Level Up Your Resume — Internship EditionOnline version
Ace internships with a glow-up resume and prep
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Welcome to Level Up Your Resume —
Learning goals: (1) Master a modern internship resume structure, (2) Learn tailoring, keywords, and action verbs, (3) Practice interview-ready storytelling using the STAR method. Icebreaker: Share one internship you’re applying for and one strength you bring.
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What is a Resume? Definition & Rules
A resume is a concise document that highlights your most relevant experiences and skills for a role. For interns, education often leads, with clear, scannable sections. Keep it to one page, use a clean PDF, and ensure consistent formatting.
Poll: Do you currently have a resume? Yes / No
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Key Intern Sections & Example Header
Core sections: Header, Education, Projects, Skills. Example header: Jane Doe • Computer Science major, GPA 3.8 • jane.doe@university.edu • (555) 123-4567 • LinkedIn/Portfolio
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Header: What to Include
Header essentials: Name, contact info, LinkedIn, portfolio link, location (city/state). Avoid nonessential details. Use a professional email and mnemonic usernames. Interactive tip: Students draft a header line in a live edit period.
Education section: School, degree, major, expected graduation, relevant coursework or honors. Place education before experience for interns, especially with strong coursework. Activity: Check your education placement in your draft and adjust for readability.
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Projects & Skills: Showcase Your Work
Showcasing projects on a resume provides concrete, tangible proof of a candidate's skills and capabilities, This offers a deeper understanding of their abilities than traditional work experience alone. Projects demonstrate initiative, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Skills: Hard and soft skills relevant to the internship. Skills are showcased on a resume to prove qualifications to employers, highlight specific technical and soft skills relevant to the job, show what value a candidate brings, and pass the initial scan of applicant tracking systems (ATS). This helps differentiate a candidate from the competition and clearly communicate their ability to meet the employer's needs.
This approach is especially valuable for students, recent graduates, or career changers with limited professional experience, allowing you to stand out to potential employers.
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Interactive: Education Placement Check
Prompt: In breakout, verify that at least one project or coursework anchors your education section and that dates are clear. Describe: A 1-2 sentence justification for the chosen placement.
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Tailoring & Keywords: Map to the Posting
Show & map: Display a sample job posting screenshot with highlighted keywords. Map them to your resume bullets and education/projects. Speaker notes: Emphasize keyword alignment for ATS and human readers.
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Breakout: Pull 3 Keywords
Prompt: In breakout rooms, pull 3 keywords from the job posting and note where you could map them. Live-Edit: Students adjust one bullet to include a keyword.
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Action Verbs & Quantifying Impact
Verb list: Lead, Designed, Implemented, Analyzed, Collaborated, Resolved, etc.—choose strong, precise verbs. Formula: Action Verb + Context + Result + Metric (where possible).
How to Use Action Verbs - Be Specific: Instead of "was responsible for," use an action verb like "managed" or "coordinated".
- Use in Context: For a resume, match verbs to the skills you're trying to highlight. For example, use "developed" when discussing creating a new project or "analyzed" when you've been involved in research.
- Vary Your Language: Using a diverse range of action verbs makes your writing more dynamic and persuasive.
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Bullet Craft: One-Page Resume Snapshot
One-page sample: Callouts highlight bullets, keywords, and a key project. Use consistent punctuation and parallel structure. Activity: Borrow one strong line from a project and map a keyword to it.
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Cover Letters & Application Email: Structure
A cover letter is a one-page introductory document submitted with a job application to introduce yourself to a potential employer, highlight your relevant skills and experiences, and explain why you're a strong fit for the specific role and company. It complements your resume by providing a personalized narrative that tells your unique story, demonstrates your motivation, and explains how you can contribute to their success.
Cover letter structure: Header, Greeting, 2–3 body paragraphs, closing. Tie your skills to the role, with a concise rationale.
Distinguish tone: professional, energetic, student-friendly.
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Sample Cover Letter & Email
Sample cover letter: Introduce yourself, state interest, connect your coursework to duties, close with a call to action. Sample email: Subject: Internship Application — [Your Name]; Body: brief intro, link to resume, attach file, request next steps.
Let's review
Timing: Send a follow-up email 7-10 business days after submission if you haven’t heard back. Keep it brief and courteous.Offer value and restate interest without pressuring.
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STAR Method & Interview Prep
STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result. A structured way to tell internship stories. The STAR method is a structured approach for answering behavioral interview questions by providing specific examples using the framework of Situation, Task, Action, and Result. It helps interview candidates organize their thoughts and provide clear, concise, and compelling stories that showcase their skills and competencies relevant to a job.
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STAR Method Example response
"At my previous job, we were preparing to launch a new product, but our timeline was shortened due to unexpected supply chain issues. As the project manager, I was responsible for ensuring the launch stayed on schedule while coordinating with the marketing and production teams to address supply chain delays. I quickly organized a cross-departmental meeting to identify critical bottlenecks. I delegated tasks to streamline processes, sourced an alternative supplier to prevent delays, and adjusted the marketing strategy to align with the new timeline. As a result, we successfully launched the product on the revised timeline, achieving a 15% increase in initial sales compared to projections. My proactive adjustments helped secure client satisfaction and avoid potential revenue losses."
The STAR interview method allows you to organize your response and provides the framework to showcase your skills and explain what type of impact you have had, underscoring your value as an potential employee.
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Interview Practice & Breakout Mock
Practice questions: Tell me about yourself; describe a challenge; how do you handle feedback; a time you learned quickly. Breakout: Do a quick mock interview with a partner and give each other feedback.
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Deliverables & Peer Review
Deliverables: Updated resume, tailored cover letter, sample email, and a 1-page portfolio starter. Peer review: Use a downloadable form to give constructive feedback and set goals for revision.
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Reminders: Visuals, Fonts, Colors and Structure
Visual tips: Bold headings, clean sans-serif fonts, bright accent colors for highlights, and consistent margins.Clean and readable resume and emphasize ATS-friendly formatting.
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Final Tips & Next Steps
Tips: Be proactive, tailor every application, and keep a running resume glow-up log. Next steps: Apply, adjust, and iterate based on feedback from peers.
Let's Glow up our Resume now.
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