How do I make a resume for an internship with no experience?

Lean on relevant coursework, class projects, volunteer work, and any part-time jobs. Lead with what you know and are learning, not what you lack.

Should an internship resume be one page?

Always — for students and recent graduates with no professional experience, one page is the standard. Use the space wisely.

What should the objective of an internship resume say?

State your degree, your target role, and one or two relevant skills or qualities: "Marketing student seeking summer internship to apply SEO and content marketing skills in a professional setting."

What GPA should I put on my internship resume?

List your GPA if it is 3.3 or above. For competitive programs (consulting, finance, big tech), 3.5+ is typically expected.

Can I list group class projects on my internship resume?

Yes — list them as projects with your role, the tools used, and the outcome. Treat them like professional work you contributed to.

Entry Level

Internship Resume Writing Guide

Getting your first internship is competitive. Employers receive hundreds of applications from students with similar academic backgrounds — your resume needs to make your coursework, projects, and personal initiative stand out. This template is specifically structured to help pre-professional candidates land their first industry experience.

View example sections

Who should use this template

University students applying for summer or semester internships
Students with no prior internship experience
High school students applying for junior or gap-year programs

Key skills for your internship resume

Include these keywords in your skills section to match what recruiters and ATS systems look for in internship resume template applications.

Communication & writingMicrosoft Office / Google WorkspaceSocial media managementData analysis basics (Excel)Teamwork & collaborationAttention to detailWillingness to learnField-specific coursework skills

Resume example sections

Structure your resume with these sections in order for the best results with recruiters and ATS software.

1Objective Statement
2Education
3Relevant Coursework & Projects
4Skills
5Work & Volunteer Experience
6Extracurricular Activities

Professional Summary Example

Second-year marketing student at NYU seeking a summer digital marketing internship. Strong analytical skills developed through coursework in consumer behavior and marketing analytics. Managed social media accounts for the university's business club, growing followers by 40%.

Work Experience Bullet Examples

Managed Instagram and LinkedIn accounts for 500-member university business club, growing engagement by 40% in one semester.
Completed 8-week volunteer role at local nonprofit, assisting with event planning and donor communications.
Built personal finance tracking spreadsheet used by 20 classmates — featured in campus newsletter.

ATS optimization tips

Use an Objective Statement (1–2 sentences) instead of a Summary when you have no professional experience.

Include expected graduation date and current GPA clearly in the Education section.

Save as a plain .docx or PDF (not a scanned image) so text is machine-readable.

Mirror keywords from the job description verbatim — spelling counts.

Common resume mistakes to avoid

Leaving large sections blank because you feel you have nothing to list — use coursework, projects, and activities.

Spelling or grammar errors — these are disqualifying for competitive internship programs.

Not customizing the resume for each application — even small changes to keywords matter.

Including a photo, date of birth, or other personal details not relevant in the US/UK.

Ready to build your entry level resume?

Use this free ATS-friendly internship resume template as your foundation and fill in each section with your own achievements.

View template sections ATS Resume Guide

Frequently asked questions — internship resume template

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