India Clarke, Strategic Communication major at University of Colorado Boulder’s Leeds School of Business, who interned in Amsterdam this summer.
Internships are a huge experiential asset for a young professional to have under their belt. It prepares them for what lies ahead, lends perspective to their career choice, and offers real-life work experience.
They’re also an invaluable selling point when sending applications for that first post-college position. The question is, how do you frame such an important experience in your resume?
Employers are always looking for applicants who stand out. This is especially true for entry-level positions, where any hopefuls are most likely coming straight out of college with little or no genuine experience to show. Internships, like Sage’s, help those applicants shine a little brighter in what could be a long line of resumes.
Choosing to intern abroad is a unique experience and one that should be made clear to an employer. But it can be hard to convey the value of an experience to someone with no context. Here are some tips on how to feature your Sage Corps internship on your resume and LinkedIn page.
Be Specific
The flair of a foreign internship might draw an employer to your resume, but if there’s nothing to back up “cool placement in Europe,” they’ll quickly move on. Remember that despite the job location being the most remarkable part for your friends back home, a company wants to hire you for what you can bring to the company.
You’re going to be placed in a start-up. This means you will be very hands-on with the work you do at your placement. Even if you have to run a few coffee runs, you’ll definitely be doing more important things. Let the employer know that.
If you helped build a CRM system at an up-and-coming tech startup, make it clear you understand that tech. If you successfully helped close a couple of sales calls for the business, big up your negotiating skills. These are all examples of real work that you did. It’s something a lot of other applicants might not have.
Be succinct and clear.
Here’s an okay example:
Created engaging social media content for the company’s Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
This tells us what you worked on but it’s missing the detail of what you accomplished and also the measurable impact it had.
A better way to put it could have been:
Developed a content calendar for the company social media accounts, created content for Facebook, Instagram and TikTok that helped increase traffic back to the website by 20%.
Your resume is the one and only chance you get to make an impression. Make sure the important parts are clear.
Feature your new skills
You’re going to pick up a number of new talents on your internship. From interpersonal skills to specialized experience in programs, everything is valuable.
Again, be specific with this. Don’t just say you completed 50+ hours with Sage Corps Skills Academy; that’s super vague for someone with no understanding of the program. Delve into the specific skills, and consider which ones are the most applicable to the type of job you want. Any certifications you completed from Google or HubSpot are all valuable and should be highlighted.
Show what going abroad taught you
The work is important, but don’t shy away from the fact that you left home and traveled halfway around the world for your internship. That teaches you a lot and says even more about your character. If it’s not already obvious on your resume make sure you can see the location of your internship abroad. You can also highlight work that required you to research and understand the local market abroad.
Unfortunately, the difference between a confident explanation and a boastful announcement isn’t far. Parading your Euro credentials isn’t going to win you any fans. But the bravery to do something extraordinary will. The ability to adapt to a truly foreign environment will. The understanding of different work cultures will.
There is so much to gain from experiences abroad. Just make sure the employers understand that.
Split up your honors
You’ve made two significant achievements as part of the Sage internship program. One is the internship abroad itself. The other is your position as a Sage Corps Fellow. You had to earn the right to join our program, and both sides of it provided you with valuable experience. You can list both separately on your resume or LinkedIn.
Highlighting what you learned in the Sage Corps Skills Academy is valuable and worthy of its own place on your resume. Splitting the two aspects of the program apart adds unique value to you as a worker, and can only ever help. It also adds extra talking points if you make it to an interview stage.
Sage Corps is an international internship program that sends college students to work with startups. In the program, I completed 50+ hours of hard skill training in [type of track i.e. marketing] through the Sage Corps Skills Academy before interning abroad with a startup company [in city X or remotely] for [8-12 weeks].
It’s who you know…
References are so important when applying for jobs. You might be able to fluff an excellent resume, but when your previous boss or teacher gets a call from your prospective employer, it’s out of your control.
After your internship, asking your supervisor to be a reference would go a long way. They’ve been with you through the entire process and know better than anyone how good a job you did on your placement. You can also reach out to any Sage Corps staff you worked with who can provide insight into your character and work ethic. Just make sure it’s someone who knows you well enough to shine you in a good (and honest) light.
LinkedIn offers multiple ways to help with recommendations. It even offers specific features to vouch for your individual skills. Are you an ace in Photoshop? Ask your internship supervisor to vouch for you on your LinkedIn profile. Employers can see who’s validated your skills, and that’s vital for proving you’re as valuable as you say you are.
Your internship has the potential to impact your future in such a positive way. Don’t undersell your achievements. As soon as you’re home, pull out your resume, log into your LinkedIn and make yourself unmissable for your future employer.
