A CV for an internship: what counts when you don't have a job title yet

The supervisor reading your internship CV isn't looking for a seasoned professional, but for a student to train, who will learn fast and be of use in return. What makes the difference comes down to four things: dates that fit your school calendar, a precisely described course, skills proven by what you have already produced, and a clear goal for the internship. The sections of a student CV are covered in the student CV guide; here we deal with what is specific to internships.

What the law says about internships, and what it changes on the CV

• An internship agreement is compulsory, signed by you, the host organisation and your school. On the CV, name the exact school and course: the company then knows who will sign.
• The length is capped at 6 months per host organisation and per academic year. Ask for the length your school sets, no more.
• An intern does not replace an employee and does not do the regular work of a permanent post: the internship is there for you to gain skills linked to your course. So present what you want to learn and what you will contribute to, not “I can do the job”.
• An allowance is due beyond two months of attendance, i.e. from 309 h over the academic year, at a minimum of €4.50 an hour. It doesn't go on the CV, but know it: the internship allowance calculator gives the amount per month and for the whole internship, and the guide to the internship allowance explains the rules.

The dates: the first line people read

A company taking on an intern organises its team around the intern's dates. Write them under your headline, with the type of internship and your course, in the words your school uses:

• “Final-year internship in management control · [X] months from [month] · Master's in [title], [school]”
• “Part-time internship: two days a week from [month] to [month], then full time in [month]”
• “Dates can move within the window set by the school: from [date] to [date]”

A window rather than a fixed date, when your school allows it, widens the number of companies that can say yes.

Your internship goal, in two sentences

Under the headline, instead of an experienced candidate's personal statement, write what you want to learn and what you already bring. A supervisor can picture you better when they know what they will have you working on.

• “A student on a BUT (French bachelor's-level university diploma) in information and communication, I am looking for an internship in internal communications to learn how to build an editorial plan and measure its reach. I have already run my university's student association Instagram account and made short videos in Premiere Pro.”
• “At engineering school, specialising in industrial engineering, I am looking for a continuous improvement internship on a production line. Semester project: reorganising an assembly workstation to cut the operator's movements, in a team of [X].”

Proving your skills without a job title

Your course is already described in your Education section; here, the point is proof. A skill with no evidence is a claim; a skill tied to a project, an applied module or a first internship becomes a fact. How to organise them is in the guide to skills on a CV.

The “[X]” are your real figures: if you don't have them, leave them out rather than make them up.

Speculative applications

Many internships are never advertised, especially at small companies. To find them, look at where students from previous years went (your school often keeps a list), your course's partner companies, and organisations whose products you already know. Then send a short email, addressed to a named person, with your CV attached:

“Subject: Management control internship, [X] months from [month]. Dear Ms [surname], I am on a master's in [title] at [school] and I am looking for an internship to learn budget monitoring at an industrial site. I saw that your [town] plant took on a student from my course last year. My CV is attached; my agreement will be signed by the school. Would you be open to a short conversation?”

The method for targeted applications and follow-ups is the same as for a first job, set out in the first-job CV guide.

Internship CV traps

• No dates, or “as soon as possible”: the company can't plan anything.
• “Looking for an internship” with no field: the headline has to say in what (marketing, logistics, web development…).
• A list of every module of the year: keep the ones that serve the tasks you are aiming for.
• Qualities with no proof (“motivated, dynamic, rigorous”) instead of facts.
• Writing “unpaid internship accepted”: beyond the legal threshold the allowance is due anyway, and the sentence undersells your application.

Checking before you send

Upload your CV to the CV analysis: it checks the headline, the dates, the spelling and the job ad's keywords, and suggests word-for-word fixes. For the email or letter that goes with a speculative application, Nego writes a first draft from your CV and what you tell it about the company, with no made-up figures (it writes “[X]” instead), for you to review before sending.