Internship recruiters do not expect professional experience. They look for potential: good academic foundations, curiosity, reliability and the ability to communicate. Your CV should make those qualities easy to see.
What to include on a student CV
- Education first: degree, year of study, expected graduation date and grades so far.
- Relevant modules and projects that relate to the internship.
- Experience: part-time jobs, volunteering, tutoring, family business work.
- Activities and leadership: societies, sports teams, hackathons, competitions.
- Skills: software, languages, lab or technical skills.
Example student CV snippet
EDUCATION
BBA (Finance) — Institute of Business Studies | 2024 – 2028 (expected) | GPA 3.5/4.0
Modules: Financial Accounting, Corporate Finance, Business Statistics, Excel for Business
PROJECTS
Stock Portfolio Simulation — Built an Excel model tracking 15 stocks; finished 2nd of 40 teams in the university trading challenge.
EXPERIENCE
Maths Tutor (part-time) | 2024 – Present — Tutor 6 high-school students weekly; 5 improved by at least one grade.
ACTIVITIES
Treasurer, Finance Society — Managed a budget of $3,000 and organised 4 industry talks.
Career objective examples for internships
Second-year mechanical engineering student with hands-on CAD experience from Formula Student, seeking a summer internship in automotive design to apply SolidWorks skills and learn from experienced engineers.
Business student who grew a university society's Instagram from 400 to 3,000 followers in one year, seeking a marketing internship to develop content and analytics skills in a consumer brand.
Put this into practice
Build an ATS-friendly CV with live preview and free PDF download.
Where to find internships
- Your university careers service and job portal.
- LinkedIn, Indeed and company career pages (search "internship", "placement" or "summer analyst").
- Career fairs and employer presentations on campus.
- Direct, polite emails to smaller companies, with your CV attached and a specific request.
What to do after you apply
Track your applications in a simple spreadsheet with company, role, date applied and status. Prepare for online tests and short video interviews, which many internship programmes use. If you are rejected, ask politely for feedback — and apply again next cycle with an improved CV.
Tips to stand out
- Tailor your objective to the company and internship title.
- Add a portfolio or GitHub link for creative and technical roles.
- Apply early — many internship programmes recruit months in advance and close when full.
- Keep it to one page and send a short cover letter.
Use the student CV template in our builder to get started in minutes, then read the fresh graduate CV guide for your next step.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get an internship with no experience?+
Yes — internships are designed for people without professional experience. Projects, coursework and activities are your evidence.
Should first-year students include high-school results?+
Yes. Until you have university grades, strong high-school results help show academic ability.
Related CV examples
BuildCVFast Editorial Team
This guide is written and reviewed by the BuildCVFast editorial team using current hiring practices, published employer guidance and official government sources where relevant. We update our guides regularly. Read our editorial policy or send us a correction.