Studies reveal that internship programs help college students to have a successful transition from college life to career life. This is probably why you are applying for one. As an aspiring intern looking for the best employment program available for you, it is understandable that your greatest dilemma would be writing your resume. After all, this is probably the first time you will be making one.
Before you start making a resume, you should first understand its purpose. Technically, a resume aims to inform your potential employer about your education, activities and experiences, and accomplishments. Yet, on a personal level, you want your resume to make a good professional impression about you to the potential employers. Now that you know the purpose of your resume, you can start making one.
Here is a quick guide in writing your very first resume when applying for internship:
Step 1- Prepare all the information.
As a starting point, you must be able to prepare a list of all the information you intend to put on your resume. Take note of your relevant academic experiences, major class projects, leadership trainings, volunteer experiences, extracurricular activities, accomplishments and honors, and your unique skills. Type the information using a word processor.
Step 2- Divide the resume into sections.
On a separate document, type the major headers that will divide the resume into clear sections. Some of the typical labels include name header, objective, education, skills and qualifications, and honors, activities, and affiliations. The name header includes your name, contact number, and address. Objective should include a focused statement about the desired. Education includes the full name of university, degree, anticipated graduation date, and GPA. Skills and qualifications sections include the strongest and most pertinent skills such as computer competencies, technical skills, and other specialized qualifications. Lastly, honors, activities, and affiliations section should include relevant awards and honors, presentations made, publications, organization membership and community volunteer works.
Step 3- Organize resume as chronological or functional.
The next thing to do is to fill in the section with the information you listed in Step 1. You can organize the information either in chronological or functional manner. You can present the information in reverse chronological order, listing the most recent information first and backwards. You can also organize information in a functional manner, highlighting major areas of accomplishments and strength depending on what is most relevant to the job.
Step 4- Fix for appropriate formatting.
After putting all the information in their respective section in a functional or chronological order, the next thing to do is to fix the paper’s format. The margins must have no less than 0.5 inches margins on all sides. Use professional-looking font such as Times New Roman. The general content should have 10 to 12 pt. font while headers should have 10 to 14 point font. Aim for readability and consistency when formatting.
Step 5- Proofread, check for errors and make sure all information is relevant.
Now that your resume is complete, do not get too excited! There is one last thing to do: proofread and check for errors. Check your spelling and grammar. If your resume is more than two pages, try to minimize the information by picking just the most relevant ones. Prioritize the skills and qualifications that are relevant to the job you are applying for.
Once you completed these steps, it is time to submit your resume and prepare to be called for an interview. Enjoy the process and learn from it because not long after, you would soon be applying for your dream job.