Read the upload rules before you write anything
Copy the required formats, maximum file sizes, page limits, and document names from the opening into your checklist. Government and university portals are often the strictest: some accept only certain file types, some cap total upload size across all documents, and some require a specific naming pattern. Federal applications may also ask for supporting documents that have nothing to do with a resume. Knowing this first stops you from designing a two-page layout for a portal that wants one page, or a graphic header for a system that will discard it.
Export a PDF, then open the PDF
Unless the instructions say otherwise, submit a PDF. It preserves layout across devices in a way a word-processor file does not. Then actually open the exported file and read it — not the editor view you exported from. Check that fonts rendered, that nothing reflowed onto an extra page, that links work, and that no tracked change, comment, or template placeholder survived. Check the document properties too: the author name and title fields are carried into the file and are visible to whoever opens it.
Make the text machine-readable
Many portals extract text from your file to pre-fill their own fields, and you will usually be shown the result before submitting. That extraction is where decorative layouts fail. Text inside images, text boxes, headers, footers, or multi-column tables is frequently dropped or reordered. A single-column layout with ordinary headings and real text survives this reliably. Do not pad a document with invisible or white-coloured keywords — it is easy to detect, it will not help you, and it can be treated as misrepresentation. Aim for a document that is clear to a person and plain enough for a parser.
Name files so a human can file them
When a name is not prescribed, use something unambiguous and durable: your name, the document type, and optionally the role — for example `Jordan-Lee-Resume.pdf`. Avoid spaces, punctuation beyond hyphens, accented characters, and version noise like `final-v3-REAL`. Recruiters open hundreds of these, and a file called `resume.pdf` or `Untitled (2).pdf` is a small, avoidable friction. Keep the same name pattern across every document in one application.
Handle transcripts and reference material carefully
An unofficial transcript is usually a PDF you download from your student system; an official one often has to be ordered and may take days and cost money, so check which is required early. If a transcript carries an identification number or date of birth, follow the program's redaction instructions — and if there are none, ask rather than guessing. Never send documents containing a government identification number unless an official process specifically requires it. For references, confirm who submits what: in many research applications your own submission is not complete until your referees act separately, and they need the deadline and the link from you.
Verify what the system actually received
After submitting, reopen the application and view the stored files. Portals occasionally keep an earlier draft, attach a document to the wrong slot, or truncate a large upload. Download each attachment and check it is the version you meant to send. Save the confirmation, the role identifier, and a copy of the posting, since listings are edited and removed. If you find a genuine error, use the portal's own edit route if it has one, or the published applicant-support contact — once, clearly, with the role identifier — rather than resubmitting a duplicate application.
Check the program-specific instructions
Use these independent guides to find the official requirements and application route. General advice does not override a publisher's instructions.
Check eligibility and the selected role's document instructions before submitting. FirstInternships does not accept applications or store your resume.
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