How to Write a Resume for an Internal Position + Examples

What Is an Internal Resume?

An internal resume refers to a resume a job seeker writes when applying for a job within their current company. When writing a resume for an internal position, you’re likely vying for a promotion.

You’re competing against outside candidates who can bring a fresh set of skills and a new perspective; therefore, you’ve got to play to your unique strengths as a current employee.

An internal resume’s structure won’t differ from a professional resume’s. This type of resume is unique because you will highlight your internal knowledge of the company, such as processes, business needs, culture and leadership demands.

In addition, as an internal candidate, you’ve already built a reputation with supervisors and colleagues who can vouch for your abilities and professionalism.

Internal Resume Template 

Check out this internal resume template, which includes the five essential resume sections while focusing heavily on the candidate’s history with the company, past successful projects and the profits resulting from their efforts.

How to Write a Resume for an Internal Position

Let’s go through each step of making a resume for an internal position that shows employers your growth within the company and convinces them you have what it takes to take the next step in your career.

Step 1: Choose a resume format that suits your needs.

Before you begin writing your resume, remember that you can use three recruiter-approved resume formats. The traditional chronological resume format is the most common, but this format isn’t necessarily the best for every job seeker.

As someone applying for an internal promotion, the combination format is an ideal choice since it features a resume objective and doubles down on the importance of skills. After all, the company might already have an idea of what you’ve achieved these past few years, but being able to list the skills, training or certifications you’ve acquired is a great way to catch their attention instantly.

Step 2: Reinforce your strengths in the resume objective.

The resume profile in an internal resume should speak to your career progression within the company and your unique insights as a current employee. Your best approach for this section is to write a resume objective statement that states how you’ve helped the company succeed and the skills you’ve gained that warrant a promotion.

Here’s an example of a resume objective for an internal position:

Step 3: Include a summary of qualifications.

The summary of qualifications is unique to combination resumes and can give you a leg-up when competing with external applicants.

This section follows your resume objective and contains a few bullet points contextualizing your skill set.

You should take advantage of this section’s prime real estate on your resume to focus on the most essential job requirements, such as necessary skills, experience or other qualifications like training or knowledge of a specific tool.

Check out this internal resume summary of qualifications example. This candidate is applying for an internal role that requires many technical skills and know-how on the product side.

Step 4: Focus on quantifiable achievements in your work experience.

Your internal resume’s work experience section should include measurable achievements that prove the impact of your efforts.

Instead of listing your job duties and general responsibilities, show your current employer that you’ve helped them increase their profits or productivity. Include numbers, percentages and dollar amounts to create quantifiable accomplishments that capture the recruitment team’s attention.

As the saying goes: “put your money where your mouth is,” and your employer will find it hard to argue that you’re the best person for the job.

Here’s an example of a work experience entry for an internal resume:

Step 5: Showcase skills indicating professional growth.

When making a resume for an internal position, the skills section is where you should show recruiters that you are more than your current role.

When your company recruiter looks at your updated resume, they don’t want to see the same skills you had on the resume you submitted when you first applied.

Instead, focus on the new skills you’ve developed at the company and highlight those you’ve acquired in preparation for this new role. Show your company you’ve put in the work to deserve this promotion.

Here’s an example of a skills section for someone who wants to pivot from their social media role to project manager:

Step 6: Use your education section to show continuous learning.

Along the same lines of showing professional growth, the education section is the place to show employers you’ve taken the initiative to expand your professional knowledge.

You’ll, of course, still include essential education information such as:

• Your degrees
• College or universities you attended
• Location of the colleges

However, you may expand your resume’s education section to feature additional education, such as:

• Advanced degrees (include expected graduation date if not completed)
• Certificates or associate degrees to supplement your studies
• Professional training related to the role
• Online courses (Udemy, Coursera)

Here’s an example of an education section for someone applying for an internal role:

Customize your internal resume with additional sections.

Depending on your desired role’s requirements and qualifications, you can add extra sections to account for more professional achievements.

When writing a resume for an internal position, consider adding the following sections: Only add these sections if you can include two or more items.

• Certifications
• Projects
• Volunteer Work
• Awards
• Hobbies and interests
• Languages

Are you ready to build your resume? Our Resume Builder allows you to take advantage of our easy-to-customize professional resume templates. There is no need to worry about formatting; the Builder will help you fit everything neatly into one page.

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Do’s and Don’ts of Writing an Internal Position Resume

Before you press send to that email or upload your resume, review this checklist to ensure you maximize your internal position resume and avoid common mistakes.

Write a Cover Letter that Complements Your Internal Resume

When applying for an internal position, the cover letter is your best tool to convince recruiters to offer you the job.

Many external applicants forgo the cover letter because they want to apply to multiple jobs quickly. As a current employee, writing a cover letter helps emphasize your commitment to the company and your problem-solving skills.

Beyond a list of skills and past accomplishments, employers also want to hire applicants ready to hit the ground running and provide solutions. As an internal candidate, you possess all the knowledge to prove that hiring criteria.

A few topics you can cover in your cover letter for an internal position are:

• Your genuine interest in the company’s continued growth and success.
• Understanding company culture and how you will contribute to a professional and productive atmosphere.
• Actual solutions to current problems the company is facing (this will be your biggest asset as an internal applicant).
• Suggestions about improving operations that will benefit the company.
• Knowledge of established processes and procedures that won’t require an extensive onboarding process.

If you want to write a cover letter that looks polished, is well-formatted, and features valuable information for recruiters, try our Cover Letter Builder! You’ll have a personalized letter for any job or industry in minutes.

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