How to write an internship CV (or “internship CV”) when you have almost no experience to highlight? It’s not always easy to write an internship CV when you’ve just started school and have very little experience, or none at all!
We start with a blank page, then mention our first summer jobs and finally it ends up as useless filler. Don't panic, here are our tips and CV models to avoid the "filler" CV and write the perfect internship CV...
How to write a CV for an internship?
Customize your CV to the internship offer
To write a good internship CV , the first step is to make sure that your internship CV reflects as much as possible the position you are seeking.
What interests the recruiter? To answer this question seriously, we advise you to download job offers relating to the position sought as well as to consult typical job profiles. For example, by consulting certain Linkedin profiles.
Next, list the required skills and the tools to master that come up most often for the position. There is a good chance that you have distinguished yourself on certain skills or in practice during your studies and/or student jobs. If this seems appropriate to you, mention them in your CV for your internship .
Finally, right from the header of the CV, write a short introduction . Mention the position you are looking for, your academic background and your ambitions. Do not hesitate to indicate how your professional and academic choices are oriented and motivated by the position.
This example of a student CV is perfect for making a CV for an internship, even if you have little or no professional experience. The professional experience section can for example be modified by a section dedicated to your study or personal projects. Very practical and very design.
Detail your training, courses and learning
If you don't have much experience, the training section will be key to demonstrating your potential.
Present each degree in chronological order. Specify the year of award, the location and name of the institution as well as the options or specializations, year by year. If you have completed a study project or worked on a specific subject related to the position, specify this.
The young CV template is very practical to highlight all your skills and experiences, your internships or a summer job
No need to go back too far in the diplomas. If you have obtained a BTS, it implies that you have your baccalaureate. Same thing: if you have your baccalaureate, it implies that you have obtained your patent. Do not try to make a stopgap in this section. Your skills will need it!
🛑 Pro tip
If you come from a prestigious or renowned establishment, it can be useful to stand out with the use of a logo for example.
Highlight your first experiences (professional or not)
If you had the opportunity to do internships in a company during your studies, mention them in the first section of your internship CV : Professional experience .
In this same category, you can also add group work supervised by a professional , days spent in a company for a dissertation, or jobs related to the field you are targeting.
This example of a student CV without experience allows you to highlight a first professional experience even if it is not significant. The content is quite brief, so you do not have to dwell on your missions. Your skills and your academic training can, however, be enriched.
Each of your experiences, no matter how short or small, must be detailed and enriched as much as possible. Even if it was only a brief moment during your internship, develop as much as possible your missions, your achievements, and the skills acquired. Above all, specify the quantitative and qualitative results behind these experiences. This is the most important.
🚀 You have never worked? Check out our article to help you enhance your profile, even without experience .
Even if your internship experiences are totally different, don't worry, the purpose of internships is to explore, so it's normal to try different positions, different structures or fields of activity. Rather, emphasize in your internship CV the learning and narration of the journey because the recruiter must be able to understand your journey .
For example, if you worked in a large company and are now applying to a start-up, you can highlight the fact that you worked in a small project team, or that you were regularly in contact with clients from start-ups. The recruiter will understand that you want to discover more about this world.
And if there really is too big a difference between your different internships, make it a story that you will keep for your interview or your cover letter.
💡 Good to know
Save long hours of work with a resume template ready to fill in in minutes. We have made a selection of student resume templates to save you time.
Highlight your student jobs in your CV for an internship
Student jobs have a great added value in an internship CV : it is to demonstrate your ability to want to become independent, to take charge of yourself and to face sometimes thankless jobs in order to move forward.
Don't mention them, though. This risks drowning out the message you need to get across: the one that says you're made for this internship! Instead, opt for a single line listing your experiences: "from 2014 to 2017: summer jobs in sales in contact with customers."
For the most interesting experiences, only select student jobs that really brought you something , often these are skills such as responsiveness or stress management (e.g.: server), rigor, the ability to summarize, interpersonal skills (e.g.: cashier or hostess) or leadership.
Depending on how much you decide to develop them, put them in a separate category, or with the rest of the Complementary Experiences.
Highlight your community commitments and your skills
This section of the internship CV is certainly the most important for many student CVs: additional experiences. Nothing to do with the Interests section, because this is to highlight the associative activities or hobbies that have allowed you to acquire skills useful for the world of work.
For example, your role as a football referee taught you leadership, humility and stress management. It could also be personal projects like developing a blog, creating a YouTube channel or organizing a family event.
This resume template without experience is very useful if you are wondering how to make a good resume for a summer job. It highlights your entire profile without experience: professional project, skills, interests, travel, etc.
This section is particularly interesting for candidates who have not done an internship. If this is your case, you can actually create a separate block that you will call “Additional experiences”.
Pay close attention to your presence on the internet
We often tend to forget it, but the vast majority of recruiters consult the first name + last name of the candidates before each interview. As with sales sites, this allows them to consult positive or negative opinions, and sometimes to come across compromising photos.
Take care of your online reputation by putting yourself in their shoes:
- Do a Google search for First Name+Last Name of your profile
- Check out the first 10-15 results and images
- If you see any compromising photos or content, contact the site administrator to ask them to remove the content.
- Set a reading restriction on your “personal” social profiles, including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
- To anticipate, be sure to complete your “professional” social profiles (Linkedin, Slideshare, Facebook, Twitter) with flattering photos and by naming them as follows: firstname-lastname.jpg.
10 examples of student CVs for an internship
Have you followed all our tips for writing the perfect internship CV? Now it's time to think about the layout and design of your CV. As you know, form is just as important as content to hit the mark with your recruiter, and especially for a spontaneous application!
To help you, we suggest you discover our CV models that are easy to fill out and suitable for an internship search .
A CV for an end-of-study internship
This CV template for end-of-study internship has the particularity of adapting to your candidate profile. Are you a student looking for an end-of-study internship? Do you already have experience in the profession and would you like to start your future job search?
This resume offers flexible content to be modulated according to your needs. Education, experience, short description, technical and linguistic skills, it's all there. Its special feature? Triangular lines for a touch of modernity.
📥 Download this example of a CV for an end-of-study internship
- Available in 3 colours
- 100% easily editable
- Formats: Word, Powerpoint, Google slides (online)
The special assistant CV template
More than a model CV for an internship, would you like to make a CV for a summer job ? This assistant CV model is perfect for your search! Simple and professional, it clearly displays your objective and highlights your training. It is ideal for candidates with little professional experience to highlight since it focuses on your skills.
📥 Download the assistant CV template
- Available in 3 colours
- 100% easily editable
- Formats: Word, Powerpoint, Google slides (online)
The CV template for summer job
If you want to create a resume for a summer job easily , this template will be perfect for you. The very airy layout of this resume template offers a real summary to your recruiter. The information it contains is clear, immediately highlighted and can be found in the blink of an eye thanks to numerous pictograms.
The essentials are there: a block for contact details, a skills and training column, a timeline for your professional experiences. Little extra: it is possible to integrate your certificates and awards.
📥 Download our summer job CV template
- Available in 3 colours
- 100% easily editable
- Formats: Word, Powerpoint, Google slides (online)
A very dynamic internship CV template
What if you could prove your dynamism at a glance, to land the internship of your dreams? This is what this energetic and very professional CV template allows you to do. Its geometric shapes attract the eye and build the structure of your CV.
Its layout is organized in two columns. The first allows you to add a photograph and indicates your training, your expertise and your interests. The main part of the CV gives the title of the position sought, your contact details, your candidate description, the languages spoken and your professional experience. To convince, the focus is first on your "about" and your linguistic abilities!
📥 Download this dynamic and bold CV
- Available in 3 colours
- 100% easily editable
- Formats: Word, Powerpoint, Google slides (online)
A CV for an internship in sales
Our sales assistant CV template adopts the appearance of an illustrated page with sobriety and great taste. Ideal for an assistant internship in the digital or communication sector, it gives visibility to your professional experiences and leaves you space to promote your profile. Skills and languages can be separated into categories to highlight your know-how.
📥 Download our sales assistant CV template
- Available in 3 colours
- 100% easily editable
- Formats: Word, Powerpoint, Google slides (online)
A student CV template for an internship in communications
With this CV template, the emphasis is as much on the content as on the form. Sober, professional and effective, it takes up good practices and offers a clear and airy structure. A touch of originality is brought with its illustrated background which highlights the candidate's content. This CV template with background can make all the difference in a pile of applications. Ideal for standing out from the crowd!
📥 Download this student CV template with background
- Available in 3 colours
- 100% easily editable
- Formats: Word, Powerpoint, Google slides (online)
Our convincing CV template
This CV example has everything to convince : a worked graphic design, a well thought-out structure, a professional aspect and a hierarchical layout. Thanks to its dynamic titles, your recruiter will be able to find the information he is looking for at a glance. Its vertical line separates the blocks and facilitates the reading direction.
📥 Download this convincing CV template
- Available in 3 colours
- 100% easily editable
- Formats: Word, Powerpoint, Google slides (online)
An example of a CV for an internship in a company
Ideal for internships in companies, this CV template allows you to stand out with a touch of color and originality. Its coherent structure is effective and places more emphasis on training than on professional experience. Level bars allow you to adjust your strengths and highlight them.
📥 Download the CV template for a company internship
- Available in 3 colours
- 100% easily editable
- Formats: Word, Powerpoint, Google slides (online)
An example of a simple CV for an internship
Would you like to stand out with a simple and striking CV? Our CV profile reveals the full potential of your application. Its clear layout is organized into blocks in which to discover your essential information such as training or experience. A broad portrait energizes your CV and allows you to put yourself forward to reach the recruiter.
📥 Download this simple CV for an internship
- Available in 3 colours
- 100% easily editable
- Formats: Word, Powerpoint, Google slides (online)
A CV template for a successful internship search
This example of a winning CV is one of the most appreciated by young candidates and recruiters. Very professional, it takes all the codes of the CV and highlights them thanks to a small appreciated touch of graphics on the titles. The "profile" block allows you to write a real summary of your application and to integrate your best catchphrase.
📥 Download this internship search CV template
- Available in 3 colours
- 100% easily editable
- Formats: Word, Powerpoint, Google slides (online)
How to send your internship application?
In the past, an internship application was sent by mail or delivered in person in paper format. It is now much more common to send it by e-mail! In addition to saving a lot of time, this simplified process also suits recruiters who can classify applications more easily.
Even though sending an email is easier, there are some rules to follow to ensure your application is well received. Take care in writing your message and turn it into a real preliminary cover letter. It must be engaging, well-written and free of mistakes to prove your seriousness and make the recruiter want to read your attachment.
🚀 To go further, it is better to follow our few tips for sending your CV by email .
Have you found the CV you need for your summer job, your job search or your internship application? Discover all our guides and advice to prepare for your interview and take care in writing your CV.
