiences. Listing internships on your resume can help you:
Get your first job
Hiring a young candidate is a bit of a leap of faith on a hiring manager’s part. Since you don’t have a lengthy track record for them to go on, they have to depend heavily on your word that you’ll be able to complete the necessary duties. Showing that you’ve successfully held down an internship can give them confidence that you’re prepared to succeed professionally.
Demonstrate required skills
Learning a skill in the classroom is one thing. Practicing it in a real-world setting is another. Internships show a hiring manager that you’ve had a chance to get your feet wet with the hard and soft skills you’d be using in this job, which can help you make it through the initial screening and appear as a stronger overall candidate.
Showcase relevant background
If you’re applying for a job where you’d be working on construction sites, you’ll have a much better chance of getting hired if you’ve worked on construction sites in the past. The same goes for any specific job-related experience, whether it pertains to the work environment, conditions, clientele, or type of work being performed. Adding internships to your resume showcases the elements of your background that have prepared you to perform in this role.
Gain an advantage over other candidates
For some entry-level jobs, you’ll be competing against dozens or even hundreds of other candidates. Relevant internships give you a leg up, so you want to be sure to make hiring managers aware of them.
When you SHOULDN’T include internships on your resume
In some circumstances, putting internships on your resume can have a negative effect. When you have several years of professional experience–two or more jobs or about five years in your field–remove intern positions from your resume to focus on your career accomplishments.
There are a couple of exceptions: if you’re changing careers and have internship experience in your new field, or if you held an internship that’s considered especially prestigious, it may make sense to leave it on your resume for a longer period of time.
Top tips for listing internships on your resume
Tailor your resume content to the job posting
As we mentioned earlier, keywords are an important tool in ensuring that your resume makes it through the first round of applicant screening. Internship experiences give you valuable real estate to include those keywords.
How do you know which keywords to use? The job description is a great guide. Prominent keywords are found in the list of job duties and required qualifications. We have a comprehensive guide to finding keywords to use in your resume here.
Position duties as accomplishments
If you really want to make your resume shine, don’t just list the tasks you completed as an intern. Instead, position your activities as achievements wherever possible. For example, instead of saying you ‘participated in a team marketing project,’ it sounds much stronger to say you ‘collaborated with a team of colleagues to create a five-part marketing plan.’
A great way to strengthen your writing is to choose action-oriented buzzwords. These will also help you think in terms of achievements rather than tasks. Here’s a list of more than 150 resume buzzwords to inspire you.
Looking for a professional resume writing service to do the heavy lifting? We suggest using BeamJobs!
How to list internships on your resume
1. Choose the right spot on your resume
Internship experience can go in one of two places on your resume: the experience section or a dedicated internship section. In the experience section, list positions you’ve held (including internships, part-time jobs, relevant volunteer work, etc.) in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. If you have multiple internships, you may prefer to use a dedicated internship section either above or below your experience.
One place you don’t want to list internships is the education section. This section usually comes last on a resume because practical experience is more important to a hiring manager than where you went to school. Thus, you want to include intern positions in your resume’s most prominent sections to make sure they’re noticed.
2. Include the relevant information
For each position that you highlight, include the company name, location, and dates. When possible, give yourself a title that clarifies what you worked on rather than just using the generic title ‘intern.’ For example, ‘graphic design intern,’ ‘production floor intern,’ and so on.
3. List duties and accomplishments
Choose two to four items and list them as bullet points, starting with the most relevant or impressive.
Sometimes, it can be tricky to make intern duties sound impressive. Here’s a quick exercise that will help. First, list out all the tasks you did, like so:
- Manned the front desk
- Scheduled meetings
- Attended meetings
- Filed documents
- Conducted research
- Shadowed employees
Then, for each task, come up with an “accomplishment” that goes along with it. This might be a result you were expected to achieve, a finished product you produced, or a specific example of how you helped the team out. Here’s how that might look:
- Manned the front desk – Greeted customers in a professional and friendly manner
- Scheduled meetings – Managed calendars for a six-member department
- Attended meetings – Compiled and distributed meeting notes, contributed to brainstorming sessions
- Filed documents – Revamped administrative record-keeping processes
- Conducted research – Uncovered market insights on the 18- to 25-year-old customer demographic
- Shadowed employees – Observed and kept records of daily operations activities
The second set of items on your list is much more action-oriented and fitting for a resume. Once again, remember to look at the job description and pepper important keywords into your list of job duties.
4. Use consistent formatting
Your resume’s formatting, such as the page margins, font face, and font style, may seem insignificant, but they’re actually very important in making your resume appear polished.
Use consistent formatting for each resume element. For example, resume sections should be in all caps, job titles should be bold, and company names should be in italics.
Looking for more help crafting the perfect resume? We have an entire library of resume samples and recommendations!
Internship experience on a resume – work experience section
EXPERIENCE
Toyota
Logistics Intern
Plano, TX
May 2023 – August 2023
- Maintained accurate logs tracking delivery dates, times and volumes
- Coordinated client order fulfillment using Oracle Transportation Management
- Assisted with managing email inquiries and facilitating prompt responses
Internship experience on a resume – internship section
INTERNSHIPS
Video Production Intern
Fly By Night Films
Coral Gables, FL
September 2023 – December 2023
- Developed shot lists and coordinated shoot logistics among a team of four camera operators
- Edited videos using state-of-the-art equipment and production software, including Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects
- Published weekly posts on the company’s Instagram and Facebook accounts, boosting the average engagement rate by 26%
Graphic Design Intern
The Cabello Agency
Miami, FL
June 2022 – September 2022
- Created graphics to accompany blogs, email newsletters, and social media posts
- Assisted design team in developing brand guidelines for a financial services firm
- Perfected skills in Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator
Internships provide a solid foundation for your early career. By showcasing them in your resume, you’ll demonstrate your proficiency and help hiring managers understand that you’re a reliable, qualified candidate.
Want a little more guidance on building an entry-level resume that will get noticed? Check out our guide to creating an internship resume here.
