Taking Your Internship Resume Seriously Will Take You Places
By Sayaka Seino
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In a world where first impressions matter, a resume should be carefully planned and written. It should be a tool that showcases you in the best possible light. Writing an impressive resume is time consuming and requires effort, but the benefits are worth it because it can land you that exciting internship you've been dreaming about and that you've invested so much education into. There are a few tips that are important in making that first impression count. Bear in mind that you are marketing yourself, so all the information you include should be well displayed and well calculated.
The overall design should be attractive. Remember, fancy font styles and sizes are not only hard on the eyes but portray you as unprofessional. Basic formatting skills should be used to emphasize the points that should catch the employer's eye, like bold for the headings, etc. The key to writing a readable resume is consistency. Choose specific action verbs and write in the past tense. Typographical errors like spelling and grammar should be avoided at all costs because it shows a lack of attention to detail.
A resume should provide information about who you are and what you are willing to offer your future employer. The information you pass along to your future employer should therefore be professional and relevant. The most common components in an internship resume include:
Contact Information
This includes your name, address, phone number, and email address. If you are living on campus you should include a permanent address at which you can be reached and likewise a reachable phone number. Note that if your phone is on an answering machine, the voice mail greeting should be professional. It is advisable that your name be typed in a larger font size for easy identification.
Profile or Summary of Qualifications
Your profile should be clearly and concisely spelled out, explaining exactly what you have to offer the company. Highlight your most notable skills and keep it no longer than four lines long.
Educational Experience
Include all of your academic achievements, drawing attention to the highest level you have achieved. All academic awards and honors are important and should be included here, together with your GPA if it is at 3.0 or above. List courses you've completed that are related to the type of work you wish to pursue as an intern.
Skills
Your skills can include your proficiency in different languages, computer skills, and any other special credentials that relate to the opportunity you are looking for.
Work Experience
Emphasize the transferable skills you've gained and developed from responsibilities you've had in your previous jobs. List your former places of employment and positions held in chronological order. The employer needs to see the most pertinent information first, so begin each description with a subheading. Descriptions may be in the format of a paragraph or they may be bulleted below each subheading. Remember to maintain a consistent format throughout the resume. The descriptive phrases should begin with an action verb in the past tense. It is advisable to use a variety of them.
Your resume should be precise and to the point, citing all relevant information that best describes what you have to offer the company you are hoping to work for. Always bear in mind that this one-page document is your marketing tool and gateway to gaining the experience you need to venture confidently into the future job world.
