Intern CV example

How to write a CV for an intern

There’s no need to get yourself in a muddle when learning how to write a CV for an intern. Above all else, you’ll be telling recruiters about your experience in work or education and highlighting the value it could add to their company.

In the subsequent sections, we’ll explain the ins and outs of CV writing in detail, so you can craft a persuasive application that sets you apart from the competition.

We’ll run through:

• Adding contact details to your intern CV
• How to write a personal statement for your intern CV
• How to present your work history on an intern CV
• Great skills to add on your intern CV
• Outlining education on an intern CV

Adding contact details to your intern CV

Picture this – you’ve spent hours creating a fantastic CV and cover letter, researching the company, and pinpointing hiring managers, only to forget to add your contact details! It might sound simple, but too many candidates skip over this step and wonder why their applications never seem to go any further. Note your most current information at the top of your CV, including:

• Full name
• Location
• Contact number
• Email address

Example of contact section for intern CV

How to write a personal statement for your intern CV

If you want to shine in a sea of equally knowledgeable candidates, prioritise your personal statement. It’s the first thing an employer reads when opening your CV. As such, it’s instrumental in encouraging them to explore your application further.

Constructing a compelling personal statement isn’t brain science. In three to four concise sentences, explain:

• Who you are – years of experience, specialisms, and career goals
• What you can achieve – real-world results and accomplishments
• How you can achieve it – unique skills and qualifications

Above all else, keep the tone confident and upbeat by including plenty of positive adjectives and action verbs. You should also write in the third person to lend your intern CV a polished, professional edge.

What do we mean by real-world results and accomplishments? The most successful personal statements substantiate claims with statistics. For instance, rather than saying you “introduced new accounting software”, mention how you “sourced and implemented new accounting software that improved overall efficiency by 35%”.

If you don’t have any figures yet, don’t worry – every intern has to start somewhere! Spotlight your hard and soft skills, qualifications, and enthusiasm for the company instead.

Example of personal statement for an intern CV

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How to present your work history on an intern CV

Career history fascinates employers, revealing more than you’d think about aspiring applicants. Hiring managers can establish someone’s reliability by looking at how long they typically stay in a position. They can also determine a person’s ambition via consistent promotions or step-ups.

If you’re new to the workforce, you might struggle to complete this section, but remember you can talk about volunteering, other internships, and part-time or temporary positions. While the roles don’t have to be related, give examples of transferable skills and duties. Let’s say you’re applying for an accountancy internship – you might describe the times you made fast mathematical calculations in a shop assistant job.

When outlining your work experience, start from your current or most recent role, and include:

• Company name and location
• Job title
• Employment start and end dates
• Brief list of responsibilities
• Notable achievements

Quality over quantity is essential here, especially if you don’t have much work experience in your chosen industry. Tailor every piece of information to the internship job description and provide as many instances as possible of times you’ve surpassed expectations.

Another important thing to keep in mind is not to repeat yourself. You’ll need to make note of each responsibility, ensuring that they add to the overall picture of you as a candidate. You also don’t want to mention menial tasks that are expected as standard for professionals. For example, there’s no use in adding that you “write emails”, as this is standard practice and does not strengthen your application.

Lastly, you’re going to want to write this section with an effective grasp of language to engage your reader. Make sure you use positive adjectives to describe yourself like “punctual”, “passionate”, or “hard-working”. You should use action verbs in the place of “responsible for,” to diversify your writing. Good choices here include “assisted”, “advised”, and “created”.

Example of work experience for an intern CV

Great skills to add on your intern CV

CV skills are integral to an intern CV, especially one that lacks a comprehensive employment history section. It’s a chance to shout about the things that make you unique, reiterate why you’re the best person for the job, and demonstrate technical know-how.

We suggest combining hard skills and soft skills to make a lasting impact. The former are job-specific, such as “knowledge of tax law”, “creating financial budgets”, and “keeping accounting records”. The latter are transferable, including “goal-oriented”, “solution-focused”, and “adaptable”.

Note around 12 skills in total, split equally between the above. If you’re stuck on hard skills, can you think of any you might’ve picked up at university? Using accountancy as an example, your course probably dived into core software like Sage and QuickBooks. Take a look at the following essential skills and nice-to-haves for some more inspiration:

Outlining education on an intern CV

The education section is the supporting foundation of your CV, reassuring employers that you can hit the ground running. Some internships have strict entry requirements, such as accountancy, whereas others simply ask for a positive attitude. You should research the industry and re-read the spec before applying, so you know exactly what hiring managers want. Whatever the field, outline:

• School, college, university, or other awarding body
• Study dates – include your expected graduation date as the end date if you’re still in full-time education
• Subject title – not applicable to GCSEs
• Qualification type – e.g. A level or GCSE
• Qualification result

If you’re a recent graduate with minimal work experience, you could list individual university modules relevant to the role. For example, if you’re applying for an accountancy internship within a charity, you might mention you studied “Issues in Not-for-Profit and Public Sector Accounting”.

School and university qualifications aren’t the be-all and end-all. You can also discuss achievements from other training institutions and awarding bodies, including vocational NVQs, BTECs, and City & Guilds certificates.

Example of education for an intern’s CV