If you’ve managed to complete an internship, then it is definitely something you want to share with future employers. Especially if that internship was relevant to the career you want to pursue.
Internships are a fantastic way to show future employers that you have relevant experience in the field of work you want to do. So of course, they need to be on your resume.
You can’t just add your internship experience randomly on your resume. There needs to be a purpose for it being on your resume. So, your resume should highlight why the internship is important enough that your future employers should know about it.
Well, if you are struggling with how to correctly put an internship on your resume, we are here to help. This guide will help you decide how to put an internship on your resume and whether it is relevant enough for it to be on your resume.
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What Is An Internship?
Before we add an internship to your resume, we need to know what an internship is and why it should be on your resume.
An internship is a chance for individuals to experience working in the industry they want to pursue. The internship allows interns to get inside experience and knowledge of the industry they are interested in.
Internships are available to all ages, though many college students go for internships during their studies. Internships are not just a great way to get relevant experience, they are also a chance for you to get your foot in the door.
This might be through the experience but it could also be through the connections you make. These connections could help the interns to land a full-time position or they could result in the intern gaining a mentor.
The amount of time an individual goes to an internship is dependent on the type of internship. Summer internships might have the individual expected to work typical working hours for around a month.
Some internships only require the intern to be at work for a few days a week. In some cases, the amount of time an intern is expected to work could be a few hours.
Internships can be paid positions or unpaid internships. This is completely dependent on the company.
Since individuals can gain experience in the field of work they wish to pursue, this is why it is important for them to correctly display the internship on their resume.
It can be really difficult for people trying to get a job in a competitive industry, especially without experience. That is why if they were able to do an internship in their chosen field it is important to have it on their resume as it might help them to get a job faster.
Should You Add An Internship To Your Resume?
When you add experience or information to your resume they should all have a purpose. Resumes should be tailored to the job you are applying for.
This means that sometimes not all of your experiences need to be on your resume if they are not relevant. Here are a few tips for working out whether you should put an internship on your resume.
Do you have any other experience? If you are new to the working world or are pursuing a new career then you may not have any or enough experience in the roles you are applying for.
If this is the case, then adding on any experience you have in a work environment would be good to put on your resume.
This would include adding the internship you worked at. Try to make sure you are able to link skills that would be beneficial to the job you are applying for, from your internship experience.
If the internship is not in the same industry as the one you are applying for you can add it to your resume if the skills you learned from the internship transfer to the job you are applying for.
The times where you absolutely need to include the internship on your resume is when this internship is in the industry you want to work in. This shows the employer that you have the relevant experience that might be beneficial to them.
Eventually, as you gain more experience in the career and industry you want to work in, the internships you did do not need to be on your resume anymore.
Instead, the jobs you were able to obtain in your career will become more important pieces of information to put on your resume.
How To Put An Internship On A Resume
First, you should establish what section of your resume your internship is going to be under. If you are only putting one internship on your resume, then it should come under the section that is for work experience.
This is because you would have gained working experience from your internship. However, if you have worked for multiple relevant internships, you might want to consider a section that is for them only.
This could simply have the heading ‘internship experience’. Since these are short-term experiences compared to jobs, you should put this before your section on work experience.
Now you know where to put your experiences, let us discuss the format in which you should write your internship experience on your resume.
Start by writing the title of your internship. If you are not sure of your title you could just write down that you were an intern. Although it is better to have a title that gives a bit of insight into the role for example, ‘Editorial Intern’.
You then want to put down the name of the company you interned with. You also need to write down the location of the internship, the dates you were on the internship program.
It is a good idea to write the dates by the month. This gives the employer a more detailed and accurate picture of your working timeline.
After you put down all of the information on your internship, you need to write a few sentences about the responsibilities you had whilst you were an intern. This shouldn’t be too long, it should be a few sentences or bullet points.
You then should write a few sentences on any achievements of yours that you had when working as an intern. Make sure that the responsibilities you’ve listed match the job you are applying for. It is important that you show the employer why the internship is relevant to the job.
The key is to make sure that your internship matches the layout of all your work experiences on your resume.
Final Thoughts
Internships are an important part of gaining experience in a working environment. If you are able to get an internship in your chosen field of work, then it would be a good idea to put it on your resume.
When you put your internship experience on your resume make sure you are linking it to the job you are applying for. It should be clear why this internship is important and beneficial to them.
The internship needs to have the same format as all of the other work experiences you have on your resume. This makes your resume look professional and organized.
Hopefully, we have helped you understand how to put an internship on your resume.
Include any awards, recognitions, or positive feedback you received during your internship, as this can help set you apart from other candidates.
Tailor your internship description to align with the job you’re applying for, emphasizing relevant skills and experiences that match the position’s requirements.
Use bullet points to highlight specific accomplishments or projects you worked on during your internship, showcasing your contributions and impact.