How to Write a CV for Internships and Scholarships

Keep it short and easy to scan

For students and early-career applicants, one page is usually enough, and two pages is the limit. Academic and research CVs can be longer when they include publications, but only add what is relevant. Use a simple layout with a clear heading for each section, consistent spacing, a readable font at a normal size, and plenty of white space. Avoid photos, graphics, tables and colored columns unless the application specifically asks for them, as automated systems can misread them. Save the file as a PDF unless told otherwise, and name it sensibly, for example "Firstname-Lastname-CV.pdf".

What to include, in order

• Contact details: your name, email address, phone number and city and country. A professional-looking email address matters. You may add a link to a professional profile or portfolio if it is relevant.
• A short profile (optional): two or three lines about who you are and what you are looking for, tailored to the opportunity.
• Education: degrees or current studies, institution, dates, and relevant results, thesis or coursework. Recent graduates and students usually put education first.
• Experience: internships, jobs, research, volunteering and leadership roles, starting with the most recent. Include the organization, your title, dates and what you achieved.
• Projects, publications or awards: anything that shows initiative or skill, kept to the most relevant items.
• Skills: languages (with honest levels), software, lab or technical skills. Only list what you can actually demonstrate.
• Other: certificates, conferences or activities, if they support your application.

Describe achievements, not duties

The most common weakness in a CV is a list of responsibilities. "Responsible for social media" says what the role was, not how well you did it. Instead, start each bullet point with an action verb and show the result.

Weak: "Helped with events."

Stronger: "Organized three student workshops for about 120 participants and recruited and coordinated six volunteers."

Use numbers when you honestly can: how many people, how much, how often, how much time you saved. If you cannot measure the result, describe the outcome clearly. Do not exaggerate; interviewers often ask about every line.

Tailor it to each application

Read the description of the scholarship or internship and note the skills and qualities it highlights. Then reorder or reword your CV so those points are easy to find. You do not need a new CV every time, but a few minutes of adjustment, such as reordering bullet points, changing the profile line and putting the most relevant projects first, makes a real difference.

If you have little experience

Everyone starts somewhere. If you have not had a formal job or internship, show what you have: academic projects, group work, student clubs, volunteering, tutoring, a part-time job, personal projects, online courses with real outputs, and languages. Describe what you did and what skills it required. Reliability, initiative and curiosity count, as long as you give evidence.

Common mistakes

• Typos and inconsistent formatting. Ask a friend to read it, and check dates and names.
• Long paragraphs instead of short bullet points.
• Unexplained gaps in dates. A short, honest note is better than leaving a mystery.
• Listing every course, job and skill you have ever had, instead of the most relevant ones.
• Using the same CV for everything.
• Including personal details that the application does not ask for, such as your date of birth, marital status or ID number, unless required.