Internships and placements – Page 3

Describe it like any other internship, focusing on tasks and results. Work in charities often involves broad responsibilities and limited resources, which can show initiative.

Example:
"Programme Intern | Fictional Education Foundation, Amman | Jun 2025 – Aug 2025

• Coordinated a summer reading programme for 60 children across three community centres.
• Collected feedback from parents and wrote a short evaluation report for donors."

Label it as an internship, not volunteering, if it was a formal internship.

Yes, if they are short and similar, grouping them can save space. List each organisation and date in the entry, then add one or two combined bullets.

Example:
"Short Internships | 2023 – 2024

• Fictional Bank (2 weeks), Fictional Insurance Co. (3 weeks), Fictional Audit LLP (2 weeks)
• Observed client service, claims processing and audit fieldwork; prepared summaries for supervisors."

If one of them is much more relevant to the job, give it its own entry instead.

Sometimes. Some employers count relevant internships, especially long or full-time ones, and others count only paid, full-time work after graduation. There is no universal rule.

What you can do:

• Present internships clearly with dates, so employers can judge for themselves.
• Avoid adding up internships into a total like "two years' experience" in your summary unless you label it accurately.
• Ask the recruiter if you are unsure whether your internships meet the requirement.

Accurate dates and clear titles let the employer decide without any confusion.

Ask someone else from the organisation who saw your work, such as another team member, a project lead or the HR contact. You can also use a lecturer or another supervisor.

You do not need to list your internship supervisor as a referee. If an employer asks specifically for that person, you can explain briefly and offer an alternative contact who can confirm your work.

The internship can still stay on your resume. A difficult relationship does not erase the experience you gained.

Put whichever is more relevant to the job first. For most graduate and professional roles, internships in the field come first. For roles in retail or hospitality, a related part-time job might be more relevant.

You can use separate sections, such as "Internships" and "Work Experience", and order the sections by relevance. Within each section, list entries newest first. You can also change the order between applications as your target role changes.

Yes. A certificate is not required to list an internship. What matters is that the internship was real and that someone could confirm it if asked.

Keep any proof you have, such as emails, an offer letter or your supervisor's contact details. If an employer later asks for proof, you can provide these. You can also politely ask the organisation for a short letter confirming your dates and role.

No. Supervisor names are not usually included in experience entries. Keep them for your separate list of referees.

The exception is when you are told to include a reporting manager by an application form, which is more common for some government roles and in parts of the Gulf. Follow the form's instructions in that case, and ask your supervisor first whether they are happy to be contacted.

Describe what the training covered and any assessments, projects or practical tasks you completed. A structured training internship still teaches real skills.

Example:
"Graduate Trainee (Training Programme) | Fictional Bank, Kuwait City | Jul 2025 – Aug 2025

• Completed training in retail banking products, compliance basics and customer service.
• Worked in a team of four on a case study about improving branch wait times; presented to senior managers."

Focus on outcomes: what you learned and what you produced, rather than the list of sessions.

Put first the bullet most relevant to the job you are applying for. Readers often look most closely at the first bullet in each entry.

How to decide:

• Look at the job advert's main tasks.
• Find the internship bullet that matches them best.
• Move it to the top, and order the rest by relevance.

You may change the order for different applications. For example, an internship that included both data analysis and event planning could lead with analysis for an analyst role and with events for a marketing role.

Use one entry for the company and list both internships underneath with their own titles and dates. This shows that the company invited you back, which is a positive sign.

Example:
"Fictional Engineering Consultants, Doha
Engineering Intern | Jun 2025 – Aug 2025

• Prepared design calculations for drainage works.

Engineering Intern | Jun 2024 – Aug 2024

• Assisted with site surveys and drawing updates."

If your responsibilities grew, make that clear in the bullets.