CV for an internship or traineeship: example and sample
This example is for technical and vocational school students looking for work placements, university students before their internships and graduates applying for traineeships.
Nobody expects experience for an internship. What counts is what you have already learned and what you want to learn from the employer. Below you will find a sample and tips.
Third-year logistics student looking for a 3-month internship in transport planning or purchasing from July. At university and in a student research group I worked with data in Excel and analyzed warehouse processes. I want to learn how an ERP system is used in a real company.
Work experience
Project in the logistics student research group
10.2025 – 01.2026
University, in cooperation with a local warehouse, Szczecin
Analyzing the order picking process in a warehouse and proposing a new arrangement of goods.
Compiling data in Excel: pivot tables and charts for the project supervisor.
Presenting the results to the warehouse team.
Casual work: order picking
07.2024 – 09.2024
Online store warehouse, Szczecin
Picking and packing orders with a scanner.
Working in a team on shifts during the sales season.
Education
Logistics, bachelor's degree (in progress)
2023 – present
University of Szczecin
Subjects: supply chain management, warehouse management, IT systems in logistics.
Skills
Excel: pivot tables, formulas, charts
SAP basics (university classes)
Process analysis
Presenting results
Teamwork
Courses
Excel for logistics course, 2025
Health and safety training for students
Languages
English: B2
Spanish: A2
Additional information
Availability: from July, full time for 3 months
I hereby consent to the processing of my personal data for the purposes necessary to carry out the recruitment process, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 (GDPR).
How to write an internship CV
Professional summary
Say who you are (a technical school student, a student in a given year, a graduate), what internship you are looking for, from when and for how long, and what you want to learn. That last point is what makes a good internship CV stand out from an average one.
Third-year student at an electrical technical school, looking for a 4-week work placement in May. I know the basics of installing wiring from classes in the school workshop. I want to see work on real installations in buildings.
Experience: duties and achievements
Instead of jobs, describe projects from classes, the student research group, competitions, volunteering and casual work. For each, say what you did and what you learned. The employer wants to see that you can see something through to the end.
Weaker: Member of a student research group.
Better: Analyzing the order picking process in a warehouse and proposing a new arrangement of goods.
Weaker: Class projects.
Better: An apartment wiring project in the school workshop: diagram, choice of protective devices, installation.
Weaker: Summer work.
Better: Picking orders with a scanner in an online store warehouse during the sales season.
Skills worth listing
List the programs, tools and languages you know from school or work, with an honest level. Nobody expects expert knowledge on an internship, but honesty on your CV matters.
Professional skills
Programs from your field, for example Excel, AutoCAD, SAP
A foreign language with your level
Practical skills from the workshop or laboratory
Basic data analysis
Driving licence
Personal skills
Willingness to learn and ask questions
Conscientiousness
Communication in a team
Time management
Independence in simple tasks
Work placements at technical and vocational schools
Students often get a placement through their school, but more and more companies ask for a short CV. Include your school, trade, year, the placement dates set by the school and the skills from practical classes.
Add vocational competitions, qualifications you have already passed and interests related to the trade, for example repairing bikes for a future mechanic.
Tailoring your CV to the job offer
Before you send your CV, check what the company does and say in your summary why you want to do your internship there. One concrete sentence about the company or department often decides whether you are invited to an interview.
Internship or traineeship: how they differ on a CV
An internship (praktyki) is usually part of school or university studies, while a traineeship (staż) is a first job for a graduate, sometimes as part of a labor office or company program. On an internship CV, school and projects take up more space, while on a traineeship CV it is worth showing internships you have completed and your first experience. The layout of the document is the same in both cases.
The most common mistakes on an internship CV
No dates or length of the internship on the CV.
A general goal like "I want to gain experience" with nothing specific.
Leaving out class projects and the student research group.
Overstating your level in a language or a program.
Sending the same CV to many companies without a sentence about the specific company.
Questions and answers
What should you put on an internship CV with no experience?
Your school or university with your field of study, class projects, the student research group, competitions, casual work, volunteering, skills and languages, and the dates and goal of the internship.
Do you need a CV for a work placement at a technical school?
Not always, because the school often organizes it. More and more companies, however, ask for a short CV, and applying on your own with a CV improves your chances of getting a placement where you want.
Should you add a cover letter to an internship CV?
If the company asks for one, yes. A short letter explaining why you want to do your internship there can make a good impression.
Create an internship CV in the builder
In the CV Majster builder you enter your details step by step and see right away what the document looks like. You can copy the wording from this page and adapt it to yourself. The finished CV as a PDF costs a one-off PLN 5, with no subscription, and you see the preview before you pay.