resume tips for high school students

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16 High School Student Resume Examples Created for 2024

High School Student Resume

• High School Student Resumes by Experience
• High School Student Resumes by Role

High school is one of the best times of your life, but it can also be one of the most difficult when looking for your first or second job. You’ve got to fill out applications, prep for interviews, and write your resume.

Using ChatGPT for resumes  is a cool idea, but can still feel daunting and overwhelming. We’ve all been there, and up until now, there hasn’t been a good resource for high schoolers to help  craft compelling resumes or student cover letters .

We’ve analyzed countless high school resumes to discover  what would get students job interviews in 2024 . While you may want to start with a simple  resume outline , keep reading to find 16 high school resume samples (plus writing tips) that are jam-packed with essential techniques and tricks.

or download as PDF

Why this resume works

• If you choose to use a template, make sure you adjust the  resume’s formatting  so that your text is big enough to read with one-inch margins on the side.
• However, you should write your bullet points like you would for a job. Highlight any responsibilities and accomplishments relevant to the job you’re applying for now.
• For example, if you’re looking for a job in sales, emphasize your ability to work in groups and create a good customer experience.

High School Student No Experience Resume

• If you don’t have work history, include projects and volunteer work instead. Treat them like a job and write bullet points according to your responsibilities.
• Make sure you start every bullet point with active verbs, and always double-check for typos. You’ve got this!
• Include your unique skills, your desired position, and the company you hope to work for to make your objective stand out from the rest!

First Job High School Student Resume

• To remedy that problem, add a  skills section on your resume  to give hiring managers an important overview of your strengths.
• To really highlight your abilities, incorporate the same skills in your work experience, too. Demonstrate how you used your skills to better your workplace, and you can’t go wrong!
• Adding stylistic elements like color and different fonts can help you show a bit of your personality (and make your resume more fun to read). 

Experienced High School Student Resume

• Remember, your resume is a highlight reel, so you need to include what’s most important (like your achievements and relevant metrics). 
• You can adjust your layout, font sizes, and margins, but keep it easy to read. 
• Use a bit of color and some fun fonts, provided it still looks professional. You’ve got this!

High School Senior Resume

• This statement must align with the potential employer’s needs, proving you understand the job requirements and have gone the extra mile to address doubts about your capabilities. As for experiences that might have prepared you for the job, workshops and volunteering programs you’ve participated in are prominent candidates.

Out of High School Resume

• Leisure activities range from soccer, hiking, drawing and sketching, robotics, and photography to journalism. But how do they fit in the picture? Well, a penchant for drawing and sketching could reflect creativity and an eye for detail, while journalism stints could hint at strong communication and critical thinking.

High School Graduate Resume

• Right from the first line of the career objective, you can see the candidate’s passion and willingness to work in this field. Notice how Serai’s love for photography is clearly backed by a previous project for a school newspaper.
• These details will be perfect when Serai’s ready for the AI cover letter generator to bring her application to perfection.

High School Student Scholarship Resume

• Your high school student scholarship resume should vividly show your positive contributions to noble causes, such as offering ADLs to seniors, and emphasize your impact on society.

High School Student College Application Resume

• Ensure your high school student college application resume shows your practical and classwork achievements that emphasize your grand vision to make a positive contribution to society.

High School Student for College Resume

• Before hitting “submit,” always  check your resume  for typos and other minor errors. It’s amazing what you can miss during your first few reviews.
• A good GPA can demonstrate, at least in part, your willingness to work hard. We’d recommend including your GPA only if it’s above 3.5, but anything above a 3 is a good average.

High School Student for Customer Service Resume

• Including projects, volunteer work, or club memberships is a great way to add value to your resume.
• Your resume should focus on your abilities and other activities you’ve engaged in that will show your value.
• Read the responsibilities and qualifications to look for key skills and tasks. Then, incorporate some of those skills and responsibilities into your high school student customer service resume.

High School Student Internship Resume

• For example, if the job description lists responsibilities like writing and analyzing data, include “written communication” and “data analysis” in your skills section.
• One easy way to customize your resume is by focusing your  resume skills  on things that apply to the internship. 
• Make sure you keep your resume professional and to the point. You don’t want to include anything too personal about your beliefs, religion, politics, or personal information.
• For example, you can list “volunteering at local church,” but avoid saying “fasting every weekend.” It doesn’t show off relevant skills and is a bit too forward for a resume.

High School Student Office Worker Resume

• Good projects include anything that demonstrates your leadership abilities or desire for knowledge. Senior projects, personal blogs, or even being on a sports team are all good examples to include!
• Add work experience directly under your contact information and name, then add any relevant projects if you’re low on space. 
• While there are plenty of  resume writing tips , your resume should be as unique as you. Don’t get so caught up in what you think you “should” do that your resume is bland and cookie-cutter. 

High School Student Sales Resume

• Numbers demonstrate your value, and they’re useful tools for the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) software that hiring managers use to sort through job applicants.
• Trust us, and incorporate metrics into at least 80% of your bullet points!
• For example, you know that different  resume templates  can change your resume’s appearance, but different templates can also stretch or streamline your content. 
• Mess with multiple templates to see what your content will look like—you may find a template that allows for more room, or one that allows you to highlight your skills better.

High School Student Athlete  Resume

• Think of a time you proved you were the MVP on your team—Did you lead your team to a championship? Perhaps you made the game-winning shot in a crucial, nail-biting game?

High School Student Music Resume

• When you include hobbies like songwriting or your interest in classical music in your high school student music resume , it conveys to your recruiter that you’re super dedicated and passionate about your craft.
• You can also include hobbies that are different, too. For example, if you enjoy experimenting with new recipes from around the world, that can show you’re ready to give new genres a whirl or that you understand that music—while art—is still supposed to be fun and adventuresome.

Related resume guides

• Entry Level

High School Resume - How-To Guide for 2024 [11+ Samples]

Whether you’re preparing your college application, applying for an internship, or looking for a part-time job, you’ll notice that every single place is asking for your resume. 

You sit down, work on your resume for an hour, trying to come up with what you can include.

And all you end up with is the name of the high school you’re attending.

“What gives?” you wonder.

“What else can I add to my resume, when I have zero work experience?”

That’s a more than valid concern and it’s exactly what we’re going to discuss in this article! 

We’re going to tell you exactly what to write so that your resume is as convincing as any other (even with zero work experience). 

• What to include in a high school resume
• 4 Free high school templates you can use
• A real-life high school resume example
• FAQ on high school resumes

Let’s start with the question you’ve been repeatedly asking yourself:

What to Include in My High School Resume?

At the end of the day, resumes are about showing an employer that you are the right person for the job. 

You want to show you’re a competent, passionate, and responsible individual, with the right skills to get the job done.

Well, work experience isn’t the only way to convince recruiters of that. 

Instead, you can focus on the following sections:

• #1. Contact Information - This is where you write down your personal and contact information (no surprise there) like first and last name, phone number, e-mail address, or links to other profiles.
• #2. Resume Objective - In 3-4 sentences, you should be able to describe your career goals and aspirations as well as list your skills.
• #3. Education - As you probably guessed, this is where you list your education history and relevant certifications.
• #4. Extracurricular Activities - These include participation in high school clubs, competitive events, and volunteer work.
• #5. Projects & Gigs - You can mention relevant projects you have participated in, as well as any internships.
• #6. Work Experience (optional) - If you don’t have any work experience, you can mention apprenticeships or volunteer work instead.
• #7. Languages - Language skills are always a plus for your application.
• #8. Hobbies & Interests - These offer some insight into your personality and can show that you’re passionate and interested in the industry.

As you can see, there’s a lot that can go into your resume to make up for the missing work experience. 

Now, we’ll dive into each of these sections in detail and teach you how to do each of them right!

So, let’s start with:

#1. Contact Information

The contact information isn’t too hard to pull off.

Here’s what you need to include here:

• First and Last Name
• Phone Number
• Email Address

Make sure to use a professional email address , something like: [email protected]. Using your middle school [email protected] account will not leave the right impression. 

#2. Resume Objective

A resume objective is a 3-4 sentence statement of your skills, achievements, and career goals . 

Think of it as a short summary of why you’re applying for this specific position and why you’d be a good candidate for it.

You should try your best to link this summary to the role you are applying for. 

For example, if you’re applying for a position as a sales associate, you should make a point of your good social skills, proficiency in math, and teamwork skills.

Let’s have a look at a concrete example of a resume objective for this case:

Hard-working, responsible high school student looking to contribute a positive and collaborative attitude in the retail field. Math-oriented individual with good attention to detail.

#3. Education

In a typical resume, this comes after the work experience section. 

For a high school resume, though, you’d want to do it the other way around, since you want to put more focus on your academic achievements.

This section will most probably consist of only one entry: your high school education. 

Here’s how you can format your education section:

• Name of the Degree
• Name of the Institution
• Years Attended
• GPA (if above 3.5)
• Honors (if applicable)
• Relevant Courses

High School Diploma (Honor Roll)

AB High School

09/2015 - 06/2019

• Relevant courses: AP Calculus, Statistics, Leadership

#4. Extracurricular Activities

Now, this section could be one of your biggest selling points. 

Even if you have a not-so-special GPA, extracurriculars can turn your resume around. These activities are typically school-related, like participation in clubs or student societies. 

Involvement in such, especially in leadership positions like club president or team captain, shows you are sociable and active in your pursuits. 

When listing your extracurricular activities, you should format each entry like this:

Student Body Treasurer

Student Government, AB High School

• Managed the student council’s funds and expenses, kept financial records, and worked with the president and vice president to create budgets and allot funds for clubs and events.
• Participated in organizing student activities like dances, spirit weeks, community service, and fundraising movements and assemblies.

#5. Projects & Gigs

Here you can mention (or even link to) any independent projects you’ve worked on - something you’ve done on the side, unrelated to academics. 

This could be a personal project, small business or startup, side-gig, blog, etc.

Such activities add a lot of value to your resume. They show you’re a self-starter and that’s a quality that’s very much appreciated in any role and industry.

Neighborhood Book Club 

2019 - Present

• Founded a local book club, initially for my friends, and later for all the teenagers of my neighborhood.
• Prepared a monthly book calendar for the club, combining trending, relevant, and classic books.
• Organized weekly meetings to discuss the progress on the books and our thoughts upon finishing them.

#6. Work Experience (Optional)

If you have some work experience, awesome! Here’s how you’d format it on your high school resume:

• Company Name
• Dates Employed
• Achievements & Responsibilities

Sandwich Artist

Joe’s Sandwich Emporium

06/2020 - 09/2020

• Prepared several types of sandwiches for customers.
• Promoted new products on the menu directly to customers.
• Worked with the cash register.
• Interacted with dozens of customers on a daily basis.

If you don’t have any work experience, though, worry not! You can always replace it with another “Other” section.

Volunteer work, for example, is another great addition to your resume. If you also have any informal work experiences like babysitting or dog walking, you should include them in the section. 

Even if you didn’t get a paycheck out of that work, such experiences show you are skilled and reliable. 

For example, an entry for volunteering experience can look like this:

Educational Team Member

Save the Children

2018 - Present

• Assisted in giving weekly art history and drawing lessons to children at the local orphanage
• Helped organize visits at local museums and art galleries

#7. Language skills

Are you bilingual or can speak another language apart from your native one?

Make sure to mention it on your high school resume!

Wherever you might be applying, you can rest assured that they’re going to appreciate your language skills.

Even if you’re applying for a job in the service or retail industry, proficiency in an extra language or two is going to give you an advantage over other applicants, especially if you write your CEFR level , and can back up the claim in conversation.

Who knows when some foreign customers will come in and your knowledge will come in handy!

With that scenario in mind:

Be mindful not to exaggerate your skills, as lying on your resume can only get you in trouble.

#8. Hobbies & Interests

It might feel like you’re just filling up some space, but actually, the hobbies and interests you list on a resume can be significant, especially if you don’t have a lot of extracurriculars or work experience.

You need something to hint as to who you are as a person and employee, and listing hobbies and interests will do that for you. 

They also show that you are an engaged individual and well-rounded applicant. 

However, you should be selective with what you mention here. 

Listing 6+ hobbies will end up having the opposite effect - it will look like you’re just throwing in some random words, hoping some of them will be impressive. 

A good strategy is to look for hints on the job ad i.e. if they are looking for a team player, mentioning a team sport as one of your hobbies is a great idea. 

Keep in mind, though, that you should also avoid hobbies that don’t add to your profile as a candidate.

E.g.: your gaming hobby doesn't make you a better candidate for the role of a sales manager.

4 Free High School Resume Templates

So we’re all done with theory at this point. 

There’s one thing left for you to do: sit down and start preparing your resume. 

To help you with that, we’ve gathered 4 free resume templates , perfect for a high school resume. 

All you have to do is pick the ones you like best & get started with your resume!

#1. Simple Resume Template

This versatile template works for all kinds of applicants - from those with plenty to those with zero work experience. 

The neutral colors emphasize information over flashiness and the structure is easy to follow.

#2. Professional Resume Template

This next template is an all-time favorite of ours. 

Unlike the first template, the Professional one is formatted into two columns. It’s simple, yet stands out with its blue accent color (which you can change into any color you like). 

#3. Modern Resume Template

The Modern template adds something more to the traditional resume look. There is a faded design in the background and some of the sections are boxed by large brackets.

It’s a template that stands out without being too loud or wild. 

#4. Creative Resume Template

If you’re applying for a position in a creative field (marketing, design, etc.), this is the template for you. 

It uses accent colors and has a bold header that makes a statement. 

High School Resume Example

As important as picking the right template is, the content of the resume is what’s going to seal the deal. 

Here’s one example of a high school student resume, so you can get a clearer idea of what it should look like!

High School Resume FAQ

If you still have some questions regarding your high school resume, check out the FAQ and our answers below:

1. How can I write a high school resume with no work experience?

As a high school student, it’s more than normal for you to have no work experience. This shouldn’t scare you. 

There’s a lot of activities you can add to your resume that can substitute work experience.

Extracurricular activities, like participation in school clubs, projects, and gigs, are a great indicator of your skills and personality. Any informal work experiences should also be mentioned.

As long as you are showing the recruiter that you are capable of doing the job, your resume will be just fine without a work experience section.

2. How long should a high school resume be?

When it comes to high school resumes, the answer is undebatable: one page. 

A 2018 eye-tracking study showed that recruiters spend about 7 seconds skimming a resume before deciding whether to discard it or not. 

A 2-page resume will be simply excessive. 

Heck, even if you’re a professional with 10 years of work experience, we’d still recommend sticking to 1 page.

For more on resume length best practices, check out our article.

3. What’s the best way to make a high school resume?

An important and time-consuming part of making a resume is getting the formatting right. 

This means meticulously editing a Word or Google doc in order to get the right typeface, font size , line spacing, margins, etc.

What we’re getting at here is, if you’re making your resume manually, it can take you hours…

And then you make a tiny change on your layout, and your resume starts spilling into the second page!

Want to save time and effort?

Just use a resume builder ! The formatting is done for you, and all YOU have to do is fill in the resume!

Key Takeaways

That pretty much covers all you need to know about writing a high school no-experience resume . 

Quite simple and doable, right?

Finally, here’s a recap of what you should keep in mind when writing your high school resume:

• Instead of work experience, talk about extracurriculars like school clubs, personal projects, or gigs.
• Use sections like education, hobbies & interests, and languages to emphasize your skills and give an idea of your personality.
• Grab the recruiter’s attention with a concise resume objective that clearly highlights your top skills and career goals.
• Keep your resume at a maximum of 1 page.

And finally, good luck with your job search!

Related Resume Examples

• No Experience Resume
• Internship Resume
• College Resume
• Research Assistant Resume
• Students and Graduates Resume
• Teacher Resume

Suggested readings:

• The Complete Guide to Remote Work [W/ Tips & Tricks]
• 101+ Achievements to List On Your Resume [In 2024]
• The Ultimate Guide to Job Hunt - Land Your Next Job in 2024

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10 Tips for High Schoolers Creating Their First Resumes

Even in an uncertain world, high schoolers can build solid resumes.

Deloitte offers many resources to help high schoolers get college- and career-ready. Learn more>>

Creating your first resume can be an intimidating task when you’re a teenager. Maybe you’ve never had a job and with the current condition of the world, prospects for summer employment aren’t looking great. [1] Internships, camps, and other resume builders may also be in short supply. That’s why we asked our friends at Deloitte to share some of their high school resume tips to help students prepare for future career and college opportunities.

1. Customize your resume for each job. 

You know what they say—you never get a second chance to make a first impression. That’s why, once you create the bones of your resume, you’ll want to customize each version you submit to be the best match for the job you’re applying to.

2. Make your summary pop. 

The summary section of your resume is an opportunity to let your personality shine. The summary consists of two or three sentences at the top of your resume that pack in information about who you are and the unique skills you can bring to the job. It’s an employer’s first impression of you. You should consider including dynamic language and strong action verbs.

3. Tailor your experience to the job requirements.

Use your resume to highlight skills that make you stand out. If you’re applying for a customer service job, include experience that shows you know how to take care of people. If you’re hoping to work on a landscaping crew, include experience that shows you know how to work on a team.

4. Include relevant education.

Up to this point, school has been your job, and employers realize that. Highlight the skills and knowledge that you’ve acquired from relevant classes that make you an excellent candidate for the job. For instance, if you’re applying for a job working with kids, mention the early childhood class you took. If you’re applying for a position as a cashier, include the money management or accounting class.

5. Don’t forget about extracurricular activities and community service.

Experience working with people is valuable; it doesn’t matter whether or not you earned money doing it. Employers are interested in knowing what you’re passionate about and want to see that you’ve made a commitment to showing up and participating.

6. Highlight achievements and awards.

It’s okay to brag on yourself in this section of your resume. Your achievements can help you stand out from the crowd.  Include all leadership positions you’ve held and the contributions you’ve made that have produced impressive results.

7. Keep your resume brief.

Most hiring managers do not have the time to pore through long descriptive paragraphs. Remember, you want to catch an employer’s eye quickly, so be concise. Your best bet is to structure your resume in a bullet-point format, one that draws the eye to the most important information. Think of each section as a teaser that the employer can’t wait to hear more about in an interview. 

8. Keep it simple.

Of course, you want your resume to stand out from the crowd, but now is not the time for fancy fonts, wild colors, or photo collages. Limit it to one page and make sure it is uncluttered, easy to read, and informative. 

9. Keep it professional.

Make sure that your contact email is appropriate and professional. You’re not likely to get many responses to PartyBoy5890 or SheSoLazy888. Your best bet is to go with a straightforward firstname.lastname email format. 

10. Proofread!

Your resume is a representation of who you are. It should be spotless. Ask at least one other person to proofread your resume. Check and double-check for spelling, grammar, and consistency of verb tenses, font, and font size, as well as a balanced layout.   

High schoolers can get more resume tips and advice for building their careers from Deloitte.

[1] SOURCE: Washington Post

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21 Ways High School Students Can Improve Their Resumes

📑 the importance of resumes.

What can a solid 😤 resume do for you?

• Helps you land a job or opportunity of your dreams
• Builds your personal/professional brand
• Acts as a signal as to why you're the best person for a job or project

What are the key 🔑 sections to have in a resume?

• Contact information (name, email, phone, address, LinkedIn, personal website)
• Work experience
• Awards, accolades, and certifications/licenses
• Skills and languages

Do you have any good templates 📑 to use?

• Once you reach the bottom of this webpage, you can create as many Fiveable-approved resume templates as you'd like with the click of a button!

Learn more about resumes with this guide on resumes and their importance .

☀️ General Resume Tips

Improve the overall feel of your resume!

You have less than a minute to show why you're the best applicant. Hone into what's important about your background and skillset.

2. Research, research, research.

Your materials should be tailored specifically to the company you're applying for. It'll show that you took time to research, understand problems the company is tackling, and why you're a value-add.

3. Keep your contact info professional.

Avoid email addresses that you may have created when you were 10 or using school emails. Create a personal Gmail account instead.

4. Don't include a headshot.

This is an easy way to prevent being discriminated against in case someone is having a bad day. It happens, especially to those who belong to historically underrepresented communities.

5. Always, always, always have someone review your resume.

If your friend in high school doesn't approve, chances are a hiring manager wouldn't, either. They might catch things that you may never notice.

💼 Work Experience and Community Service Section

Show your ability to solve problems and the impact you've made in previous roles!

1. List previous jobs that are relevant to the role you're applying for.

If you have no relevant experience, frame other responsibilities in a way that shows you're the best person for this role at this specific company. Think about transferrable skills.

2. Back up your work responsibilities with numbers.

While it's good to know what you did at previous jobs, what's more important is the impact that you made through what you were given. "I grew our TikTok following by 800% in 6 months and weekly engagement by 300% week-over-week." is much better than "Managed company TikTok channel." Quantify your achievements.

3. Avoid overcomplicating or using too much jargon.

Any number of people can look at your resume at different levels in the organization. You want to be powerfully concise and make sure anyone can get through your file with ease.

4. Use action verbs, and check for grammar/spelling.  

Make sure that you're able to communicate all of the hard work that you've done in a clear and concise way. Just googling 'resume action verbs' and inserting them in descriptions can help a resume reader understand at a glance what kind of work you're doing.

🏆 Education & Awards Section

How does your education play into your 'story'?

1. Avoid including your GPA.

Your GPA won't matter much outside of high school. Plus, it makes you look pretentious. It's all about experience these days—your score isn't what defines your value in the workplace.

2. Show off awards and accolades.

Flaunt your accomplishments. They are a clear symbol of your hard work and achievements, and they tell a better story than any random number would.

3. If you studied abroad, include it!  

Any experience that takes you beyond your comfort zone should be highlighted. It shows guts and a desire to take on new challenges.

🖼 Layout & Design Tips

Resume design is important, but not in the ways you might think. Check out the tips below, as well as 6 tips for polishing your resume .

1. Hierarchy and order matter.  

Show the most important information first, such as your work experience and relevant skills. Sort your experience in reverse chronological order, i.e your most recent experience should be listed first.

2. Don't use fancy fonts or colors.

The person reading your resume may have trouble reading it and may toss it aside if it's messy. Automatic resume filtering systems will also have trouble analyzing fancy font and colors, which may even result in your resume never being read by a real person. Avoid risking opportunities due to an inaccessible resume!

3. Avoid stuffing your resume.

You don't want to be that person with a million things on their resume in a 6px font size.

4. Stick with layouts that optimize for readability.

Avoid having too many columns or unnecessary sections, especially if you're applying for more traditional roles (e.g law or accounting).

5. Keep your resume to one page. Seriously.

Ain't nobody got time for anything longer than that—especially for a student! Limiting yourself to one page forces you to be concise and only keep the most core things you want to showcase!

💾 Files & Storage Tips

1. Track your job application submissions in a main spreadsheet.

Keep tabs on what jobs you applied to—it'll make it easier for you to follow up on. It'll also help you determine whether you applied to a company already or not. Some other fields include salary/wage, location, company name, company description, hiring manager, hiring manager contact info, application status, reflections & notes, to name a few.

2. PDF resumes only.  

Avoid .docx, .jpg/png/gif, or any other file type that requires a specific app to open it. Fake file types beware: this isn’t a school assignment you’re late on submitting and you need to buy some time with. Chances are any file incompatibility will hamper your chances of landing a gig.

3. Include your first name & last initial in the file title along with the company name & role.

This not only shows some basic organizational abilities, but it'll also make it easier for the person to know exactly who you are before even opening the file. And it'll help if you forget to include your name on your resume for any reason.

4. Create different iterations of your resume for different roles and don't overwrite old ones.

One size does not fit all, nor will one resume work with all companies. Put in the effort to craft winning resumes and you'll see the improvement over time.

👇 Create Your Own Resume

Check out these high school resume templates and college resume template .

Guide Outline

Related content, 11 tips for early action and early decision, summer opportunities to improve your college applications, 5 resources to help you explore potential career paths, how to contact admissions officers, 6 tips for college students to expand your network, how to improve your linkedin profile to help your internship chances.

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Anatomy of a High School Résumé

What is a résumé.

A résumé is a document that summarizes your knowledge, skills, abilities, experiences, and accomplishments. Think of a résumé as an introduction, helping people get to know you. A high school résumé outlines your interests and goals so people know what you enjoy and where you see yourself going.

Do I need a résumé in high school?

Yes! High school is a good time to begin putting your résumé together. Whether you’re thinking about getting a job, going to college , or doing volunteer work, you may be asked to provide a résumé. A common use for a résumé is to screen applicants for potential jobs . Employers can look through a résumé to quickly determine if someone’s skills, experience, and interests match what they’re looking for. In addition to employers, colleges often invite applicants to include a résumé. Therefore, having a résumé that’s detailed, properly formatted, and up to date is important.

Where do I begin?

Résumés have many acceptable résumé templates and formats─including both paper and digital versions. When choosing the format you want to use, think about what the standard is for the job or organization you’re applying to. Many places have preferred formats.  Follow any guidelines provided to improve your chances for success. Look for résumé examples online to see how other people have crafted their résumés, and apply what you like to your résumé. However, keep in mind that format is less important than content. Focus most on what you’re sharing, not on document design.

How do I write my résumé?

Typically, a high school résumé consists of these sections:

• Header: Include your name and contact information.
• Education: List schools you’ve attended, including graduation dates (if you’ve graduated). Include special courses or areas of interest, particularly if they’re related to the job, school, or opportunity you’re applying for. Include academic honors and awards.
• Skills and Experience: List and skills you learned or demonstrated in paid employment or unpaid volunteer work. Put everything in reverse order, adding start and end dates. List relevant extracurricular activities, as well as club or organization leadership roles.  Show the reader your accomplishments, not just responsibilities. Presenting data such as the number of people you served, projects you completed, or awards received can help tell your story.
• Special Skills: List skills that could be a benefit to the school or employer. This could be languages you speak, computer programs you know how to use, or personality traits (e.g., good with kids, comfortable talking on the phone, enjoy public speaking).

Résumé Writing Tips

If you’re new to résumé writing, it can feel overwhelming. Take your time and be patient. Here are some tips to get started writing your résumé in high school:

• Write your résumé in reverse chronological order. Put your most recent experience and schooling at the top. Then work your way backward.
• Make sure that everything you’ve included is relevant and worded concisely. Limit the résumé to one page.
• Don’t worry about making your résumé flashy. It’s better to keep everything simple, clear, and easy to read than to use unique fonts, images, or layouts. 
• Remember to be accurate. Never exaggerate or bend the truth.  
• Make sure to proofread your résumé more than once, looking for typos, misspellings, and incorrect grammar and punctuation. Then have someone else look over it. Mistakes can make the reader feel you’re not as thorough, careful, or detail oriented as they’d like you to be. 
• Add new experiences and skills to your résumé as you gain them. As time passes, delete the oldest and least relevant experiences. It’s okay to revise your résumé as your interests and goals change.  

Related Articles

The Student Resume

Tips and writing guide to land your first job

Resume and Cover Letter Experts

Whether you’re a student just getting started on your resume or it’s in need of a makeover,  our guide to student resume writing can never go amiss because unlike professional resumes,  those of students have different limitations and purposes.

It is essential for candidates to  make the most of resume samples and practical guidance  when producing their student resume in order to ensure they highlight their skills and potential in lieu of lack of experience.  34% of employers  won’t even consider a resume without quantifiable results, so  winning over their doubts  is everything.

With a winning, unique student resume, hiring managers are bound to be interested in offering a job to any willing and deserving applicant.

With so many  things to include in a student resume , it may be hard to decide what is relevant and what is unnecessary but it is vital to be strict when editing to ensure you only  refer to your activities, academic successes and qualities  that make you an ideal candidate for the role or course that you’re looking for.

Learning  how to write a student resume  is one of the more significant challenges students will face when preparing for their future careers.

Although  student resume writing   may be a difficult task  as candidates are just entering the working world, often applicants are pleasantly surprised by the  valuable experience and skills they already have  thanks to different events, extra-curricular activities and associations they’ve been a part of as a student.

As students are new to the game, one ideal tool for  resume writing  is the thousands of  resume templates that are available to modify and customize  to each individual student’s needs.

Among the various  sections of a student resume , it is essential to  include any work or voluntary experience  you may have, your technical and practical skills and of course your academic profile.

Research from the AACU  says that around 94% of employers value the capacity for professional development from graduates. Therefore proving this on your resume will be your top priority.

As well as these three main sections,  student resumes should be optimized  by adding any of the following elements:

• awards, honors or sponsorships earned.
• projects developed.
• leadership experience.
• research carried out.
• extra IT or language skills.
• sports or social club membership.
• relevant coursework.
• or volunteer experience.

Not only can a student resume list this information but below each, it is highly recommended to  add a description of the functions undertaken in each activity  and ensure to  adapt the information to the role  that is being pursued. It’s important not to go overboard but to tailor the details you include to the role, company or sector of the vacancy.

An excellent  shortcut for how to make a winning student resume  is to use an online resume builder as a  basic resume writing guide ; the  ideal tool for students  to learn how to write a first resume.

Student Resume Format

The  student resume layout is somewhat different from the structure of a professional resume  as students often have little to no work experience.

It is therefore  appropriate for students to highlight other attributes  that they’re able to bring to the position available, such as their skills or academic achievements, similar to  entry-level resume  candidates. This means that the  layout and format for student resumes  may change depending on each individual applicant.

Having said this, due to the fact that, generally, young students will have had little to no paid work experience, the  resume format best adapted to a student profile  is either the  combination  or (skills-based)  functional resume  which either  combine experience, activities, achievements and skills  or highlight these areas more so than work history in order to stand out in the application process.

With a  unique student resume format , a candidate is much more likely to attract attention and  catch the hiring manager’s eye  with their experience and relevant qualities.

High School Student Resume

There comes a time when nearly every teenage high school student will need to  create a first resume  but it doesn’t need to be yet another chore .

• Begin by  listing your various achievements either academic or otherwise  and organize them chronologically.
• Add to this list any  memberships you’ve had or associations  you’ve been a part of, whether social, academic or athletic.
• Make a note of all your  paid and unpaid or voluntary positions  including other less formal work such as babysitting or menial work around your neighborhood.
• Add descriptions to each aspect of your student resume  that explain your responsibilities and highlight any contributions or leadership roles taken.

And voilà, you have your  winning teenage student resume to start job hunting , whether it’s for summer work, a part-time position or you’re ready to get your career on the go.

Remember for an easy way to learn  how to create a high-school resume , you can use a  resume builder  or try working from a student resume example.

But before you get sending, the most important thing is to  review your high school student resume ! Even the smallest mistakes can cost you big.

College Student Resume

For  college students writing a resume  is hugely important and needs to really stand out in today’s fierce job market.

Similarly to a high school student resume,  college student resumes  may be  limited in the amount of work experience  that they include. But that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of aspects to be considered.

• It is true that typically a college student resume will have a heavier focus on education than work experience but college students are advised to include all relevant work experience, whether paid or unpaid including  internships and voluntary positions , to  provide evidence of knowledge of the workplace .
• Following a similar step-by-step process to that of the  high school student resume ,  college students should take their resume writing one step further  by putting more emphasis on areas of leadership, dedication and participation in projects, clubs or community services.
• As well as this, it is recommended that  college students begin to use quantifiable examples in their resume descriptions  as a way of demonstrating their worth as an employee for a business.
• Finally, as college students will begin to seek out more career-specific roles, it is imperative to  correctly adapt college resumes to the sector or business  that the candidate has chosen by including only relevant experience and skills.

And hey presto! You have your college student resume polished and perfect, ready to  start applying for your first job , summer internship or even to use for graduate school applications!

Resume for college applications

Some colleges may ask applicants to provide a resume during the admissions process.  It is therefore essential to be able to distinguish between a resume to apply for a job and one for entering college.

The main differences lie in the fact that a  resume for a college application  is highly focused on achievements and accomplishments throughout your academic career whereas  resumes for jobs  also include much information about your skills and experience in other areas.

In both a  student resume for a job and for a college application , it is vital to include your work experience, whether through paid work or voluntary positions or perhaps tutoring or coaching, detailing responsibilities and accomplished objectives as well as your  personal and professional skills , any projects or community service you’ve undertaken, any organizational or even managerial roles you may have had in societies or events.

College application resumes also often  include a cover letter or letter of recommendation , scholarship applications or portfolios to give evidence of a student’s accomplishments.

And, remember to edit and  review your polished college admission resume to avoid any silly mistakes  that could cause your resume to be rejected.

Using AI to Improve Your Student Resume

It will be obvious to employers that you’re lacking experience since you’re a student. It can be a bit difficult to know exactly what you can add to your resume sections that will impress recruiters when you don’t have much of a work history. 

With our resume builder that offers AI-created suggestions, you can come up with clever ideas in seconds for how to list your:

• Skills relevant to the position
• Internship and volunteer experience
• Accomplishments

By combining the template with these suggestions, you’ll make the process even simpler .

Student Resume Templates

Using a  student resume template can save you time and effort  as well as offer you ideas on  which sections to include  and how to complete them in order to attract the right employers.

Whether you are  recently graduated from high school or from college , you’re looking for a part-time position to accompany your ongoing studies or a summer internship to help further your career,  making a resume that catches the eye of a potential employer is vital  and the  best way to do that is by using a resume template for students  as a stepping stone to getting your completed, effective, first resume.

Student resume examples  allow you to get an understanding of  how you can shape your experience and knowledge  and present it in an interesting manner on your customized resume to help you land an interview.

Also, by starting with a  student resume sample , candidates can get  tips and examples  from experts who know what student employers are looking for. Or for extra guidance you could also try using ResumeCoach’s  online resume creator  to help make your student resume.

Another difficulty for  students writing a first resume  is the possible lack of work experience.  ResumeCoach  takes this into consideration in their  student resume examples  and offers the jobseeker the opportunity to  highlight other areas such as skills, internships, voluntary work  and academic accomplishments.

Struggling with Resume Writing?

Ease the process with our templates

chris scherting

• Chris Scherting
• Sep 30, 2022
• 11 min read

12 High School Student Resume Tips

Updated: Dec 12, 2023

If you are getting advice from a bunch of different people to help you get your first job in high school, I bet people will tell you that you don’t need a resume yet. Of course, you can go fill out an application and get lots of part-time jobs or summer jobs without a resume. Even as a high school graduate it is possible to get a job without a resume.

But I am here to give you advice on how you can stand out.

How you can get hired more quickly, get a better paying job or get closer to meeting your future career objective.

Or how you can compete with the students whose parents have connections to help them get hired?

So my advice is to take the time, make the effort and create your first resume in high school.

Now, don’t stress out. Think about this first resume as a stepping stone on your career path. As you grow, learn new skills, and change jobs, your resume will change too.

The goal of your first resume is to help you get an interview to get your first job. It may feel weird to talk about your babysitting job or clubs and activities in school, but that’s all you have right now and that’s ok. Your potential employers know that you probably don’t have a work history yet. You can find transferable skills in any of your life experiences. And I will help you.

This first resume will have a short shelf-life. As soon as you get your first job, you will add new experiences and delete some of the older, less relevant experiences.

There is no official format for a high school student resume. Actually there is no single resume format for anyone. There is lots of room for creativity in the layout and formatting. Don’t let that overwhelm you. You can even Google high school resume examples for ideas.

Here is a sample resume you can use as a template. This person is 15-16 years old with babysitting experience, student council and a few accomplishments. Don’t you think this format makes this person look more impressive than the same info on a paper application?

I see a new trendy style of resume that features a small column going down the left-hand side of the page. I find this style to be very cluttered and confusing to read. I also see people making their first name extra large, in a special giant font, in color. Yes, this calls attention to your name, but I it wastes a lot of valuable space on your resume. I would rather see a few lines of your experience, activities, or projects. That's just my opinion! You need to pick the template you like the best.

Ok now, let’s get to the good stuff!

Here are my tips for writing your first resume in high school.

Tip 1: Fill out the resume worksheet.

Before you sit down to write your resume, just make a running list of things you might want to highlight about your life experiences so far. This is where all of your extracurricular activities will pay off. Start a Google doc, Word doc or grab a pen and paper and start writing up a worksheet of ideas.

Download this sample resume writing worksheet to get you started!

Spend some time thinking about each category. Try to picture a hiring manager, or your future boss, and envision what characteristics they may want in an employee. Chances are your high school experiences can position you as a dependable team member or an assertive leader; or someone with a strong work ethic, who contributes creativity, or provides an excellent customer experience. These are attributes any employer would value.

Your resume worksheet might include any of these items:

Education Section . Name and city of your school, expected graduation date, GPA, class rank. List out your elective classes, relevant coursework, and academic achievements. They may be worth highlighting on your resume.

Jobs. These might include positions with local businesses (restaurant, car wash, retail store, etc.) or cash-based positions like babysitting or grass cutting. Were you a counselor at a summer camp? That still counts as a job even if it was only for a few weeks or days. You can also list your role in your household, for example, if you care for your younger siblings while your parent works an overnight shift. “In-home childcare” or “Residential house cleaner” are two ideas on how you can position your work with your family.

Clubs and Activities. List each group along with your role. Specify it was an elected position or volunteer. Think about the projects and experiences and write a few details about why you did what you did. What were the results? Are there any metrics you can share?

Athletics . Include each sport, years played, time dedicated to training and practice, accomplishments, and awards. Your experience on athletic teams will tell your future employer that you are committed and a hard worker

School Projects. Think back to both individual and group projects and your specific role. Think about the process you followed to complete the project. This may bring up some resume-worthy traits like project management, leadership skills, attention to detail, and the ability to meet deadlines.

Awards and Honors. List all of these. Include those where you had to achieve a specific metric, for example, a GPA, 100% attendance, fund-raising, test score, etc. Include those where students or teachers nominated you.

Interests and Hobbies. This section may help to set you apart from other candidates, especially if your interests and hobbies are directly related to the job you are applying for. For example, if you love camping, hiking, and fishing, you will want to spotlight this if you are talking to REI or looking to be a camp counselor.

Charity and Volunteer Experience. Did you help out at your school’s car wash, fish fry, or book sale? Have you raised money for an organization hosting a 5k or fun run? Have you volunteered at a water station during a race? Employers will value your work in the community.

Church or Place of Worship. Many teens are active with their church or place of worship. Have you participated in youth group activities? This may show that you have leadership skills. Have you learned public speaking skills by being a reader during service?

Languages. Are you fluent in any languages other than English? If you are a first generation immigrant, this can be a real advantage you won’t want to leave out! Use terms like beginner, intermediate, proficient, fluent, or native.

Skills. Have you started to teach yourself HTML or PHP? Or have you worked in your family’s restaurant and you already know the POS system?

In this first step, the goal is to capture all of the relevant information you might want to include on your resume. Don’t get caught up on the actual words or grammar yet. Just write a stream of consciousness about all of these categories. You can fine tune the exact language later.

Hopefully, this exercise has you more excited about what you have to offer!

Tip 2: Choose your layout.

My advice here is to keep it simple. You can search for resume templates in Microsoft Word, Google docs, and online. In my “Elder Gen X” opinion, I find many of these over-designed, distracting, and they waste a lot of space with pretty lines, borders, boxes, and images. So, beware!

Again, my advice is to keep it simple. Find a layout you like, but I would recreate it in Word or Google Docs. Just type. Some of these templates will have coding that gets messed up when you hit delete or a hard return and you spend precious time trying to undo and reformat.

Leave out the resume objective or career objective. This is no longer needed and is now a bit old-fashioned. Including an objective statement at the top of your resume takes up valuable space you can use to explain more about your relevant experience that makes you the perfect candidate.

Tip 3: Pay attention to the formatting.

By formatting I mean the font, bold, italics, underline, all caps, bullets, line spacing and margins.

The reality is that hiring managers scan your resume first. So, make it easy for them to quickly read your highlights. There may be 100-200 applicants for a job. Don’t make the hiring manager work too hard to read your resume.

Choose your font. Go with an easy-to-read font like Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Tahoma, Times New Roman, Verdana.

Choose your font size . Depending on how much copy you want to try to fit on a single page, font sizes 10-12 should work. If you have a teacher or family member who needs reading glasses, have them take a look and see if they can easily read it.

Set your margins. You may have been taught to keep a one-inch margin all around. There is flexibility with resume margins. If you need the space to try to keep it to one page, then push the margins out to ¾ or ½ an inch. The margins on my resume are ½ inch.

Be consistent. Pay attention to the formatting of each section header, each job or category, bullets, etc. Be careful if you copy and paste from another document. This may change fonts and font size by accident.

Tip 4: Format your contact information.

Your contact details will appear at the very top of your resume. If you are using a preferred or chosen name that is different from your legal name, be prepared to clarify this if the company runs a credit check or background check. You don’t want to be accused of lying.

Many companies are making new policies to be more inclusive in their hiring procedures. But some paperwork may require your legal name. I have seen job candidates use chosen names during the interview process and use their legal names on official paperwork.

Modern resumes no longer require you to include your street address. Definitely include your phone number and email. Take a minute right now and update your voicemail greeting to something simple and appropriate for when your future boss calls you for that first interview.

Tip 5: Create a professional email.

If your current email address is something like GlitterGirl07 or PokemonRules15, you need to create a new, professional email address to use for your job search. Use a variation of your first and last name. Keep it simple.

Creating a new email address for your job search will also ensure you don’t miss out on any important job application responses or requests for interviews. Try not to use this email for any online shopping that might generate daily emails that clutter your inbox.

I would also make sure you can access this new email account from your phone. When people start responding and asking you for interviews, you want to be able to respond in a timely manner.

Tip 6: Write your resume.

Go back to the worksheet you completed from Tip #1 and start writing your resume. Start with your work experience section.

List your jobs (if you have any) in reverse-chronological order.

List the company name and the dates you were employed.

Write out the bullet points explaining your tasks, projects and responsibilities.

Include any hard skills you have learned like Microsoft Word or any software programs, social media tools, or graphic design.

Include any soft skills you have gained like time management, organizational skills, teamwork, and problem-solving.

Follow this same process with the additional sections for your activities, volunteer work, awards, etc. As you write out all of the details about your life experiences, I believe you will begin to see an amazing resume coming together.

Tip 7: Proofread and proofread.

Read the copy forwards to see if it makes sense and for context.

Read the copy backwards too.

Your brain will correct typos when you read normally. Reading backwards forces your brain to read each word individually. The word “manger” won’t come up in Spell Check but I am guessing on a resume it should read “manager."

Tip 8: Explain the “why.”

I’ve reviewed many professional resumes where the candidate simply lists a bunch of tasks they did with no benefit statement. They leave out the “why” or the “what’s in it for me, the hiring manager.” These resumes read like a to do list. If you had your own store or restaurant, and you were hiring high school students to work in it, what traits would you look for?

Here is one example: Counted nightly cash drawer.

Ok, so you can count. Not really a differentiator from the other people applying for this same job.

Now, how does this sound? Provided support to store managers when counting the cash drawer to verify accurate nightly deposit amounts.

This statement implies that you want to help the store manager and you value the accuracy of the money coming into the store. Which person would you want to interview?

As you write out the bullet points about each job, activity, club, etc. you want to include what you did and the “why” or benefit. If you need inspiration, you can Google the job description or resume sample for ideas…sample babysitter resume, student athlete resume, etc.

Tip 9: Don’t lie.

Please be truthful on your resume. You don’t need to make up experiences. It’s ok if your resume is lean. You’re in high school! Any employer knows they will need to train you for the position.

That’s why I gave you the list in Tip #1 . Out of all those things, you can hopefully find enough bullet points for your resume without lying or exaggerating.

Tip 10: Use action words.

Leading with an action word positions you in your future employers mind as someone who gets things done, who takes action. You can always use Google as a resource. Search for “best action words for a resume” or you can use a site like WordHippo.com to find synonyms.

This includes action verbs like:

Coordinated

I have written several blogs especially for high school students creating their first resume with babysitting, retail, or restaurant experience. Normally, I would never recommend you plagiarize copy. In this case, I give you my full permission to copy any of the bullet points from these three articles. It should make writing your resume even easier!

How to Show Off Waiter Waitress Experience on Your Resume: Bullet Points and Skills

How to Add Babysitting to Your Resume: Examples of Bullets and Skills

How to Add Retail Experience to Your Resume

Tip 11: Keep it to one page.

Since you are in high school, this shouldn’t be difficult. Employers only expect a single-page resume when you are early in your career.

Now, If you find that you have lots of experience and activities, go ahead and build a bigger resume. If you really think about Tip #1 and write out all of your job experience, clubs, volunteer work, etc. it may take you to a second page. Save this document as your fully-loaded resume.

This is a more advanced resume strategy that lots of adults ignore. If you start now, this will set up for much success in the future. I will explain how to use the fully-loaded resume in the next tip!

Tip 12: Customize for each job.

Think about this. Each job out there is looking for a different person. So, why would the same resume work for all the different jobs? If you create the fully-loaded resume (mentioned in tip #7 above) early on, you can use this to create a separate resume for each job.

It might be as simple as trading out one bullet for another. For example, if you are going for two different retail jobs. One at REI and one at Home Depot.

The REI resume would include your activities like hiking, fishing, and camping. Your Home Depot resume would include your stage crew experience for the school musical. Everything else might be the same.

If you go the extra mile and customize your resume for each job, make sure you stay organized and save each resume with a different file name. Eg. “LastName_REI_resume.” Even if you only have one version of your resume, always include your last name in the file name.

If you are emailing your resume or applying online, many people name their resume file “resume” and it can easily be lost.

More about that fully-loaded resume.

Pro tip! If you really want to go the extra mile, take the time to write up the detail for all of the experience and activities in your worksheet from Tip #1 . Just write and write. Don’t worry about how long the resume gets.

This is another step that will set you up for future job searches. Make this a habit to do for every job, club, award, etc. Eventually this document will be your life story!

It will make it much easier in the future to customize your resume for each different job you go for. Think about the bullet points as LEGO blocks you add or delete for each resume for each job you go for.

Do you really need a resume in high school?

There are lots of jobs you can get in high school that don’t require a resume. If you take my advice and create this first resume while in high school, you will be way ahead of the game! Having one will help you stand out and get hired more quickly. It will also set you up for future success when you go for the bigger paying jobs or go to fill out a college application. Good luck!

Additional Resources

17 Tips to Crush Your First Job

13 Job Search Tips for High School Students

23 Job Interview Tips for High School Students

12 LinkedIn Profile Tips for High School Students

7 Tips to Write a Good Cover Letter with No Experience

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