How to Add Externship to Resume
Externships are inherently different then internships, so adding their experience to your resume will also be a little different.
Whereas an internship allows for more “hands-on” experience, an externship typically provides students an opportunity to shadow and observe.
This level of experience is more difficult to quantify and express, especially on your resume.
An internship is typically a period of work experience, for a set, limited amount of time.
Internships are more likely to be offered to full or part-time high-school, undergraduate, or graduate students.
Internships also do not have an age limit and can either be paid or unpaid.
Externships, on-the-other-hand, are much shorter in duration than internships.
As with internships, externships do not have an age limit and can either be paid or unpaid.
However, externships do not necessarily require candidates to be a full or part-time student.
When adding an internship, or other work experience, to your resume, it typically revolves around the hands-on work you completed and the accomplishments you made.
The work experience is written in chronological order and includes bulleted points with information on what your core responsibilities were and what you achieved while in your role.
Externships, as they are inherently different from other work experiences, can be added onto a resume in three different ways.
The first is to mention the externship experience within the summary section of your resume.
As your summary section is typically closer to the top of the page, it will stand-out and likely be seen by the recruiter or hiring manager.
Mentioning your externship within your summary section also allows you to provide a brief synopsis of what and why you chose a specific externship.
The second option is to have a separate section devoted to “Additional Information.”
Within this section, you can include any volunteer experience and skills you’ve gained.
While an “Additional Information” section can work well, you should note that this section is typically placed on the bottom of the resume and may not be seen by the recruiter or hiring manager.
The last option is to add the externship as a standalone experience level.
This is wholly dependent on the length of the externship and what skills and accomplishments you’ve made.
An externship that lasted a week or two may not be sufficient enough to have its own standalone section.
Adding in an externship to a resume is important to do.
It shows recruiters and hiring managers that you are truly interested in the field and have worked hard to gain actionable, real-life and real-world experience.
Each situation is unique, so review the options above to see what works best for you.
