How to prepare for your
API Internship
Do you need help standing out in the global marketplace? Want to perfect your resume and nail that internship interview? Then you’re in the right place! API offers Career Support options that include interview coaching, resume review services, recommendations and tips!
Intern Abroad with API
What the Right Resume and Interview Can do for You!
Let us help you buff and polish your resume and interview skills to help you get that coveted international internship. Then, showcase all that you learn after you return to get a leg-up in your career!
Open the Door to Global Opportunities
Showcase global experience to future employers with your work with international clients, multi-national companies and organizations, and demonstrate your ability to work alongside a diverse workforce made up of people from many different cultures.
Build Your Work Experience
Get ready to differentiate your resume and expand your future professional opportunities. Show future employers the top skills they’re looking for including problem solving, communication, taking initiative, self-confidence, and adaptability!
How to Build a Better Resume
Resume Guidelines
Create your resume to best communicate the unique skills and abilities you will bring as an intern. Doing these things will help API and future employers find a quality internship placement for you!
Crafting your résumé should take time and reflection. It may take a few drafts before you have a suitable version to submit. Keep in mind that all final drafts should be submitted in PDF format. Click here to see a sample resume. Use API’s Write My Resume™ tool to generate a starter resume that you can build on after your meeting with the Career Coach.
To the right, review the five key sections that you will want to have in your résumé, as well as information on your cover letter or Statement of Purpose.
Education
Some key considerations for the education section are:
- List your educational background, starting with your college. You can add your high school education, especially if you have not enrolled in college yet.
- Your college education should include the degree you are seeking, the name of the institution you currently attend, and the expected graduation date.
- For your Grade Point Average (GPA), you should indicate the letter grade equivalent instead of utilizing a number, as the GPA system may not be relevant to your destination choice.
- List all of the courses you have completed that are specific to the internship that you are seeking.
- Share any previous study abroad programs completed.
- Detail any academic awards.
- List your educational background, starting with your college. You can add your high school education, especially if you have not enrolled in college yet.
- Your college education should include the degree you are seeking, the name of the institution you currently attend, and the expected graduation date.
- For your Grade Point Average (GPA), you should indicate the letter grade equivalent instead of utilizing a number, as the GPA system may not be relevant to your destination choice.
- List all of the courses you have completed that are specific to the internship that you are seeking.
- Share any previous study abroad programs completed.
- Detail any academic awards.
Work Experience
Work experience is the most important section of your résumé since most employers value previous work experience the most.
Key considerations for the work experience section:
- List any relevant work experience In reverse chronological order. This can include paid work, paid or unpaid internships, volunteer work, and campus activities.
- Include the position title, the name of the employer, the location of the job (e.g., city, state), the dates of employment (be sure to include both the month and years for the start and end dates).
- Describe your work tasks as clearly as possible, using action verbs for current positions, and past tense for part positions. Follow a parallel structure (pattern) when listing your tasks.
- Give specific examples of accomplishments. It is always best to qualify them with numbers and percentages.
Projects
These are projects that you completed as part of courses taken at your college. This section can be very valuable to applicants with limited work experience.
- List any team, academic, laboratory work, and research projects that you completed as part of a course that would demonstrate knowledge and experience within the field of study or type of internship that you are seeking.
- Indicate all of the same information that you would within the work experience section: the name of the project or class, the subject area of the project, dates of the project.
Skills
Showcase your skills to stand out to employers:
- List any computer skills and include your proficiency level.
- List any technical skills relevant to the internship.
- List any soft skills that you have developed: e.g., problem-solving, communication, teamwork, leadership, takes initiative, etc.
- List any foreign language skills; make sure to indicate your written and spoken proficiency levels (i.e., Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, or Fluent).
Interests
This is the perfect section to add uniqueness to your résumé. Employers want to know a little about your personal interests as this might fit in well with their organization.
- List any activities that you enjoy in your free time. Just remember this is a professional document.
- If you are a member of a church or religious group and want to add that information to your résumé, please keep in mind that many countries are more secular societies and individuals may be more private about their religious affiliations.
Statement of Purpose (Cover Letter)
API is already advocating for you with potential employers, a strong Statement of Purpose will make it easy for us to get you into employer interviews, paving the way for you to get the internship that is right for you! The Statement of Purpose replaces a standard cover letter and serves two important objectives:
- It should communicate the type of internship you are seeking.
- It should showcase your skills and experience, detailing why you would be a good candidate.
Resume Formatting 101
Your resume should tell the story of your experiences as they relate to a your future career path or a specific job/internship description. Researching sample resumes from your targeted industry can be a helpful starting place as resume best practices may vary industry to industry. No matter what, the goal of your resume should be allow employers to scan and quickly understand why you’re a good fit for their internship.
Don’t forget to utilize other resources the career resource office at your institution for additional information on creating a strong résumé!
- Try to keep your résumé to one to two pages.
- Use a standard font like Arial, Calibri, Cambria, or Times New Roman in 10- or 12- point font.
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Use bullet points. It will make your résumé easier to read.
- List dates in month and year format instead of numerical format. Numerical months and dates are commonly ordered differently in other countries, so writing out the month will alleviate any confusion (e.g. January 2014).
- Make sure you check your résumé for grammar and spelling errors. We recommend giving your résumé to another person to proofread.
- Be clear and concise.
- Eliminate any personal pronouns (I, My, or Me) or full sentences in your résumé.
- Remove the objective section. Don’t waste valuable space on your resume and this is what the cover letter can cover.
- Don’t overexaggerate skills or abilities. This can make for a very uncomfortable situation for you, API, and the internship site if you don’t arrive with the skills or knowledge indicated on your résumé.
- Avoid using an unprofessional email address in your résumé or cover letter. If you have an email address that involves anything more than your name and numbers, we highly recommend you create one to use for professional purposes.
- No need to list your references on your resume. We will utilize your two letters of reference for the internship placement process.
Resume Formatting 101
Your resume should tell the story of your experiences as they relate to a your future career path or a specific job/internship description. Researching sample resumes from your targeted industry can be a helpful starting place as resume best practices may vary industry to industry. No matter what, the goal of your resume should be allow employers to scan and quickly understand why you’re a good fit for their internship.
Don’t forget to utilize other resources the career resource office at your institution for additional information on creating a strong résumé!
Brush Up Your Interview Skills
The fine of of interviewing well can be practiced and learned! You can start with a collection of great pieces of advice that are sure to help you make an amazing first impression!
Dress the Part! What is Business Casual?
Sometimes referred to as Smart Casual, business casual does not required you to wear a suit and tie, or dress with heels. In order to make the best impression, it is important to remember that as an intern you are expected to dress at a higher level than your temporary co-workers. Therefore, you may see that your colleagues are dressed more casually than you might be expecting. You are representing your country, home university, and API, so we want to make sure that you put your best foot forward. Keep in mind you’ll also want appropriate clothes for when you’re relaxing at your housing accommodations, exercising, traveling, etc. API interns receive additional information after receiving their internship placement.
Dress the Part! What is Business Casual?
Sometimes referred to as Smart Casual, business casual does not required you to wear a suit and tie, or dress with heels. In order to make the best impression, it is important to remember that as an intern you are expected to dress at a higher level than your temporary co-workers. Therefore, you may see that your colleagues are dressed more casually than you might be expecting. You are representing your country, home university, and API, so we want to make sure that you put your best foot forward. Keep in mind you’ll also want appropriate clothes for when you’re relaxing at your housing accommodations, exercising, traveling, etc. API interns receive additional information after receiving their internship placement.
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