A CV is a document that aims to give an overview of your professional and academic experience to showcase your previous responsibilities, so that an employer that decide if you’re capable of doing the job that you’re applying for.
A carefully crafted CV that displays relevant experience and qualifications can be a great first step in landing you an interview for an internship.
How to apply for internships
If you’re hoping to gain a place on an internship, knowing where to look and how to apply is your next goal. There are a number of different sources to find available internships, including job listing sites. However, if you have an idea of the industry you’d like to intern within, you could also try searching for companies in your area that work in this sector, and see if they offer an internship programme.
Once you’ve found a listed role that has caught your interest, it’s important to always check the advertisement as this will likely have clear instructions on the best way to apply. In some cases, you may be able to apply through the website, or you may need to email the hiring manager.
The application process for an internship may include all or some of these steps:
- Sending your CV
- Completing cognitive tests
- Interview, either by video or in person
- Assessment day
How to write a CV for an internship
It’s important to remember that a CV is the first opportunity you have to show off the skills and experience that you can bring to an internship, so it’s important to effectively plan out how you’re going to craft it for maximum impact.
With this in mind, here are our key tips that we think you should remember when writing your CV for an internship application.
Set out your goals
Before you put pen to paper, determine what you want to achieve with your CV. Make sure you are familiar with the role and company you’re applying for, and ensure your CV demonstrates the most relevant and important skills that would highlight your suitability for the internship.
Fill in your contact details
It’s no use writing the perfect CV if the employer has no way to contact you. Make sure that you include an email address and double-check that the contact number you’ve provided is correct.
List education in reverse chronological order
It’s helpful to list any qualifications in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent. This means your potential employer can see your newest achievements and it may give them a better idea of why you’re applying for the internship.
Include relevant experience
Including experience that’s relevant to the internship you’re applying to can be a game-changer. Although you won’t be expected to have masses of experience, even a small amount of relevant experience can set you apart.
Remember about your hobbies and interests
Some skills and hobbies can help to demonstrate desirable characteristics such as time-keeping, goal-setting and dedication to a task. Although this shouldn’t make up the bulk of your CV, including a link to a personal blog might help you to land a journalism internship, or running a successful TikTok might help you to achieve a social media internship.
If you’re hoping to find out more about internships available at SEFE, take a look at our Early Careers hub today.
To find out more about careers at SEFE please visit our homepage.
The views, opinions and positions expressed within this article are those of our third-party content providers alone and do not represent those of SEFE. The accuracy, completeness and validity of any statements made within this article are not guaranteed. SEFE accepts no liability for any errors, omissions or representations.
