How to Write a CV for a Summer Internship With No Experience (UK, 2026)

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In 2025, the average internship role in the UK received 101 applications. That's up 16% from the year before, according to the ISE Student Recruitment Survey 2025. And here's the part most guides don't tell you: before any recruiter reads a single word, 70% of large UK employers run CVs through automated screening software that filters out anything it doesn't like, tables, columns, the wrong font, a skills-based layout.

So if you're a student applying for summer internships with no formal work experience, you're facing two hurdles, not one. You need a CV that survives the software and impresses the human on the other side.

The good news is that neither requires work experience. It requires knowing what you're doing. This guide shows you exactly that, from structure and formatting to sector-specific tailoring and before/after examples of how to turn university life into compelling CV bullet points. If you want a broader starting point, our guide on how to write a CV with no work history covers the fundamentals.

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Why internship applications are more competitive than ever

The internship market has tightened significantly. In 2025, competition for summer placements is at a five-year high, driven by larger graduating cohorts, a tighter graduate job market, and the growing recognition that internships are a direct pipeline to graduate employment. Between 40% and 50% of UK employers offer graduate roles directly to former interns, which means a summer placement is increasingly your best route into a company, not just useful work experience.

Timing matters too, and most guides ignore this entirely.

Employer type	Typical application window	Examples
Large firms (finance, law, consulting, Big Four)	September to January	Goldman Sachs, Linklaters, McKinsey, Deloitte
Graduate schemes (blue-chip corporates)	October to February	Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Marks & Spencer
SMEs and start-ups	February to April	Most mid-size and smaller businesses
Retail and hospitality	Rolling / year-round	Multiple openings throughout the year

If you're reading this in March and targeting a bulge-bracket bank or magic circle law firm, those deadlines have passed for this cycle. Focus your energy on SMEs and start-ups, where applications are open now and hiring managers move faster. If you're planning ahead, bookmark this page and start your large-firm applications from September.

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What recruiters and ATS are actually looking for

Your CV has two audiences. Understanding both is what separates an application that gets through from one that doesn't.

The ATS, automated screening software

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is software that scans CVs before any human reads them. It checks for keywords, structure, and formatting compatibility. If your CV doesn't pass, it's filtered out automatically, regardless of how strong your application actually is.

What causes ATS failures (and how to avoid them):

• Tables and multi-column layouts: ATS parsers read left to right, top to bottom. Columns split your content in unpredictable ways, turning "Marketing Society President" into garbled text.
• Graphics and logos: Invisible to ATS. Use plain text only.
• Text in headers or footers: Most ATS systems ignore content placed outside the main body. Put your contact details in the main document body, not in a header.
• Skills-based CV format: This is the counterintuitive one. Skills-based CVs are routinely recommended for students with no experience, but they're the hardest format for ATS to parse. Use a reverse-chronological format (education first, then any experience you have, then skills). It's what ATS expects.

You can check how your CV scores against ATS criteria before you apply using AlignCV's ATS score checker (Pro plan). For a detailed breakdown of ATS-friendly formatting, our guide to making your CV ATS-friendly covers every rule in full.

The human recruiter, seven seconds

Once your CV passes the software, a recruiter scans it. Research from HR Dive using eye-tracking data from TheLadders found that initial scans average 7.4 seconds. In that window, they're looking at:

1. Your name and contact details
2. Your most recent (or most relevant) section heading
3. The first bullet point or line under each major section
4. Whether the page looks clean and scannable

That's it. Every other word gets read only if you've earned it. Which means your section headings, your first bullet points, and your overall layout do most of the heavy lifting.

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What to include in a summer internship CV, section by section

Contact details

At the top of the page: your full name, phone number, email address, and LinkedIn URL (if your profile is up to date). No photo, no date of birth, no home address unless the role specifically requests it.

Your email should be professional. If yours is still the one you made at 14, create a new one.

Personal statement

Three to four sentences at the top of your CV that answer three questions: Who are you? What are you studying or have you studied? What are you looking for and why?

Keep it specific.

Motivated first-year Marketing student at the University of Sheffield seeking a summer placement in brand or digital marketing, with a particular interest in content strategy

beats

Hard-working and enthusiastic student looking for an opportunity to grow.

The first tells a recruiter something. The second tells them nothing.

For a full walkthrough with examples, see our guide on how to write a strong personal statement.

Education

This is your lead section as a student. Include:

• Your degree title, university, and expected graduation year
• Your current grade or classification (include it if it's a 2:1 or above)
• Relevant modules, two or three that are genuinely relevant to the role you're applying for
• Any academic awards, prizes, or notable projects

Listing relevant modules takes 30 seconds to update per application and immediately signals to a sector-specific recruiter that you've done the reading.

Work experience (or the lack of it)

You do not need to have worked to fill this section. Think about:

• Part-time or casual work (retail, hospitality, tutoring, babysitting, delivery)
• Volunteering, even if informal
• Freelance work (graphic design, photography, content writing)
• Paid or unpaid placements through university

If you have genuinely nothing, no paid work, no volunteering, nothing, leave this section out and expand your extracurricular activities and projects sections instead. Do not pad it with placeholder text or list things that aren't real experience.

Skills

A brief, focused list. Two categories work well: technical skills (specific software, languages, tools) and relevant skills (research, data analysis, client communication, only include these if you can back them up with an example).

Do not list "Microsoft Word" in 2026 unless the role specifically requires advanced Word skills. Do list Canva, Python, Excel pivot tables, Figma, Google Analytics, or any tool that's genuinely relevant and specific.

Extracurricular activities and volunteering

This is where most no-experience CVs earn or lose the application. See the next section for how to write these bullet points properly. In terms of what to include:

• University societies and clubs, especially if you held a committee or leadership role
• Sports teams at any level (club, university, county)
• Volunteering: charity shops, food banks, mentoring programmes, community events
• Student media: university newspaper, podcast, radio, YouTube channel
• Part of any student union committee, campaign, or student government

Projects and dissertation

If you're in your second or final year and have completed a significant project or dissertation, include it. Give it a line in your education section or a short entry in a "projects" section. Include: what you investigated, how (methodology), and what you found or produced. A dissertation title and two-sentence summary tells a recruiter far more about your capabilities than three generic bullet points about "communication skills."

Optional: LinkedIn, GitHub, or portfolio URL

For tech and engineering roles, a link to your GitHub profile is increasingly expected. For marketing, PR, journalism, or creative roles, a portfolio URL or LinkedIn profile with work samples adds real value. For finance and law, skip it, a standard CV is the norm, and a portfolio link can look out of place.

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How to quantify achievements with no work experience

This is the section no other guide gives you. Most articles say "use action verbs and quantify your achievements." None show you how to do that when your experience is a university netball team and one shift at a charity shop.

Here's the formula: Action verb + what you did + measurable result or scope.

The result doesn't have to be a business metric. It can be a number of people, a time period, an event size, or a clear outcome.

Before and after:

Society committee role:

• Before:

Was vice-president of the university photography society.

• After:

Led a committee of six to organise 12 workshops and an end-of-year exhibition attended by 200+ students, increasing society membership by 40% across the academic year.

Volunteering:

• Before:

Volunteered at a local food bank.

• After:

Volunteered 4 hours per week at a local food bank, supporting distribution to 80+ families and coordinating stock rotation for a team of 10 volunteers.

Academic achievement:

• Before:

Completed a dissertation on consumer behaviour.

• After:

Conducted independent research into sustainable purchasing behaviour among 18-25-year-olds, collecting and analysing survey data from 120 participants using SPSS, awarded a first-class mark.

Notice what changed: specificity. Specificity signals capability. It tells the recruiter that you pay attention to detail, that you think in outcomes, and that you've actually done something rather than just attended something.

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How to tailor your CV by sector

There is no single "internship CV." Recruiters in different sectors prioritise different things. This table shows you where to put your emphasis.

Sector	Prioritise in your CV	Key signal to recruiters
Finance and banking	Degree grade and relevant modules (economics, maths, stats); any investment or markets interest (e.g., stock market simulation); numeracy evidence	Academic rigour and quantitative capability
Law	Degree grade; relevant modules (contract, tort, commercial law); mooting, debating, or law society activity	Academic excellence and communication
Marketing and PR	Portfolio URL or samples; social media management; content creation; society media roles; Google Analytics or Canva experience	Creative output and digital literacy
Tech and engineering	GitHub profile; side projects; hackathon participation; relevant technical skills (languages, frameworks); open-source contributions	Demonstrated technical ability, not just coursework
Management consulting	Leadership roles in societies; case competition experience; degree grade; analytical project work	Structured thinking and leadership under pressure

A finance recruiter and a marketing recruiter are not looking for the same CV. Spending ten minutes adjusting your personal statement, relevant modules, and skills section before each application is worth more than applying to 20 roles with the same generic document.

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Formatting your CV to pass ATS

The formatting rules are simpler than most guides make them sound:

• Single column layout, always. No sidebars.
• Standard fonts, Arial, Calibri, Garamond, or Times New Roman at 10–12pt for body text.
• No tables, text boxes, or graphics inside the CV body.
• Contact details in the main body, not the header or footer.
• File format: PDF is standard and preferred. Some ATS systems parse Word (.docx) better, check the job listing. If it says "PDF or Word," send PDF. If it specifies Word, send Word.
• Page length: One page if you're in your first or second year. Two pages maximum if you're in your final year or have significant extracurricular involvement to justify it.

Keyword mirroring: Read the job description carefully. Note the words they use, "stakeholder management," "data analysis," "campaign delivery." Where those words genuinely apply to your experience, use the same language in your CV. ATS systems score keyword matches. You're not copying, you're speaking the recruiter's language.

AlignCV's templates are designed to be ATS-safe by default: single column, clean typography, no formatting traps. Browse AlignCV's free CV templates and build your CV in a format that'll actually get read.

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Common mistakes that kill internship applications

Using a skills-based CV format. It's recommended everywhere for students with no experience. It's also the format that fails ATS most often. Stick to reverse-chronological: education, experience (however limited), then skills.

A generic personal statement.

I am a motivated and enthusiastic student seeking an exciting opportunity

tells a recruiter nothing. It also looks like every other application. Write something specific.

Listing duties instead of achievements.

Responsible for social media

is a duty.

Grew the university society's Instagram from 200 to 1,400 followers in one academic year by creating a weekly content calendar

is an achievement. Duties describe a role. Achievements demonstrate capability.

A CV that's too long. As a student, you do not have enough experience to justify more than two pages. If you're struggling to fill one page, that's fine, a tight, well-written one-page CV is better than a padded two-page one.

Applying to large firms in spring for summer roles. HSBC, Goldman Sachs, Clifford Chance, and similar firms close their summer internship applications in January at the latest. If you're applying now, focus on SMEs. Plan ahead for next year.

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Your CV and cover letter, how they work together

Most articles end with "don't forget your cover letter." That's not enough guidance.

Your CV and cover letter are different documents with different jobs:

• CV: Facts and achievements. What you've studied, what you've done, what you can do. Objective, structured, scannable.
• Cover letter: Motivation and fit. Why this company, why this role, why now. Personal, specific, written in full paragraphs.

Don't repeat your CV in your cover letter. Use the cover letter to add what the CV can't, your genuine interest in the company, a specific project or piece of work they've done that appeals to you, or something about your background that needs more context than a bullet point allows.

For a step-by-step walkthrough, see our cover letter guide for graduates. And if you want your cover letter to match your CV's formatting, AlignCV's cover letter builder handles the design for you.

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Frequently asked questions

What should I put on my CV if I have no experience?

Focus on your education (degree, relevant modules, grades), extracurricular activities (societies, sports, volunteering), and any projects or personal work. Frame everything using action verbs and quantify wherever you can. Most recruiters know students are applying without formal work history, the question is whether you've done anything outside lectures.

How do I write a personal statement for an internship?

Keep it to three or four sentences. Mention your degree, your year, and what you're looking for, then say something specific about the sector or role that shows you've thought about it. Avoid generic phrases like "motivated team player." Tailor it for each application.

Is a one-page CV okay for an internship application?

Yes. A well-structured one-page CV is perfectly appropriate for a student with limited work experience. Recruiters don't expect pages of experience at this stage. Quality beats quantity, a tight one-pager beats a padded two-pager every time.

What CV format should I use for an internship?

Reverse-chronological. Education at the top, followed by any work or volunteering experience, then skills. Despite being widely recommended for students, skills-based CVs are harder for ATS software to parse and can get filtered before a human reads them.

Do employers expect interns to have previous experience?

Not always, and not in the way you might fear. According to employer surveys, 75% of UK employers rate skills and attitude above direct prior experience. They're looking for evidence that you're capable of learning and contributing, which can come from university projects, society roles, or voluntary work.

Can I include university projects on an internship CV?

Yes, and you should. A relevant project or dissertation demonstrates research skills, independent working, and subject knowledge. Include a one or two sentence summary: what you investigated, how, and what the outcome was.

What skills should I put on an internship CV?

Include technical skills you actually have (specific software, tools, languages) and transferable skills that you can evidence with an example. If you list "communication" as a skill, it must be backed up somewhere in your experience section. Vague skill lists that aren't evidenced add nothing.

Can volunteering count as work experience on a CV?

Yes. Volunteering is experience. Format it the same way you'd format a job: organisation name, your role or title, dates, and two or three bullet points describing what you did and achieved. The only difference from paid work is that it's unpaid, which doesn't make it less valuable.

Should I include a personal statement or profile on my CV?

Yes, especially for internship applications where your work experience is thin. A well-written personal statement gives context to the rest of your CV and signals that you're applying deliberately, not just blasting your application to every opening.

Do I need a cover letter for an internship application?

Almost always yes, unless the job listing specifically says not to include one. A well-written cover letter can make a significant difference at the shortlisting stage, particularly when CVs are otherwise similar. Treat it as a required document, not an optional extra.

How do I get a summer internship with no experience in the UK?

Start by targeting SMEs and start-ups (who hire February–April and often value attitude over experience), apply to structured schemes like Springpod or Bright Network's virtual internships to build your CV, and look at your university's careers service for employer partnerships. Make sure your CV and cover letter are tailored to each role, and apply broadly within your target sector.

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Start building your internship CV

The gap between a CV that gets filtered and one that gets read is smaller than you think. The difference usually comes down to formatting (ATS-safe, single column, no graphics), specificity (real numbers, real outcomes), and tailoring (matching your language to the job description and sector).

Here's what to take away from this guide:

• Use a reverse-chronological format, not a skills-based one
• ATS screens your CV before any human does, format to pass it
• Quantify everything: number of people, hours per week, percentage growth, event size
• Tailor your education section, personal statement, and skills for each sector
• Your cover letter adds what your CV can't, motivation and personality

Ready to put this into practice? Build your internship CV with AlignCV, free, no card required. All templates are ATS-safe, and our AI suggestions help you turn your university experience into bullet points that actually impress recruiters. Most students finish their first CV in under 20 minutes.

Start your CV free or browse our free templates to find a format that works for your sector.