Free template · Operations
Performance review template for an intern
A ready-to-use, section-by-section template with the competencies that matter for an intern, role-specific example phrases, and a guard against the stock filler that makes most reviews read as generic. Copy the structure, fill in your evidence, or skip the writing entirely with Crestento.
The template
Four sections, in this order. Length should match the evidence you have — a thin section is honest; an invented paragraph is not.
Summary
One or two paragraphs setting the context: what was expected of intern this period, and your overall verdict. Lead with the headline.
Example phrasing
“Owned the customer-onboarding research project across the summer, delivered a 14-page report with three actionable recommendations the team has adopted, consistently met deadlines without prompting, and ran a clean handoff back to the full-time team at the end of the internship.”
Strengths
The behaviours and outcomes that made the work happen. Anchor in evidence: specific project / deliverable shipped, downstream adoption of intern's work, ramp time to independent contribution.
- Evidence for: learning velocity.
- Evidence for: task ownership and reliability.
- Evidence for: professionalism and communication.
- Evidence for: contribution to assigned project / work-stream.
Areas for Growth
Forward-looking development edges. Frame as opportunities, not deficiencies. Specific behaviours to develop, not generic intern criticism.
- One pattern observed across the period.
- One specific behaviour to develop.
- One concrete next step.
Goals for the Next Period
Two or three concrete goals. Each should name a specific behaviour change, a measurable target, and a deadline. Avoid vague aspirations.
Competencies to evaluate
The 7 competencies a strong intern review structures around, in priority order. Use these as the spine of the Strengths and Areas for Growth sections.
- learning velocity
- task ownership and reliability
- professionalism and communication
- contribution to assigned project / work-stream
- willingness to ask for and act on feedback
- peer and team collaboration
- documentation of work and handoff
Before you write
Internships are about velocity of learning and reliability under uncertainty. Strong interns ramp quickly, ship real work that the team uses, and ask the right questions when stuck. Weak interns require constant supervision and produce output that has to be rebuilt. The review should give the intern usable signal for their next role — and the team usable signal for whether to convert to full-time.
Evidence to gather
Strong reviews for an intern cite evidence of these shapes. Only use a specific value (a percentage, a count, a dollar amount) if you actually have it — don’t invent a number to sound concrete.
- specific project / deliverable shipped
- downstream adoption of intern's work
- ramp time to independent contribution
- feedback-incorporation cycle (asks, applies, asks again)
- professional reliability (deadlines met, communication cadence)
Where to find the evidence
Work products an intern produces. Reference these by name in the review when they’re relevant — it signals you know the work.
- project deliverable (report, prototype, code, dashboard)
- weekly check-in notes
- end-of-internship presentation / readout
- handoff documentation
- feedback round at midpoint and close
Phrasing that lands vs phrasing that doesn’t
Strong — specific, evidenced, role-appropriate
“Owned the customer-onboarding research project across the summer, delivered a 14-page report with three actionable recommendations the team has adopted, consistently met deadlines without prompting, and ran a clean handoff back to the full-time team at the end of the internship.”
Weak — vague, unevidenced, generic
“Great intern, fun to have around.”
Phrases to never use
Stock filler that AI-written intern reviews slip into. Managers spot it instantly. Rewrite to name a specific behaviour instead.
- “fun to have around”
- “great attitude”
- “natural fit for the team”
- “shows promise”
- “consistently positive”
- “passionate learner”
- “team player”
- “bright future ahead”
Don’t invent these specifics
The details an AI tends to fabricate for internreviews. If you don’t have the specific number, name, or date in your notes, leave it out — generic-but-honest beats specific-but- invented every time.
- specific project deliverables not in input
- named teams or projects the intern worked on when not mentioned
- specific length / scope of work delivered not provided
- particular skills developed not referenced
- specific feedback or readout outcomes not in input
Skip the template, generate the review
Drop your bullet points into Crestento and it produces the polished draft using this exact template structure, tuned for an intern. Two reviews free, no card.
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