CVPebble
An internship can show useful work, tools and habits, especially early in a career. Paid and unpaid experience can both belong on a CV. Its relevance and the work you actually did matter; this does not mean all placements have equal value. This guide covers presentation, not the legality of unpaid work.
1. Label it clearly
Give your real role title, organisation and start and end dates. If the title does not make the arrangement clear, add “Internship” or “placement”. Do not turn an observation-only placement into a staff role. Mention remote or part-time work if useful. Pay details are normally unnecessary in the entry; follow application-specific requirements and local rules.
2. Describe your own contribution
Choose tasks, tools, outputs or contributions that relate to the next role. Distinguish your own work from the team’s overall result. Use numbers only when accurate and useful. If you observed a task rather than performed it, say so. Fictional example, not a real person’s record: “Communications Intern | Example Community Centre | June-August 2026. Drafted event notices from staff briefs and checked dates and venue details before sending them for approval. Updated the shared events calendar and flagged conflicting room bookings to the coordinator.” This shows a contribution without claiming responsibility for attendance or revenue. Replace every detail with your own facts; do not copy the example as your experience.
3. Choose a section and keep dates clear
A relevant internship can sit under “Experience” or “Relevant experience” alongside other work. Use reverse chronological order within each section. If several placements are central to the application, an “Internships” section can be clear. Do not duplicate one placement across sections. As stronger recent work builds up, shorten or remove an older internship unless it adds something useful that later roles do not.
4. Handle short and ongoing placements honestly
A short placement may be worth including if you can describe relevant work. Give real dates and proportionate detail instead of padding it with tasks you never did. For a placement you have started, give the start date and “Present”. Describe completed or current work only. If it has not started, do not present future duties as experience. The related guides cover finding other early-career evidence and writing clear work bullets.
Frequently asked questions
Does unpaid work count?
Relevant work can be described whether paid or unpaid. This does not settle the legality or quality of the arrangement, which depends on local rules and the facts.
Must internships come before paid jobs?
No. Organise sections around relevant evidence and keep entries in reverse date order within each section.
What if I cannot measure a result?
Describe a concrete task, output, tool or contribution. Do not invent a metric. What you prepared or checked can be useful without a number.
Your first CV: finding evidence when you have no paid experience · How to describe work experience clearly ·
Sources and scope
Original general guidance informed by the sources below. Reviewed 4 November 2026. Follow the employer’s instructions. No interview, hiring or ATS result is guaranteed.
