This guide will answer all your questions about how to write a resume when you’re still in high school. If you’re worried about your lack of work experience or you’re unsure about your skills, you’re in the right place — we’ll show you how to write a great high school resume.
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These high school resume templates will make getting started easy. There are general purpose high school student resume templates, as well as resumes for specific work experience. These templates will guide you with a professional resume format and a basic idea of what to write. We also have student resume examples and other professional resume templates.
Internship Application
Fast Food Employee
General Purpose
Multipurpose
Part-time Grocery Store
Restaurant
Volunteer
Warehouse Employee
Welder Helper
Food Delivery
Start with the job search.
Determine if you want a part-time job, an internship, a seasonal job or a trade job. This will help you determine what work experiences and skills you need to highlight in your resume. Remember that there’s no one-size-fits-all resume; each one should be tailored to the specific job you’re applying for.
Establish your strengths.
Think of your participation in clubs, teams, associations or even hobbies. Make a list of these activities and what you’ve learned in them; it could be teamwork, self-discipline, creativity, communication. You will use these qualities to write your resume’s skills section.
Choose the right format.
The same way one resume won’t work for every job application; one resume won’t work for every candidate. The following three resume formats help present you in the most flattering way while downplaying any potential weaknesses you may have like, say, lack of extensive work experience.
1. Strong summary statement
A summary statement, also called a professional summary, is basically a pitch of yourself to your potential employer. It is composed of two or three sentences that convey your strongest qualities.
For example, if you’re applying for a sales associate position, your summary statement could read like this:
“Hardworking student with professional experience in customer service and sales. Created business plan for the Annual Class Bake Sale which resulted in a 75% increase in profits compared to the previous year. Proven team player with excellent verbal communication skills and ability to solve problems quickly.”
2. Relevant work history
If you’ve had common high school jobs like cashier, retail associate or babysitter, include them in your work history if you’re applying for similar positions.
Every work experience entry needs to include a job title, the dates of employment and any major achievements. We always recommend you quantify these achievements with numbers.
Here’s an example:
Sandra’s Beauty Supply — Sept. 2019–March 2020
3. Showcase your skills
The skills section is one of the most important sections of your resume since it includes the main professional qualities that will get you hired.
Let’s continue with the sales associate example. You can include a list of six to eight skills such as:
In a functional resume, your skills will form the basis of your resume. Instead of listing job titles, you will list three to four main skills. Each skill should be followed by the tasks and achievements that prove you have developed them.
For example:
Customer service
4. Awards, honors and special achievements
Include a separate section in your resume that lists your participation in clubs or student associations; extracurricular activities such as theater, sports or band; and any other impressive accomplishments.
Take a look at how you should format it:
5. Display your education
To list your education you must include the name of your high school, its city and state, and your expected graduation date. Here’s how it should look:
Saratoga, NY Anticipated graduation date: May 2021
6. Contact information
Your resume begins with your contact information, which includes your full name, email address, phone number, and your city, state and ZIP code. It was customary to include a full address, but since it’s unlikely you’ll receive traditional mail, this is not necessary.
Follow this example:
Once you’ve understood the purpose of every section of your resume, keep in mind a few of these tips and suggestions to perfect your resume.
Mind your fonts and margins
Your resume shouldn’t extend beyond one page and it should have a good balance of text and white space. A cramped resume will look amateur and unprofessional. Stay away from eccentric fonts; these look immature and can be hard to read.
Proofread your resume
Have a teacher or trusted adult go over your resume to spot any typos or grammatical errors. You can also use a grammar checker programs like Grammarly or Hemingway that can help edit your text.
A cover letter could help.
If you think the real impact of your accomplishments is not getting through in your resume, you can write a cover letter to explain your achievements. Talk in detail about accomplishments like raising your GPA by two points in one school year, or about your campaign for student council president. These types of anecdotes show you’re a motivated student and professional.
If it’s your first time writing a resume, take advantage of our user-friendly resume builder. It’ll take you through each step of the process and offer pro tips and auto-suggested phrases that make you sound like your best professional self.
The best way to write a resume if you have no experience and are currently in high school is by using the functional resume format. This format shines a light on all the great skills you have: responsibility, discipline, teamwork. Really be critical of your strengths and redefine them as professional skills in your resume.
If you’re 16 and in need of a resume, what’s most important is having a strong skills section and a professional-looking resume.
To start off, every resume should have the main five sections: contact information, summary statement, work history, skills and education.
Follow the steps laid out on this page to create a terrific high school resume that will impress any employer.
All high school resumes should be one-page long. Stick with the most important information and never fill it with fluff. Repeating the same thing or rephrasing it will make it seem like you don’t have much to stay. Sometimes less is more as long as it’s quality.
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