How Long Should Your CV Be for an Internship in 2024?

Applying for internships is exciting, but figuring out the details, like how long your CV should be, can feel confusing. You want to impress, but you don’t want to overwhelm the recruiter. So, what’s the magic number for CV length when you’re aiming for an internship in 2024?

Let’s cut straight to the chase.

The Golden Rule: Aim for One Page

For the vast majority of internship applications, one page is the ideal CV length.

Why? Recruiters and hiring managers are often sifting through hundreds of applications. They need to quickly assess your suitability. A concise, focused one-page CV respects their time and makes it easy for them to see your key qualifications and potential.

As an intern candidate, you’re typically at the start of your career journey. Your relevant experience, education, and skills can usually be effectively summarized within a single page. Trying to stretch it further often leads to including less relevant information or using formatting tricks that make it harder to read.

Why Keeping it Concise Matters

Focus on Relevance: A one-page limit forces you to prioritize the most relevant experiences and skills for the specific internship you’re applying for. Tailoring is key!
Readability: Recruiters can quickly scan a well-structured single page to find the information they need.
Impact: Every point on a one-page CV needs to earn its place, making the overall document more impactful.

Are There Any Exceptions?

While one page is the standard, there might be extremely rare exceptions, perhaps in highly academic or research-focused fields where extensive publications or projects are critical even at an early stage. However, for 99% of internships (in business, tech, marketing, creative fields, etc.), sticking to one page is your best bet.

If you’re genuinely struggling to fit highly relevant information, ensure your formatting is optimized first before considering spilling onto a second page. But always ask yourself: “Is this information essential for this specific internship?”

How to Keep Your Internship CV to One Page

Okay, so one page is the goal. How do you make it happen without selling yourself short?

Be Ruthless with Relevance: Read the internship description carefully. Only include experiences, projects, and skills that directly relate to the requirements. Leave out that summer job from five years ago unless it demonstrates a crucial skill mentioned in the ad.
Use Bullet Points & Action Verbs: Describe your experiences using concise bullet points starting with strong action verbs (e.g., Managed, Created, Developed, Assisted, Led). Avoid lengthy paragraphs.
Quantify Achievements: Whenever possible, use numbers to show your impact (e.g., “Increased social media engagement by 15%,” “Assisted team in managing a budget of £5,000”).
Optimize Formatting: This is where a good template helps! Use clear headings, consistent formatting, and a professional font. Avoid tiny margins or fonts just to cram things in – readability is crucial.
Focus on Key Sections: Prioritize Education, Relevant Experience (including projects, volunteering), and Skills. Keep sections like Hobbies brief or omit if space is tight.

Using a well-designed template can make a huge difference. ThePerfectCV offers a range of professional templates specifically designed to present your information clearly and concisely, making it easier to stick to that optimal one-page length.

The Takeaway

For your 2024 internship applications, aim for a powerful, targeted, one-page CV. Focus on relevance, use concise language, and choose a clean format. This approach shows recruiters you understand professional communication and allows your most impressive qualifications to shine.

Ready to create a standout CV? Explore our templates and tools at ThePerfectCV to build an effective, one-page internship application today!