For a high schooler, a resume may represent one of the first thresholds into adulthood. While they are professionally-minded documents, resumes are not nearly as self-serious and rigid as they may appear. A student should view a resume as an opportunity to highlight their achievements and express enthusiasm about what they’d like to do next.
What is a Resume and Why Do You Need One?
A resume is a structured document that summarizes a person’s qualifications. This usually includes a history of employment and involvements as well as skills and abilities.
Along with a cover letter, it gives an employer or an acceptance committee an idea at a glance of who you are. What classes have you taken, what groups are you a part of, can you use Microsoft Excel? Some of the information is gathered specifically so that a company can judge whether or not you are appropriate for the role in a technical sense. Some of it is just to give them a better idea of who you are beyond your career and what you might be like as a colleague.
Whether or not you need a resume is not necessarily dependent on age or experience. A freshmen applying for a part-time job may need a resume in the beginning of the year. A senior may find they don’t have occasion to write one until college applications. It is generally wise to have a resume ready to be sent out beginning in high school. Most applications for summer internships or other opportunities require one. It’s better to have one written and on hand as opposed having to pull one together last minute.
What Should It Look Like?
A resume should be limited to 1 page unless otherwise specified. Times New Roman, font size 12 is common. You can use another font /font size, just use common sense and remember to be professional. Pick a font and font size that you would be comfortable submitted a paper in. Students can include other design elements, but high schoolers especially should focus on information and not get too distracted by presentation.
Resumes are typically broken up into sections. This is done for organization as well as to make resumes easy to digest quickly. The structure also insures that all resumes has the right type of information. In their resume, students should include:
- Contact Information
- Career Objective
- Education
- Relevant coursework
- Employment/Professional Experience
- Internships/Fellowships
- Extracurricular
- Volunteer Experience
- Skills
- Awards/Honors
Which of these sections a student includes is dependent on the student as well as the role to which they are applying. Generally, every resume needs to include education and experience, professional or otherwise.
But I Don’t Have Any Experience
For high schoolers in particular, resumes can be relatively sparse. It’s easy when your schedule is mostly school and sports practice, to feel like you “don’t do anything” and therefore have nothing to put on a resume. This is rarely true.
At your age, “job” is a relatively loose term. Whomever is reading your resume is simply trying to get to know you. They’re as interested in more informal occupations, like scout leader or team captain, as they are in formal employment. You may not get a paycheck or have an office, but those casual roles still count for they speak to character, interest, and ability.
Now that you have an idea of what a resume is supposed to do and why you should write one. Here’s a guide on what specifically to include and why:
Contact Information
A resume should start with a heading that includes your address and contact information. Even if you’re snail mailing or emailing in your resume, this information needs to still be easily identifiable by anyone reading your resume. Potential employers or recruiters should not have to hunt for your email address and your phone number. Make it as easy as possible for them to contact you.
This may sound obvious, but also make sure that the email account you include is one that you check and a number you give is one that you answer. Once you’ve sent out your resume, be on the lookout. Don’t expect an answer, but be prepared for one.
Brush up on your phone manners. Keep your voicemail box empty. Check that your recorded greeting and your email signature is professional. Your email address should be professional and not HarryStylesSuperFan@gmail.com. Be mindful of the image of yourself that you are putting forth. In addition to your application, the impression a person gets when contacting you forms their opinion of you.
Career Objective
A career objective is a succinct statement meant to give a potential employer an idea of what you want to do. Especially for high schoolers, this can help the reader translate a student's goals and ambitions. This may not be easily decipherable from the limited coursework in high school or a lack of professional experience.
This section can also be customized to fit a specific company or application, or be aimed more generally at a future path. It should give the HR or hiring manager a better idea why you as an applicant would be a good fit. Aim to communicate a bigger picture and what you hope to accomplish in that particular role.
Education
A somewhat self-explanatory section, education needs to have the name and location of your school in addition to your year and expected graduation date. It should also include academic information, like a GPA.
This section can also be where you fold in relevant coursework. Think if there are classes you’ve taken in school that pertain to the job or speak to your interest in the field.
Internships/Fellowships
In including internships/fellowships in your resume, be sure to write in the name of the company or institution, it’s location, the dates you worked, and a few bullet points or sentences on what you did there.
Employment/Professional Experience
Like fellowships, employment should be included along with the title, location, company name, and the responsibilities of the role. A resume should show commitment, responsibility, and time well spent. There isn’t irrelevant experience.
Don’t discredit smaller roles just because of size or time. If you had a meaningful 2-week job during spring break that totally changed who you want to be when you grow up, include it. Short, summer commitments can be as telling as yearlong ones.
Don’t discredit menial jobs either. Positions, like babysitter or restaurant hostesses, highlight a student’s abilities as a leader and a team member. A person hiring for a science research position may look at a summer spent lifeguarding as valuable experience even though it’s not related to the field in question.
Whatever your path, be able to explain it. Don’t get caught having to admit that you only returned to work another year because you didn’t apply anywhere else.
Extracurricular
Think about what involvements, summer programs, clubs, and after school activities speak to who you are as a person. Include the types of things you’d want to be asked about in an interview. What roles highlight your responsibilities, your interests, or your aspirations?
Keep in mind, your resume does not need to include every single thing you’re involved in. If you find that you have too much to say, try to only include the positions that best highlight who you are specifically.
Volunteer Experience
Most high schoolers have to meet a volunteer graduation requirement. Whether you volunteered beyond this or not, volunteering is a good way to show commitment to community, good citizenship, and a desire to help others.
Skills
Technical skills like certain programs or software can be listed in this section. Microsoft Word, Excel, Photoshop, even social media experience will give an HR manager an idea of what an applicant knows. Think about what responsibilities the job requires. Some may include this information in the job listing.
You can also include soft skills like communication, time management, and leadership. Like with employment, be prepared to explain or elaborate on whatever you include.
Awards/Honors
Awards should encompass different types of accomplishments. This may include scholarships, honor roll, and awards like MVP/MIP. Both work-related and school-related. Be specific and include details like dates and purpose of the award as well as who bestows it.
References
Generally a reference should be someone that can speak to who you are and what abilities you have. This can include a teacher, mentor, or employer. It should, but does not have to be someone in the field to which you are applying. A baseball coach who can speak to your
Once you’ve gotten everything down, take a moment to review your work. Pretend you are seeing your resume for the first time and are considering yourself for an open position. Think about how your information presents on the page. Is it easy to follow with the eye? A hiring manager may take only seconds on a resume, so yours needs to be as effective as possible.
At the same time, whomever is reading your resume will know from your heading that you’re a high school student and hopefully scale their critique accordingly. Your resume doesn’t need to be the most impressive list of accomplishments ever to cross their desk. It just needs to communicate who you are.
If you are interested in speaking with one of our Advisors about writing a resume, you can schedule a free consultation here.
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For additional information and insights, check out our blog:
Why Summer Jobs and Work Experience Matter When High School Students Apply to College
Meaningful summer activities that enhance college application
5 Simple Tips to Writing a Great College Application Essay
Crafting a Cohesive College Application
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