How To Tailor Your Resume For An Internship

By Victoria Robertson on November 12, 2014

This article is brought to you by Dream Careers, the largest global internship program for college students offering all-inclusive programs in 11 cities worldwide. To learn more about Dream Careers, please visit us at SummerInternships.com.

As if applying to internships wasn’t stressful enough, tailoring resumes for an internship can be complicated if you don’t know what employers are looking for.

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Luckily, I have a few tips to help you not only get your resume started, but also to make your resume stand out from the rest.

One of the most commonly asked questions when looking at resume building is what are employers looking for in a resume?

Really, pleasing the employer is what it all boils down to, and a resume that isn’t appealing to them is going to get you nowhere. So here are a few helpful tips in this regard.

Don’t leave out previous work experience:

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According to Dream Careers Entertainment Specialist Shelley Thomas, this is the biggest mistake applicants make. By undervaluing your experience, you aren’t doing yourself any favors.

Babysitting, working part-time at a restaurant, even that retail job you never want to go back to: these are all good experiences that should be included in your resume. In fact, Thomas said it’s a red flag to have no previous work experience at all on your resume.

So if you find that your resume is devoid of experience, go back to these part-time jobs and look at the skills you’ve gained from them. Thomas said including these jobs shows employers you can work normal work hours, you’re responsible, can work in a professional setting and even that you’re a good team member.

These are all skills employers are looking for, and leaving them out of your resume is a big mistake.

Leave out high school experience:   

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High school experiences may have been integral in getting you to the college you’re at now, but that’s about the extent of it.

When writing a resume, you want to keep it as current as possible, and writing about high school experience is no longer applicable. So leave out those high school musicals and your experience writing for the high school paper, because none of this showcases your current proficiency.

That being said, if your part-time job during high school is the only experience you have, include it. However, this is only a last-resort inclusion. Thomas said employers want to see professionalism, and depending on the high school job, this probably won’t be showcased.

So really, the bottom line here is to stay active in your college career: join the campus service fraternity or write for your college paper. These are all experiences that look fantastic on a resume and that will showcase who you are now, rather than who you were then.

Have an attention grabber:

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According to Thomas, the top section of your resume is where the employer’s eye is immediately drawn, so it needs to stand out.

Many students tend to place an objective statement here. Don’t. Thomas said objective statements are obsolete at this point, as it typically articulates the reasons for the application, but most employers already know why you’re applying.

Students should instead use this space to assert their qualifications from the get-go.

In the opening of your resume, Thomas said you should be highlighting proficiencies, showing that you can demonstrate professionalism and leadership, displaying your specific skills for the employer, etc.

By immediately stating your qualifications, your resume is going to stand out, so don’t beat around the bush with an objective statement.

Include applicable college coursework:

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If you have mountains of experience, this doesn’t apply, but for those of you searching for college experience applicable to your internship, college courses can always be included in your resume.

If you’re applying to be a graphic designer and most of your experience comes from the courses you have taken in college, these are extremely important to include in your resume.

Just make sure that the college coursework you include is applicable to the job at hand, that it’s specific to the industry and that you can articulate the skills you have gained from this experience, being as specific as possible.

Use metrics:

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According to Thomas, most applicants are far too vague in their resumes. Saying you monitor social media sites in an internship isn’t nearly forceful enough to make an impact on an employer.

Instead, she said to use metrics. Basically, rather than the above statement, you can give the specific percentage of social media coverage you are in charge of. Or, you can give an employer the specific number of articles you write per week.

Using numbers to display your involvement is extremely specific, and will be far more eye-catching in a resume than broad, generalized statements.

Thomas said using metrics is more impactful and unique and it makes your resume stand-out. And let me tell you, these are descriptions you want to hear in regards to your resume.

Consistency is key:

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So what detracts from your resume?

Grammar. Spacing. Inconsistency with font. The list truly goes on and on.

You may have more experience on your resume than anyone out there, but with constant grammar mistakes and a resume that isn’t visually appealing, it’ll probably fall flat.

According to Thomas, nothing is more distracting than these little inconsistencies.

Don’t switch shapes in your bullet points, make sure your spacing is consistent throughout, don’t switch fonts, make sure you’re either consistently using or not using the oxford comma, etc.

While these may all sound extremely nitpicky, they may just come between you and the job you thought you were qualified for.

Keep it short, sweet and to the point:

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Thomas said your resume should be about one page. No employer is reading a college-aged-student-at-internship-level’s three page resume.

However, you also want to make sure you are filling this page to the brim.

One page isn’t a lot of space, so be as specific as possible, and make sure your experiences are speaking to the internship at hand.

Resume writing is stressful, to say the very least. Just make sure to implement these tips as you go, and your resume is sure to stand out.

Looking for a top internship in an exciting city? Enroll in Dream Careers and guarantee yourself an internship and a fun summer in your choice of 11 cities globally. To visit our website, please click here.

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