How To Make Your Internships Applications Stand Out

OMG - applications are here! What do I put on my resume and cover letter for my internships application?

1. Don’t freak out

If you are applying for student internship roles, a lot of people are in the same boat - limited industry experience. So employers expect that.

2. Keep it short

Don't try to fluff out a resume and cover letter with wordy paragraphs that are just trying to make it look longer. You are just wasting the employers' time.

They have a huge pile of resumes and the longer the resume, the less they will read it. One page is fine. Bullet points are great.

No one reads a three page resume. No one.

3. Don't forget any of the basics at the top

• Name
• Email (one you will actually check + a professional one!)
• Mobile
• Date of birth
• Citizenship/Work rights E.g. "Australian citizen"

4. Education

Where have you attended school and what are you studying? Add your degree and expected graduation date (after all, they are looking for penultimate students)

• Reference any subjects that specifically boost your skill set
• Any electives that are related to the internship
• Subjects you ranked well in, or received HDs and Ds

5. Work experience

Did you complete any major projects that dealt with working with clients involving real-world case studies - add them here!

Mention other jobs, even if it's tutoring (this shows responsibility and reliability) or lawn mowing (shows willingness to do hard work), and any other previous internships.

You might be able to add volunteer experience here if it was work-related.

6. Achievements

In any area? Did you participate in any of the uni clubs & socs? Do you lead anything? Even if you participated at the O-Week stall promoting the club meant you were outgoing and reliable (to turn up!)

Have you done any volunteer work?

Have you participated in any community events? E.g. "I completed the City-To-Surf Fun run in 2019 in a personal best time of 1:23mins"

**7. DO NOT FORGET THIS STEP - Spell check & proof read. **

It's an instant "in the bin" moment when you see a spelling mistake on a CV. It tells you that the applicant makes mistakes and isn't detail focused enough to use spell check! When an employer has 400 student applicants for their limited internship program, the easy way to sort CVs is to bin the CVs with spelling mistakes!

Lastly, please get someone else to proof read your resume. It's so easy to skip a word and your brain puts it back in when you read your own work. Get someone eslee to prof raed.