Internships are awesome. I know others have made that case here over and over already, so I won’t repeat stuff you’ve probably already heard.

If you are in school or have just finished school (and you haven’t already) you should definitely do an internship. If you don’t you’re a dork. You’re a dork because, if you don’t do an internship, you’re missing a huge opportunity.

But here’s the thing, a lot of students spend tons of time and energy to get situated to do an internship – but then show up on the first day of their internship totally unprepared. Why? Because of lot of schools don’t teach students anything about the working world.

Don’t get me wrong, I love school. It’s just that often very well-meaning teachers and professors don’t teach their students squat about the working world. Why? Well, I’m sorry to say, many folks in academia don’t have a lot firsthand working world experience themselves.

So what happens? Instead of gaining the specialized knowledge they expect to learn, students go into an internship and spend the majority of their time learning basic work/office skills. By the time the master the basics of work, the internship is over.

Don’t let this happen to you. Before you go into an internship, learn the basics. The only difference between a seasoned professional and a student straight out of college is that the seasoned professional just knows some things the newbie hasn’t learned yet. But becoming a seasoned worker need not be some sort of mystical process; all knowledge is teachable and therefore learnable.

So, if you feel moisture behind your ears and are one of those newbies about to start an internship, find a seasoned professional (the grumpier and caffeinated, the better) and ask them what they know .

Ask them something like, “what is the most annoying things you see when it comes to work habits of people just out of school?” Trust me, it’ll get them going. Write down what they say and take it to heart. Do some thinking about how you can be a slightly more mature worker, even though you’re brand new to the working world.

If you do, you will stand out as a rock star among all your other intern colleagues on your first day. Instead of getting bogged down with learning Work 101, you’ll be ready to dive into the good stuff.

Employers receive hundreds of job applications in this competitive market and it’s no different with internships! Interns need to make the best of their resumes, as they are the first impression an employer is going to have of them. We have created a list of the top 10 resume mistakes that can make a difference on your internship search.

There’s limited amount of space that you can use and nothing more than a printed piece of paper that can make or brake you career plans. However, there are many, many ways you can reduce your chances to get a call. It makes sense, right? With so many applications received by employers, it’s only natural that resume mistakes will be a great way to sort good candidates from great candidates.

Resume Mistake 1: Typos & Grammar Errors

It seems like a silly thing, right? Just like that harsh Professor that insists on reducing your grades because of typos. I hate to break it to you though… it really isn’t silly… it’s actually a big deal! When you deliver a document of any sort with grammatical errors and typos, it shows your employers two things:
1. You are not very careful about your work, as you are showing not to give attention to details.
2. You will be sending their clients and business partner documents with similar mistakes which reflects negatively on the company’s image.
Does it make sense now? Great! So, make sure to use proper and clear language and always, always proofread your resume.

Resume Mistake 2: Resume is Too Long

One page is the standard, especially for interns.

Resume Mistake 3: Bad Formatting

The rule of thumb here is ORGANIZATION. The information on your resume should follow and easy-tio-understand, Illogical order. Inconsistent formatting makes your resume difficult to read, so use bullets and headings to clearly categorize the information you provide.

Resume Mistake 4: One Size Fits All

As much as you can, craft your resume to each internship position you apply for. If you are applying to a lot of positions, pick your preferred internships and customize the resumes you send with these applications. Customization means using key terms that you read on the position description to show potential employers that you have the right skills to successfully complete the internship program.

Resume Mistake 5: No Action Verbs

Start each bullet that describes your experience with and action verb. You can use words like “coordinated” and “achieved” to engage recruiters and present your experience in a accomplishment-based manner.

Resume Mistake 6: Lack of Accomplishment Oriented Information

Reinforcing the previous advice, is to dig a bit deeper into each bullet that describes your experience. Start the sentence with an action verb and end it with results generated by your work. For instance: “Coordinated a social media campaign that increased Facebook likes by 20% within a month’s period.”

Resume Mistake 7: Too Fancy

The main goal of your resume layout should be readability. Avoid flashy fonts, too many colors, and design elements. Remember, you ant to make it as easy as possible for the recruiter to pick up key terms on your resume that describe your experience and skills. So, keep it simple!

Resume Mistake 8: Repetitiveness

Be creative with your action verbs and avoid repeating the same words over and over again. It may give the recruiter the impression that you have limited skills to offer the organization.

Mistake #5:  Including Unrelated and Irrelevant Personal Information.

It’s absolutely unnecessary to add information like your driver’s license number or your address, unless required by the employer. Personal information should be restricted to your full-name and contact information – a phone number and an email address.

Things like status, religion, age, race, height, weight, race, and other interests do not belong on your resume.

Resume Mistake 9: Not including a cover letter

It’s the best chance you have to talk about your goals and why you are such a great fit for that position. Be brief and straight to the point. A recruiter once told me that a great way to write a good cover letter is to create a simple introductory paragraph and a swift closing one. In between, create a two column chart. On the first column, make a list of requirements listed on the position description. On the second column, match each requirement to skills you have that fulfill those requirements.

Resume Mistake 10: Not Sending Your Resume to a Specific Person

Companies receive many resumes that are not addressed to a specific person within the organization, which leads to the document getting little or no attention. Take the extra time to find the right person to address your cover-letter and resume to, it will pay off!

Of course, avoiding resume mistakes does not guarantee that you will get an interview, however, it sure helps you ensure that you make a good impression!