

You’re not just book smart, but recruiters don’t know that. Use this guide to avoid Himalayan blunders and write a resume for internships that wins the best jobs out there.
So you’ve just graduated from your studies? Congratulations! The world is bustling with opportunities. You can’t wait to apply your newly acquired skills and start building your dream career. There’s just one obstacle on your way to success.
And that is… your lack of work experience. Sadly, many hiring managers don’t care about freshers. So you’ve decided to get an internship instead of a job. This way, you’ll have a chance to apply your knowledge and gain footing. Internships look great on resumes—they prove to recruiters you already have relatable experience.
To get the most prestigious opportunities available, you need a professional resume for an internship. One that highlights your skills and leaves recruiters wanting more.
This guide will show you:
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Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.
Check this sample resume for internship to see what we’re talking about:
Chinmay Pradhan
Student of Management
032 04878235
chi.prahdan@zetymail.in
linkedin.com/in/chinmay.pradhan
Date of birth: 03.04.2000
Marital status: single
Objective
University of Delhi graduate with a Bachelor of Management Studies degree. Knowledgeable in financial management, business strategy, analytics, and people management. Increased online orders by 26% and cut inventory issues by 12% for C Print. Hoping to apply my skills to support coworking centre day-to-day operations as the Center Management Intern.
Education
Bachelor of Management
Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, University of Delhi
September 2019–June 2022
Relevant coursework: Financial Management, Statistics for Business Decisions, Business Accounting, Principles of Marketing, Business Policy and Strategy
CGPA: 94%
Key skills gained:
Work Experience
Customer Service Agent
Murza, Delhi
February 2021–January 2022
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievement:
Office Assistant
C Print, Delhi
September 2019–January 2021
Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievement:
Skills
Volunteering
Fundraiser at Bikes 4 Kids
Languages
Interests
Declaration: The information stated above is true to the best of my knowledge and belief.
So let’s get a close look at the best resume format for internships:
What do people notice first when they meet someone?
The looks. The silhouette, the clothing. Details come later.
And first impressions matter. A stain on a shirt can ruin a business meeting or a fancy date.
It’s the same way with resumes. Looks matter. If your resume looks like you wrote it on a napkin five minutes before sending it out, recruiters will simply delete it.
So here are a bunch of tips for using the best fresher resume format for an internship:
So, we’ve got the looks. Now let’s talk about the rest.
Resumes for internships must include specific information—the kind that recruiters expect.
Make sure to put those sections in your resume:
Don’t worry—you’ll learn the details of what to include in each part later on in this article!
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Let’s face it—most internship candidates have no valuable work experience.
That’s why when writing a resume for an internship for freshers, you must make your education section shine. Your field of study and degree aren’t enough.
You must remember that competition is high. According to India Skills Report 2021, over 85% of young professionals seek internship opportunities. To get the best options, your resume must attract recruiters.
Here’s how to make a resume for an internship stand out from the crowd:
Here’s how the education section of your resume for internship should look:
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Education
Bachelor of Management Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, University of Delhi September 2019–June 2022 Relevant coursework: Financial Management, Statistics for Business Decisions, Business Accounting, Principles of Marketing, Business Policy and Strategy CGPA: 94% Key skills gained:
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See? The hiring manager will see that this candidate uses their brain instead of playing Candy Crush Saga during lectures. The key skills prove this person is confident and business savvy.
Wrong |
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BMS at University of Delhi, 2022 Subjects I studied included accounting, finance, statistics, marketing |
Nope. It’s too vague. Studying doesn’t equal acquiring useful knowledge.
Pro Tip: If you lack ideas of how to boost your career, check your college website for profiles of alumni, or try finding them on LinkedIn. By connecting with graduates from the same university, you can learn about their first career steps and see how they benefited from their education.
As a fresher, you might worry that your work experience is nothing to brag about. Stop putting yourself down! Even the smallest jobs taught you something useful.
Think of any transferable skills you’ve learned. Calming down angry customers while working at a restaurant? That’s serious conflict management.
Drawing a company logo for your uncle? Principles of graphic design.
Answering phones at a call centre? Effective verbal communication.
See? They don’t sound that bad now, right?
Whenever describing work experience in a resume for an internship, remember to:
That’s the recipe for success.
Take a look at the results:
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Customer Service Agent Murza, Delhi February 2021–January 2022 Key Qualifications & Responsibilities
Key Achievement:
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See? Even a popular entry-level job such as customer service can help you prepare for more complex business matters.
Wrong |
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Customer Service Agent, Bleep, Delhi 2021–2022
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Not very impressive, is it? While this example mentions what this candidate did at work, it doesn’t prove they’ve learned anything.
What to do if you have zero work experience? Don’t panic! Just describe in detail your academic accomplishments or volunteer experience. Maybe you’ve done some extracurricular projects while at university? Believe me—there are always opportunities to gain useful skills.
Check these examples of candidates with zero work experience:
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Volunteer Project Coordinator Smile of Hope, Delhi March 2021-December 2021 Key Qualifications & Responsibilities:
Key Achievement:
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Now, this candidate not only has a big heart but also has great brains.
Wrong |
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Volunteer at Students for Moms, Delhi 2021
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This candidate might be a great person, but they don’t know yet how to prove it.
Read more: How to Write a Resume for Freshers: Examples & Guide
When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.
When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.
Brace yourself.
Many people dismiss recent graduates. They think freshers have nothing to bring to the table.
You need to prove them wrong. You are knowledgeable. You’ve got the skills needed for the job. You’ve got a strong work ethic. And don’t ever let them tell you otherwise.
So, you’ve found an internship that sparks your interest. Maybe you’re a graphic design student and this advertising agency needs someone to create graphics for social media channels. Or you study software engineering and just found a startup that can use your coding skills.
It’s time to make a tailored skill list that matches the internships that interest you.
Here’s a step-by-step method to create the skills section in resume for internships:
Check these sample skills for internship resume:
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These are skills that the majority of college students own.
Let’s see a more specific example—the skill section in a resume for a hotel management internship:
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This candidate is the perfect fit for an internship in hotel management.
Don’t underestimate the importance of computer skills. Read more: List of Computer and Software Skills to Boost Your Resume
While in college, you were a top student. Always the best marks. Assignments done on time.
You expected headhunters to swarm around you after graduation. Yet something feels wrong—there are no offers coming to you.
Why?
Because other graduates did something extra while in college. They went to conferences. Got industry certifications. Published guest blog posts in their free time. Used their knowledge for volunteer work.
Check these ways to put more value into your resume for an internship:
Easy, right?
Now, see how it’s done in a resume for internships for freshers:
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Volunteering
Fundraiser at Bikes 4 Kids
Languages
Interests
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Much better than just a blank page.
Pro Tip: Found an exciting internship opportunity? Before you apply, make sure to research the company or organization behind it. With many internship scams, it’s important to vet the offer thoroughly. Check their website, verify the address on Google Maps, try to find employees on LinkedIn. And most importantly: never pay money to recruiters who promise to guarantee you a placement.
Hey, good news—this is the last step!
It’s time to write a summary or objective for internship resume.
You might be wondering: what’s the point? You’re probably thinking that your education, skills, and other sections speak for themselves.
But hiring managers will disagree.
They don’t want to do the thinking for you—they want to see a candidate ready to speak for themselves. They want to hear your sales pitch.
So, here’s how to write a summary or objective statement in a resume for internships:
Let’s have a look at these experienced candidates:
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Self-motivated Bachelor of Arts specializing in graphic design. Created visual identification and ran social media channels for startup businesses. Achieved an average 65% increase in engagement with Facebook and Instagram posts for all partner companies in 2021. Hoping to become a graphic design intern at BranchTree to create engaging visual content for online campaigns. |
You must admit it—this person knows the drill. They showed experience and valuable achievements.
This candidate, on the other hand, lacks something:
Wrong |
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Graphic design student looking for work in social media. When I was a college student, I designed logos for software engineering companies. I have a strong work ethic and I wish to apply for your internship program. |
This person might be a good candidate—they just don’t know how to show it.
So, these were experienced candidates. How about those with no experience?
As I said, when writing a resume for an internship for freshers, choose a resume objective to show what you wish to accomplish.
Check these examples of objectives for internship resumes:
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University of Delhi graduate with Bachelor of Management Studies degree. Knowledgeable in financial management, business strategy, analytics, and people management. Hoping to apply my skills to support coworking centre day-to-day operations as the Center Management Intern. |
See what this candidate did? They listed important coursework. It shows they understand how to apply knowledge from coursebooks to assist the company.
Unfortunately, the following candidate wasn’t that clever:
Wrong |
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I graduated from management studies at University of Delhi. I hope to try myself as the Center Management Intern to learn how to work at a coworking centre on a daily basis. |
Not very impressive. While internships are designed to teach, they still want candidates to have certain skills and knowledge. This resume objective doesn’t confirm if the person knows anything about management.
Pro Tip: If your resume summary refers to original projects or designs, consider attaching a portfolio to your resume. It’s especially valuable for graphic designers, artists, writers, as well as UX or UI designers, software developers, and programmers.
Can’t wait to start your dream internship? That’s great!
But there’s one more thing you need to do to ensure you get it.
It’s simply a must. Many recruiters don’t waste their precious time on applications without a cover letter. Boost your chances and get to writing.
Here’s how to do it:
Much easier than passing the finals!
Need a more thorough instruction? See here: Cover Letter for an Internship in India: How to Write, Examples & Tips
A great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:
See more cover letter templates and start writing.
Let’s revise all the steps to write a resume for internship:
Now you’re all ready to rock the world.
Done writing your resume for internship? Feel free to share your thoughts on the process! I’d love to know:
Let me know!
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