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I am a Computer Science international graduate student who has one additional semester before I graduate. I currently work part time as a software developer intern and study full time. This should probably be the right time to look for full time entry level positions. But I don't think my current internship has been a great learning experience and I want to do another internship before I graduate (even if it means I delay graduation by a semester or two). But I also want to be on the lookout for full time positions as I search for an internship.

So my question is on my resume can I mention that I am seeking an internship and/or a full time position (depending on whatever the company is offering) ? or would that convey an sense of indecisiveness ?

Thank you

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  • Why do you feel your internship hasn't been a great learning experience?
    – corsiKa
    Commented Nov 12, 2014 at 19:25
  • @corsiKa One good thing is as a start up I got to work on the requirements, design and development and even some hardware stuff. But it was really more like a college project that a work environment. The manager is clueless about both the technical and managerial aspects (I've worked in bigger company full time for a year before so I could tell the difference) There wasn't anyone I could turn to for help at the workplace. Most of the help I got was from PhD students at my university. And I don't really feel a sense of accomplishment, partly because there have never been any concrete goals
    – Ajay Karthik
    Commented Nov 12, 2014 at 20:24
  • Welcome to the real world of corporate software development :). You may someday land that big position that has fellow developers that are competent, but in the mean time you learned some very marketable skills. You learned how to interact with multiple levels of technical competencies, how to solve problems, and work independently. Many time concrete goals never manifest outside of your own personal development.
    – scrappedcola
    Commented Nov 12, 2014 at 20:58

2 Answers 2

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Your question is exactly why it's a bad idea to mention objectives in a resume. Your resume should not be anything more than a summary - and at times, a detailed summary - of your skills, education and work experience. If you've got any awards that send a message about you like "Intern of the Year" at Acme Startup Ltd - fine, include that.

Customize the cover letters for what you are soliciting for from a prospective employer, be it an internship or a full-time position. And use the cover letter to explain why you are specifically suited for the position.

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  • Thanks for the post. This is what I was looking for. So a follow up, if I have the recruiters email (from a referral) I use the body of the email as my cover letter to indicate that I'm interested in in multiple positions (i.e. intern and full-time) ?
    – Ajay Karthik
    Commented Nov 12, 2014 at 20:30
  • @AjayKarthik Yes :) Keep the body of your resume clean.
    – Vietnhi Phuvan
    Commented Nov 12, 2014 at 20:42
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Think of your resume as a reference document, not a conversational one. By that I mean that your resume should be a static document that is applicable to more than one person as opposed to being directed at one person or group.

Your cover letter is where you can put conversations and specifics that you refer to such as how you are looking for an internship.

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  • I could provide details on my cover letter. But for the recruiter who only has time to glance over a 1 page resume, how would I clearly convey I am interested in either an internship or full time without sounding ambiguous ?
    – Ajay Karthik
    Commented Nov 12, 2014 at 19:01
  • @AjayKarthik - Just because it is recommended to limit your resume to 1-2 pages depending on experience, doesn't mean at the exclusion of a cover letter.
    – user8365
    Commented Nov 12, 2014 at 19:24
  • @JeffO I do include cover letters whenever I have the option. But I just don't think people spend the time to read through millions of online applications. I think it might be useful when I get in touch directly with a recruiter. That being said, I do understand that stating objectives on the resume is not a good idea and the cover letter is the best place for it.
    – Ajay Karthik
    Commented Nov 12, 2014 at 20:35
  • @AjayKarthik - Places that have to sort through large numbers of resumes, probably have some automatic filtering and then a subset actually get read by someone.
    – user8365
    Commented Nov 14, 2014 at 10:35
  • @Jeffo thanks for the insight. I've actually understood the purpose of a cover letter through these answers. (Until now I just repeated the highlights of my resume on my cover letter albeit in a different format)
    – Ajay Karthik
    Commented Nov 16, 2014 at 5:53

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