How to Write an Internship CV: A Practical UK Guide
What goes on an internship CV
The National Careers Service lists five core sections for any CV: contact details, an introduction, education history, work history, and references [1]. For an internship CV, you adapt those sections to make the most of what you have.
| Section | What to include | Tips for students |
|---|---|---|
| Contact details | Name, phone, email, LinkedIn URL | Use a professional email address — firstname.lastname@domain |
| Personal statement | 2–3 lines: who you are, what you study, what you offer | Tailor this to every role; avoid phrases like 'hardworking individual' |
| Education | Degree, university, expected graduation date; A-levels if relevant | Add predicted or actual grade; list relevant modules if they match the role |
| Experience | Part-time jobs, placements, volunteering, society roles | Use bullet points; start each with an action verb |
| Projects & coursework | Dissertations, group projects, case competitions | Name the project, your role, and the outcome |
| Skills | Technical tools, languages, software | Only list skills you could discuss in an interview |
| References | 'Available on request' is fine | You do not need to name referees on the CV itself |
Keep the order flexible. If your education is your strongest selling point — which it usually is at this stage — put it above experience [1].
How to write each section of your internship CV
Contact details. Name at the top, large enough to stand out. Phone, email, and a LinkedIn URL if your profile is complete. No photo, no date of birth, no nationality — these are not required and add no value [1].
Personal statement. Two or three sentences. State what you study and where, what skills or knowledge you bring, and what kind of internship you are seeking. Write it last, once you know what the rest of your CV says.
Personal statement — before and after
- Situation
- Second-year marketing student applying for a digital marketing internship
- Task
- Write a personal statement that is specific and useful to the recruiter
- Action
- Replace vague adjectives with concrete evidence from the CV
- Result
- Before: 'I am a hardworking and motivated student looking for an internship to develop my skills.' After: 'Second-year Marketing student at the University of Leeds, with hands-on experience running social media for a 400-member student society. Comfortable with Google Analytics and Canva. Seeking a summer digital marketing internship where I can apply data-led content skills.'
The second version tells the recruiter something specific in under 40 words.
Education. List your current degree first: degree title, university, expected graduation year, and your predicted or current grade if it is 2:1 or above. Add A-levels underneath with grades. If specific modules are directly relevant to the internship — for example, Financial Modelling for a finance role — list up to four under a 'Relevant modules' line.
Experience. This is where students often undersell themselves. Part-time retail or hospitality work shows reliability, customer communication and working under pressure. Volunteering shows initiative. Society committee roles show leadership. List each in reverse chronological order with the employer or organisation name, your role, the dates, and two or three bullet points [1].
Write each bullet point using an action verb and, where possible, a result. The STAR method — Situation, Task, Action, Result — is a useful frame even for CV bullets [2].
- Start with a verb: managed, built, analysed, coordinated, designed, supported
- Add context: for whom, how many people, what scale
- Add the outcome: what changed, what was delivered, what you learned
Experience bullet — before and after
- Situation
- Student who worked as a barista during term time
- Task
- Turn a generic job description into a strong CV bullet
- Action
- Apply action verb + context + outcome structure
- Result
- Before: 'Responsible for making coffee and serving customers.' After: 'Served up to 150 customers per shift in a fast-paced environment, maintaining accuracy during peak hours and receiving consistent positive customer feedback.'
You do not need to invent numbers. Use real ones, even rough ones, if you have them.
Projects and coursework. A dissertation, group case study, coding project or design brief can all go here. Name the project, describe your specific contribution (not the group's), and state the outcome — a grade, a presentation, a working prototype.
Skills. List technical skills you can genuinely demonstrate: software (Excel, Python, Figma, Adobe Suite), languages, data tools, coding languages [4]. Soft skills like 'communication' or 'teamwork' belong in your bullets, not in a list — they need evidence to mean anything.
Internship CV format and length
One page is the standard for an internship CV. You are early in your career, and a recruiter should be able to read your CV quickly. Two pages is only justified if you have substantial relevant experience — which is rare at internship stage.
Use a clean, readable font — Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman at size 11 or above [1]. Use consistent formatting throughout: same heading style, same bullet style, same date format. Avoid tables, columns, text boxes or graphics if you are saving to Word — they can cause problems when a recruiter opens the file on a different system.
Format checklist ✓ One page ✓ Font size 11 or above, consistent throughout ✓ Reverse chronological order within each section ✓ Bullet points, not paragraphs, for experience ✓ No photo, no date of birth, no nationality ✓ Saved as PDF unless the application asks for Word ✓ File named: Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf
Save as a PDF unless the employer specifically asks for a Word document. A PDF preserves your formatting on any device.
How to tailor your internship CV to each role
A generic internship CV rarely works. Recruiters can tell. Tailoring does not mean rewriting everything — it means adjusting your personal statement, reordering your bullet points, and making sure the skills you highlight match what the job description asks for [1].
- Read the job description carefully and highlight the key skills and requirements.
- Check your CV for evidence of each one — even indirect evidence counts.
- Rewrite your personal statement to reflect this specific role and organisation.
- Move your most relevant experience or project to the top of its section.
- Swap in keywords from the job description where they fit naturally — for example, if the role asks for 'data analysis', use that phrase rather than 'working with numbers'.
- Remove anything that takes up space but adds no value for this particular role.
Tailoring takes time, but it is the single biggest lever you have. A CV that speaks directly to a role will always outperform a polished generic one. Our CV Studio can help you tailor your CV to a specific job ad in under a minute, showing every change it makes.
What to do when you have no work experience
Almost every student has more to put on an internship CV than they think. Work experience is not limited to paid jobs [1].
- University societies and clubs: any committee role, event you organised, or team you captained counts as leadership and project management experience.
- Volunteering: charity work, mentoring younger students, community projects — all valid.
- Coursework and projects: a group project where you led the research, a dissertation with a clear methodology, a case competition entry.
- Online courses and certifications: Google Analytics, Microsoft Learn, Coursera, LinkedIn Learning — short courses show initiative and add real skills.
- Freelance or informal work: designing a poster for a friend's business, building a website, tutoring — these are real skills delivered for a real purpose.
- Part-time and casual work: retail, hospitality, delivery, call centres — all demonstrate reliability, communication and working under pressure.
If you are building your very first CV, the Fresh Grad Wizard turns six questions about your degree, projects, part-time work and activities into a structured first CV — free with an account. You can also try turning one thing you have done into a CV line right now on the graduate CV help page, with no account needed.
For a broader guide to starting from scratch, see how to write a CV with no experience.
Common internship CV mistakes to avoid
- Using the same CV for every application. Tailoring is not optional — it is the difference between a CV that gets read and one that gets skipped.
- Writing in the third person. 'She managed a team of five' reads oddly. Write in the first person without using 'I': 'Managed a team of five.'
- Vague personal statements. 'Hardworking and motivated' tells a recruiter nothing. Replace adjectives with evidence.
- Listing responsibilities instead of achievements. 'Responsible for social media' is weaker than 'Grew the society's Instagram following over one term by posting consistently and tracking engagement.'
- Including a photo. Not standard practice in the UK, and it can introduce unconscious bias.
- Spelling and grammar errors. Read your CV aloud. Then ask someone else to read it. Then read it again [1].
- Wrong file name. 'CV.pdf' or 'Document1.pdf' looks careless. Use your name.
- Leaving gaps unexplained. A gap year, a medical leave, caring responsibilities — a brief note is better than silence.
Once your CV is written, paste it into the CV checker for a 0–100 readiness score and up to three specific fixes — no sign-up needed.
Getting your internship CV interview-ready
Your CV gets you the interview. Your preparation gets you the offer. Every bullet point on your CV is a potential interview question — be ready to talk through any of them in detail using the STAR method [2].
Read our full guide to STAR method interview answers to see how to structure your responses. If you want to practise before the real thing, Interview Coach gives you eight role-specific questions with STAR feedback and a model answer — one full session is free with an account.
Frequently asked questions
How long should an internship CV be?
One page. You are early in your career and a recruiter needs to assess you quickly. Two pages is only justified if you have substantial relevant experience — which is rare at internship stage. Keep it tight, keep it relevant, and cut anything that does not add value for the specific role you are applying for.
What should I put on an internship CV if I have no work experience?
More than you think. University society roles, volunteering, coursework projects, online certifications, and casual or part-time work all count. Focus on what you did, what skills you used, and what the outcome was. The National Careers Service confirms that projects and work experience of any kind can fill a short work history [1].
Should I include A-levels on my internship CV?
Yes, if you are in your first or second year of university and your A-levels are relevant or strong. List them below your degree with grades. By your final year, they matter less — your degree, modules and experience will carry more weight. Remove them if space is tight and they add nothing specific to the role.
How do I tailor my internship CV to a job description?
Read the job description and highlight the key skills and requirements. Check your CV for evidence of each one. Rewrite your personal statement to reflect the specific role. Reorder your bullets so the most relevant experience appears first. Use the same language as the job description where it fits naturally — this helps your CV resonate with the reader.
Do I need a cover letter for an internship application?
Most internship applications benefit from one, especially at competitive organisations. A cover letter lets you explain your motivation for this specific role and company — something a CV cannot do. Keep it to three short paragraphs: why this role, why this organisation, and what you bring. Check if the application asks for one before spending time on it.
Can I use AI to write my internship CV?
AI tools can help you structure bullet points, improve phrasing and tailor your CV to a job description. But the content must come from your real experience — never let a tool invent achievements or skills you do not have. Review every suggestion before using it. CV Studio only uses experience you provide and shows every change it makes.
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