Your internship may have been cancelled due to the pandemic, but what do we do about it? Should we list it on our resume? Do we add it to our LinkedIn profile? Or should we just forget that fact that we got the internship in the first place? 

It is important to remember that securing an internship is an accomplishment. It is a competitive process and that you’ve worked hard to get. But, is that important for future employers to know? 

Students should list their cancelled internship on their resume for the following reasons:

Shows that you have the drive to seek an internship

Although you didn’t get the experience, receiving this internship shows that you were willing to go through the process to secure it. This shows future employers your drive and initiative to learn from industry professionals to build your current skills. 

Explains the gap in internship experience

Due to COVID-19, there weren’t many online internship opportunities that were available for everyone right away, which probably meant you took some time off from internship experience this summer. That’s okay! Explaining to future employers that the internship was cancelled due to the pandemic will help them understand your internship experience gap.

Showcases the type of work you are interested in

The title of your internship can help future employers indicate what you are interested in, along with other experiences and skills listed on your resume. This will help them find a position that will suit you best or see if you qualify for the specific internship you are applying for. 

Adding this information about your cancelled internship onto your resume can definitely help you with future internships and opportunities. You’re giving yourself a chance to explain what happened.

Here are some tips to help you when adding this information onto your resume and/or LinkedIn profile:

• Get feedback from the internship site about accomplishments and experience that led to the internship offer, such as soft skills shown during the interview. 
• Use ‘cancelled’ to explain the loss to show that it wasn’t caused by you.
• If you were able to get some experience before the internship got cancelled, list the things you did during the time and what you learned from the short experience. 
• Once you get a new internship opportunity, remove the cancelled internship from your resume;

I hope this information helps! Click here for the original article I referenced. Hope everyone has a good start to their fall semester!