Applying for a public relations internship can be competitive as this is a highly sought-after field. Therefore, it’s crucial to make your resume stand out. A well-crafted resume is the first step to impressing the hiring manager and landing the position you desire. In this article, we’ll provide some tips and samples to help you draft an impressive public relations internship resume.
Highlight Your Education
Make sure to highlight your educational accomplishments when crafting your public relations resume. If you are currently studying, highlight your major and coursework related to public relations. Include any academic achievements, such as awards, recognition, or Dean’s List.
If you have already graduated, don’t forget to mention your degree, area of study, and the university from which you graduated. Additionally, highlight any relevant coursework, internships, or extracurricular activities that make you stand out to the hiring manager.
Relevant Experience
Include relevant experience in your public relations internship resume. This can range from previous internships, volunteer work, or part-time jobs that have helped you develop skills relevant to this field. Emphasize the skills and tasks you handled in each position and how they connect to the public relations job that you’re applying for. For example, if you took part in an event planning team or helped in creating an ad campaign for a school club, highlight this on your resume. The goal is to showcase how your previous experiences will transfer to your new role in public relations.
Key Skills
Highlight your key skills that align with the responsibilities of a public relations intern. Some common skills recruiters look for include strategic thinking, strong communication, organization, and research skills. Use action verbs to emphasize how you’ve demonstrated these skills in previous experiences. For example, instead of saying “Worked with a team,” try “Collaborated with a group of six people while developing a strategic PR campaign for a non-profit organization.”
Customize Your Resume
Customize your resume to fit each company’s needs. Research the company, and read through their job description, vision and mission statement, and objectives. Use the keywords and phrases from the company’s job posting descriptions and incorporate them into your resume. This will show that you’re familiar with their goals and that you’re the right fit for their team.
How to Format Your Resume
Finally, ensure that your resume is polished and professional looking. Make sure that your resume is free of any grammatical errors, typos, misspellings, or formatting inconsistencies. Use bullet points, boldface, and italics to make your content scannable and easy to read. Preferably use the fonts Arial, Calibri or Verdana as these are professional-looking and easily legible.
Key Takeaways:
- Highlight your educational accomplishments to impress the hiring manager.
- Include relevant experience that emphasizes the skills that transfer to the public relations field.
- Use action verbs to highlight your key skills, incorporating any keywords from the job posting descriptions.
- Use bullet points, proper formatting, and a professional font when preparing your resume to make it easily scannable.
FAQ
Q: How long should my resume be?
A: Your resume length may depend on your experience and skills. As a general rule, keep your resume to a single page if you have less than 5 years of experience. For experienced candidates, it’s okay to go up to 2 pages, but make sure that you’re only highlighting your most relevant and significant skills and experiences.
Q: How do I write an objective statement for my public relations internship resume?
A: It’s generally recommended to avoid objective statements in favor of professional summaries. However, if you choose to add one, make sure it is specific, useful, and valuable to the reader. The objective statement should emphasize how your unique skillset can help the company.
Q: Do I need to include references in my resume?
A: No, it’s not necessary to include references in your resume. Avoid including personal information on your resume, such as your full address, personal phone number, or references. You can provide the hiring manager with your references separately if they ask for this information later in the interview process.