Don’t feel intimidated that you have little or no real-world experience.

Internships, work-study, student jobs, and even relevant coursework can make your resume stand out. Your goal is to present this information in the best possible way: present relevant details, be thoughtful in layout, and tailor each resume to the specific position.

To be clear, internships and campus jobs are just that, but they can be stepping-stones to your dream posting after graduation.

Begin with the Basics

SELECT THE RIGHT FORMAT 

• Chronological can showcase past campus jobs and internships. 
• Functional is better if you have few (or no) relevant work experience. 
• Learn the Difference in Format Styles...

TAILOR YOUR RESUME TO THE POSTING
This is an excellent practice to get into for the future. ALWAYS suit your resume and cover letter to the post to which you are applying. Generic and irrelevant content are just as likely to get you ignored on campus as in the real world. This is important!

• Generic resumes are the main reasons that your resume will be ignored.
• Learn to Tailor your Resume & Cover Letter...

CONTENT
Campus job and internship resumes are different than those for jobs out in industry. It’s encouraged to include relevant coursework, non-work experience, as well as grades or GPA in the body of the document. The hiring managers in these jobs are looking for a great student AND someone who can benefit from the duties of the part-time job. These elements mean that the incumbent will perform well and work to learn /master new skills at their limited time in the position.

• Consider Including: Skills (soft skills or technical), Memberships, Awards, Internships, Software and Technology, Volunteering and Community Engagement, Research Projects, Interests, and Work Experience. 
• Want to add the job at the Minute Mart….is it relevant…you decide.

*. If you don’t have particularly good grades as a student, don't included you GPA, better still- be sure to include your “Relevant Coursework”

Last year I was relatively tight-lipped about the intern search process when writing for this blog. There are a few reasons why I chose to keep my lip zipped and pen still. In spite of the thorough search that I usually employ when seeking out interns, I was given some unsolicited help from one of the veeps in my organization. This thoughtful individual found two students who had enough creative experience to be called novices, no design portfolios—and not enough pieces to club together a single portfolio between them, and they hadn’t even seen the position description posted online or in print. However, these two students were her choice.

In the question of their employment, I had no choice.

For my part, I had a few quite good design students in my Digital Publishing class last spring, and one who was exceptional. This young woman was creative, a decent writer, paid meticulous attention to detail, and was a fearless self-starter; taking the initiative to learn tools and concepts that went far beyond my course curriculum. When I approached this student, I gave her the option to apply as my summer intern—without a guaranteed post. That was completely false on my part—there was no way that this much talent would slip through my fingers.

So my dilemma last June was, what to do with so many interns.

The student that I vetted was sleighed to learn Adobe DPS, and build an entire section of our organization’s newest mobile app, while also learning to storyboard, record convincing voiceover, and edit video, and design digital signage for upcoming campus-wide events. I was informed that the others would also assist with video and graphic design projects. Early on I was mostly mad and seriously skeptical, but as the summer unfolded I became slightly less skeptical.

After all, we had unlimited access to Lynda.com, and neophytes should have been able to learn the principles of graphic design, plus complex software in a semester, right? Right. Lynda was actually one tool that I employed to help my surplus assistants get up to speed.

As each intern started their tenure with me I gave them a list of projects for the semester, this also included links to the corresponding video tutorial(s) to help them get up and running with each project. I felt like a genius. Instead of using valuable time to give hand-holding instruction, I let each individual work at their own pace. Of course, there were daily check-ins, and I treated my students to at least one lunch date where we talked about progress, challenges, and opportunities in their projects. My goal was to treat my summer interns as colleagues, rather than students. It was a mostly successful tactic.



Where did I fail, you wonder?

One of the interns that I was given—it turns out—had problems working autonomously. While he was a good student and eager to learn about video production and editing, he lacked the self-motivation to learn and effectively solve problems on his own. This information I learned after an encounter with his video production professor. In addition to his chuckle of surprise that I chose that particular student to assist with such an advanced series of projects, he gave me some insight. The phrase used was “you gotta keep on top of him.”

My reply to that bit of news was that I’m not a mountain goat (mine is a quick wit).

At the end of the summer season, I’d gotten a chance to work with three interesting young people who knew more than they did at the start of the summer. And I had a diplomatically worded conversation with my boss’ boss’ boss about my internship interview process and its importance to the quality—and quantity—of completed design collaterals.

Let's talk a bit about one of the benefits of completing an internship.

At the end of the spring semester this year, I pushed to have either an intern or a summer assistant who hailed from an outside university. My reasoning was that I wanted to open up the opportunity to a larger pool of talented students. I got my wish and was able to hire a summer assistant from my alma mater; a young woman with more graphic design skill than a freshman or sophomore (which is all we seem to get in my office). I lucked out.

My assistant just worked her last day this week and will hopefully move on to bigger and better things.

In addition to a modest hourly rate, she got a chance to work scripting, recording and editing instructional tutorials using Camtasia; something previously outside of her skills set. The project added expertise in software that is fast-becoming an industry standard tool. She also got to put her personal style on the finished materials. The project was a complete success, and she enjoyed the work, too.

"...thank you so much for mentoring me for what felt like another semester. You taught me so much in such a short time and I wish I could have stayed around for longer..."

Well, she's got a great career ahead of her!

In no particular order...

I got a question from my former intern last week and had to share. She’s ready to graduate and is now looking for her first ‘real job’ (thanks).

Her question: Do I Include Student work in My Portfolio?

Were this anyone else my answer may be different. In the past four years she has built a portfolio of exceptional student work, freelance projects and a few pieces from her internships.

Once again it's graduation season. My Alma Mater continues to host several events to keep the alumni interested and involved. They're also making strides to connect graduates with current students for mentorships and networking opportunities. Bravo, University of Baltimore!

My current employer, another Maryland university, is taking it a step further by asking  their successful alums to take the Internship Challenge.

We all know that there's a certain level of (alma mater) nepotism--where graduates of a school seek to actively hire fellow graduates or students--in the professional world. Frankly, I'm a huge fan of this! I know that graduates of my undergrad and grad programs are adept creating effective design and communications--keeping the audience, message and media in the forefront of design (this just isn't true of graduates of the geographically close, and highly acclaimed art school in the region).

As a current student, your professional experience is limited. While you’ve taken several diverse courses, participated in student groups, and completed several freelance pieces, you don’t feel that marketable. But you are!

Which Type is the Right Type?
When updating your resume for an internship consider your audience. Is the industry a creative one? Is it receptive to out-of-the-box design concepts? Is it conservative or built on tested ideals? Will your design, paper size, typography, or color palette cause your application to be discarded? The different format options will help to highlight your talents.

• Functional Resume Format - Many job search sites and guides claim that functional resumes are the way-to-go when you have limited experience. I disagree. When I see this  resume type show up in a group, I know immediately that the applicant has something to hide; be that limited experience, or gaps in professional history. To be safe, don't use this format.
• Chronological Resume Format - Use a format that can grow as your experience grows. Use a format that is easily scannable and recognizable by the people who matter. This is the most widely used formats in the USA, and recognizable across different industries.
• Infographic Resume  Format- When applying for an internship with a graphic design firm or creative company, it’s important to demonstrate what sets you apart from the other applicants. A well-designed infographic resume is a great tool for this.
  
  This format allows you to showcase your graphic design skills, illustrate the principles of effective design, and convey your experience and interests on a single page. To be clear, this is a suitable format for jobs and internships in creative fields, but will not work in the non-profit sector, or corporate, or educational settings

Right now every professional designer I know is busy as hell. And no wonder, companies have tightened belts and expect small creative departments to do more with less. Unfortunately, the trend is increasing. As a graphic designer, you have a few options that can be employed:

• Hold your breath until you turn blue.
• Threaten to quit until you get some help.
• Look for a new job with a company with greater resources
• Delegate more work to your subordinates (as if)
• Get an intern, and create opportunities for students to learn on-the-job and increase their skill base, while you get a helping hand.

That’s right, consider hiring an intern! You have options for skill levels and knowledge; there’s no rule that sayS your intern will be a novice who only knows the rudimentaries of Photoshop. Undergrad and Graduate programs promote internship throughout the length of the programs, and you can easily end up hiring a gifted designer with mad Adobe skills, aptitude for typography and a passion for the visual arts.


One problem that you’re sure to encounter is making time in your too-full schedule to interview prospective interns. Take a tip from me, schedule them all on the same morning—preferably the one that the mandatory staff meeting fallS on—and then keep your afternoon free to tackle your ever-expanding ‘work’ pile.

• Job search and the job market
• Interview questions, answers, and tips
• Life of an intern
• Meet Creative Entrepreneurs

CC License Attribution: Astragony

Of course, there is a potential downside to internships. Presently, many of the available postings are unpaid. Companies find that stiff competition between college students and recent grads makes it a “seller’s market”.  The decline in availability of paid internships is evidence of this.

In addition to the possibility of upaid work for part of your school year, here are a few other negatives to consider when making your decision:

1. Workload:  There’s a slim possibility that an unscrupulous employer will take advantage of your technical skills and give you tons of labor intensive projects, while you get none of the recognition. A great way to screen out this sort of employer is to get a clear idea of the scope of work and hours expected of the intern during your initial interview. Ask questions during the interview!
2. Uninspiring Projects: Although this is rare, a few people read the title "Intern" as a catch-all position that encompasses coffee maker, copy collator, errand runner, and grunt-work doer.
3. Expenses:  Finally, you may end up spending a bit out-of-pocket to gain valuable experience. Is this a paid internship? If not, will you have to pay for room, board and travel expenses after accepting the position? Does the company offer mileage reimbursement? Find out!

Learn more about the up-side of participating in an internship.

As you weigh your options, remember that the ultimate goal is to land an decent job, in your field, with a competitive salary and a level of job satisfaction. Internships offer you real work experience that is hard to get once you leave school.

In college, they tell you that your internship counts as professional experience. It generally does. This is why participating in an internship is an excellent idea for design students who plan to have jobs post-graduation.

An internship gives you the opportunity to test drive your chosen career path, work on real-world projects, and see an actual workflow–without the luxury of multiple revisions that you have in the classroom. Undertaking an internship when you’re still in school is one of the best ways to see what you’re in for before your university closes its gilded doors behind you, for good.

These are the top reasons for you to bite the bullet and take that 3 or  6 credit internship:

CC License Attribution: Astragony

Gain Experience:  First and most importantly, an internship gives you opportunities and experiences you won’t get as a student. Although it’s less true today than two years ago, you have the chance to get your foot in the door of a company or industry where you want to work.

Test-drive a Career:  Is graphic design really for you? Are you prepared to work in a fast-paced , deadline driven environment? Are you prepared to fire a client? Find out more about yourself and about the field through your internship.

Pry Open a Door: Having Discovery Channel, Johns Hopkins University, or Blakeslee Group on your resume reads a lot better than freelance babysitter. Believe it!

Make Connections:  As an intern you meet people working in your industry—with years of experience under their belts. Pick their brains! Get feedback on your on-the-job performance, and even on graphic design school projects. In no other industry are peers more willing to share their knowledge, expertise, and work-arounds. Keep business cards and bookmark these folks’ websites, and connect with them on LinkedIn—a freelance referral, glowing recommendation, a job lead, or a mentor might well be in your future.

Of course, there is a potential downside to internships. Presently, many of the available postings are unpaid. Companies find that stiff competition between college students and recent grads makes it a “seller’s market”.  The decline in availability of paid internships is evidence of this.

Find out about the potential downside of participating in an internship

As you weigh your options, remember that the ultimate goal is to land an decent job, in your field, with a competitive salary and a level of job satisfaction. Internships offer you real work experience that is hard to get once you leave school.