Crafting a Winning High School Resume: Templates, Tips, and Examples
A high school resume is more than just a document for job seekers. It's a snapshot of your accomplishments, extracurricular activities, hobbies, and work history that can be invaluable for college applications, interviews, and even for teachers writing your letters of recommendation. Some colleges and scholarship committees may even request or recommend a high school resume with your application.
Why a High School Resume Matters
Even with limited or no work experience, a well-crafted resume can highlight your skills, education, and achievements, setting you apart from other applicants. It's a tool to showcase your potential and make a strong case for why you deserve an opportunity, whether it's a spot at your dream school, a coveted scholarship, or an impressive internship.
Key Elements of a Successful High School Resume
While every resume is unique, certain elements contribute to a powerful and effective presentation:
- Succinctness: Aim for a one-page resume that captures the reader's attention quickly.
- Emphasis on Accomplishments: Highlight your achievements rather than just listing activities. Use specific examples to showcase your successes.
- Skill Highlighting: Showcase transferable skills like teamwork, communication, organization, and work ethic.
Building Your High School Resume: A Step-by-Step Guide
Here's a breakdown of the essential sections in a high school resume template:
1. Header: Making a Strong First Impression
The header is where you present your name and contact information. This is your opportunity to make a memorable first impression.
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2. Education: Showcasing Your Academic Prowess
Think of your high school experience as your current "career." Prioritize this section, placing it higher on the page. Expand on your achievements and focuses, including relevant classes, honors, awards, and GPA (if it's above 3.5). Mention challenging coursework, especially if it relates to the opportunity you're seeking.
Example:
Arapahoe Ridge High School, Boulder, CO
High School Diploma, 20XX
GPA: 3.8/4.0
Relevant Coursework: AP English Language and Composition, Creative Writing
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3. Experience: Highlighting Your Accomplishments
Don't underestimate your experiences! Include both paid and volunteer work, part-time jobs, summer jobs, internships, and charity work. List each experience in reverse chronological order, including the organization name, location, and dates of involvement. Use action verbs to describe your responsibilities and achievements.
Example:
Organized and maintained library resources, including cataloging new books, shelving materials, and ensuring a neat and accessible library environment
4. Leadership and Activities: Demonstrating Your Involvement
This section showcases your interests outside the classroom, demonstrating your ability to manage time and prioritize activities. Mention participation in student government, clubs, athletics, or music. Highlight any leadership roles or significant accomplishments.
5. Skills and Interests: Adding the Finishing Touches
The skills section is where you list your abilities and expertise, both hard skills (technical abilities) and soft skills (interpersonal skills). Aim for a balance of both. If space allows, include a list of interests to add a personal touch.
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- Hard Skills: Foreign language, Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, coding, social media platforms
- Soft Skills: Communication, teamwork, leadership, customer service, organization, analytical skills, problem-solving, adaptability
Optimizing Your Resume for Impact
Use a Simple Student Resume Format
If you’re writing a resume for your first job, begin with the standard chronological resume format. In this format, your most recent experience appears first (right under your resume’s header section and introduction), followed by older experience underneath that. The experience you list doesn’t need to be paid work.
Crafting a Compelling Resume Objective
A resume objective summarizes who you are to employers, emphasizing your future career goals and passion. Before writing your objective, understand what the employer wants and highlight your relevant skills, career goals, and contributions.
Example:
Motivated high school student with a strong work ethic looking to gain valuable real-world experience and contribute to a team-oriented environment. Demonstrated ability to provide exceptional service through previous volunteer serving experience at school events, showcasing excellent communication skills, attention to detail, and a friendly demeanor. Eager to apply my knowledge, learn new skills, and contribute to creating memorable dining experiences for customers at your establishment.
Highlighting Volunteer Experience and Extracurriculars
Replace the work experience section with one that showcases your extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and freelance gigs. Expand on your extracurriculars, including leadership roles or major projects.
Including Relevant Coursework
Highlight coursework related to the job you’re applying for in your resume’s education section. This demonstrates your exposure to the subject area and motivation to complete projects.
Focus on Your Transferable Skills
Highlight the soft skills that you’ve developed in high school that are valuable in almost every job.
Use Descriptive Action Verbs
Use action verbs to describe what you did and what you accomplished. As a general rule, start each bullet point in your experience section with a strong action verb.
Examples:
Designed, Lead, Summarized, Presented, Created, Monitored, Researched, Facilitated, Wrote, Contributed, Measured, Participated, Planned, Collaborated, Calculated, Corresponded, Developed, Supported, Collected, Provided, Streamlined, Reorganized, Classified, Documented
Resume Design and Formatting: Keeping it Simple and Professional
While it's tempting to showcase your artistic side, keep the design simple, streamlined, and polished. Use a resume template to avoid formatting errors and ensure a professional look.
Personalization
Contrary to popular belief, Times New Roman isn't the only professional-looking font. Try Garamond, Georgia, Helvetica, Cambria, or Calibri. If your chosen template uses color, feel free to change it, but stick to one small splash of color and use black for your text.
Common Resume Errors to Avoid
- Typos and Grammatical Errors: Proofread carefully and ask someone else to review your resume.
- Font Size Manipulation: Don't increase the font size or expand margins to make your resume look fuller.
- Exaggerations or Falsehoods: Be honest and accurate in your resume.
The Benefits of a Well-Crafted Resume
A strong resume increases your chances of getting the opportunities you're seeking. It's an advertisement for you that piques the interest of readers, making them want to learn more. Developing a good high school resume will also save you time in the future, as you can easily update and tweak it for various applications.
Additional Resources
- Resume examples for teens
- Internship resume examples & writing guide
- How to write a scholarship resume
- Babysitter resume
- Dog walker resume
- How to write an entry-level cover letter
- Best jobs for teenagers
- How to make a sorority resume
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you put in a resume for high school?
Include meaningful experiences like volunteer work, extracurricular activities, and major school projects. You can also include hobbies and interests, especially if they relate to the target job.
What is a high school diploma called on a resume?
A high school diploma is simply called a high school diploma or a GED.
How long should a high school resume be?
A high school resume should be no longer than one page.
What should I put under education on a resume in high school?
You should put your high school diploma under the education section. If you have relevant coursework or honors, include those as well.
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