How To Write A Resume For The First Time

What To Include In Your High School Resume

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 youre 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 youve had common high school jobs like cashier, retail associate or babysitter, include them in your work history if youre 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.

Heres an example:

Sandras Beauty Supply Sept. 2019March 2020

• Dont write references available upon request.
• Dont copy-paste job descriptions into your resume.
• Dont give away too much personal information like your exact address or photos of yourself.

Mind your fonts and margins

Proofread your resume

A cover letter could help.

Top Tips For Compiling Your First Resume

Now that weve gone through the various sections you should include on your first resume, here are some top tips you should consider when putting it together:

• Try and keep it to one page. For entry-level positions, you wont have a great deal to write, so its a good idea to present all of the necessary information on one page and keep it concise.
• Include keywords in your resume so that you will be picked up in the Applicant Tracking System. If your resume doesnt include the keywords the ATS is looking for your application might not even be seen.
• Run it through a grammar and spell checker like Grammarly. We cant stress this point enough. If a recruiter notices any spelling or grammatical errors on your resume, theyre likely just to discard it without even reading it.
• Use standardized fonts and sizes. Your resume must look professional, so dont be tempted to use a flashy, decorative font just because you think it looks nice.
• When you include your contact details in the header of the document, create an appropriate email address such as . Email addresses from your childhood wont look good on a professional resume!
• If youre delivering resumes by hand, print them off and place them in a folder or wallet. Theres nothing worse than handing a crumpled piece of paper to an employer.

Creating A Resume Skills Section

The skills section is an essential part of your resume. However, there are several different ways to approach creating yours.

Here are a few examples demonstrating the different ways you can format your resumes skills section:

Example 1

If you have many relevant hard and soft skills, add them to your resume skills section using separate bullet points, like this:

If youre a student or recent graduate and have no significant job skills yet, there are still plenty of things you can list in your resume skills section. Heres an example of a skills section written by a candidate with no work experience:

Example 2

Another way to organize your skills section is by using bars to provide employers a rough estimate of your proficiency.

This type of skills section is particularly popular with more creative professions, like graphic design or social media management:

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Consider The Best Way To Organize Your Resume

The top of your resume is what a hiring manager will see first, but you also want to think about the best way to present your information overall. There are three main formats to consider:

• Chronological: The most common resume format, this is where you list your experience in reverse chronological order, separated by job or position, starting with the most recent . In this format, your skills section would come after your experience.
• Functional: In this format, you would spend the bulk of your resume highlighting your most relevant skills followed by a brief section outlining your experiences. If you dont have any past jobs, you may want to consider a functional resume since it has less of an emphasis on individual positions.
• Combination: Just like it sounds, this format combines both chronological and functional approach in which you highlight relevant skills at the top of your resume and then list your experience in reverse chronological order. This format can be beneficial if your most recent experience isnt related to what youre applying for.

Read More:Your Complete Guide to Resume Formats

Skimming Your Resume Is Very Important:

It is a very crucial point to note that people read differently on a computer screen than on paper. So, making your resume skimmable becomes very much essential here. Most managers prefer reading after skimming and scanning rather than reading every word. Thus skimming your resume would help you create a dramatic difference.

There are few tricky ways like highlighting the headlines and important facts with bold or italics, avoid cramped resume with white space around the headings, keeping the resume point wise, emphasize keywords or phrases in bold.

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The Best Things To List On Your Resume If You Have No Experience

No professional experience on your resume? No problem as long as you read this guide on how to write a resume when you have no work experience.

There are plenty of reasons why you may not have any previous work experience to list on your resume. There are many other things you can add to your resume to show employers that you are the perfect candidate for their open job post.

When you dont have work experience, its important to highlight past activities, skills and other experiences youve had to show you have unique skills, professionalism and competency. When managers are hiring entry-level employees, the top two characteristics they are looking for in your resume are attitude and aptitude.

That is:

Keep these two traits in mind while writing your resume and add any relevant experiences that show that you have the attitude and aptitude for the job.

Request The Aid Of Several Friends And Family

Ask them to give you fully brutally honest critiques of your resume. Then, do your best to digest their critiques, and make changes. Treat this as you would any serious paper for school or otherwise work on it in iterations or drafts, and dont submit until you have a final document you are proud of.

Chane Steiner

CEO, Crediful

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Mention Language Proficiency And Academic Honors

Too many Americans forget that speaking multiple languages is crucial in the inter-connected language we live in. I myself speak Russian and English, and that ability and experienceI lived in Russia for yearswas crucial to my early success. This isnt bragging, its simply stating a fact.

Look up the company and greater industry on LinkedIn, and see how the people whose careers you covet present themselves: what can you learn from them?

What Are The Best Skills To Put On A Resume

Its no secret that many hiring managers spend only a short amount of time looking at a resume before deciding whether to pass on a job candidate or add them to the shortlist. What you may not know is, employers today are looking for both hard and soft skills on your resume. Read any job posting, for example, and you might see the following requests:

• Computer skills
• Collaboration talent
• Problem-solving abilities

These skills and attributes, and others we discuss in this post, are essential for todays workplace. Hard skills are the technical skills required to accomplish the tasks and responsibilities associated with the job. Theyre acquired through practice, education and training. Theyre measurable and easy to advertise: You either have the desired technical skills and experience, or you dont. Your work history and certifications will speak to them.

Soft skills, or interpersonal skills, reflect ones personality and personal attributes. They can relate to an ability to fit into a companys work culture, handle stress, communicate clearly or play well with others, for example. They may be soft, but theyre important skills for a resume: When job candidates possess comparable experience levels and technical skills, soft skills can tip the balance.

See later sections for tips on how to showcase soft and hard skills on your resume. But lets talk first about which skills employers are looking for.

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Create A Clear Education Section

Having a clear education section is essential for your resume, especially if youre a recent college graduate or have minimal work experience.

If you lack professional experience but have a good track record in school , your education section should be highly detailed to highlight all of your education-related accomplishments.

On the other hand, if you possess more than a few years of professional experience, then its appropriate to keep your education section short and sweet.

Additionally, if youre a student or recent graduate, list your education section above the experience section of your resume. This way, you emphasize your most marketable qualifications at the top of the page.

Here are the main points to include in a standard education section:

• The names of your university, community college, or technical school
• Location of the schools
• Date of graduation
• Degree
• GPA

Additionally, include relevant coursework on your resume if youre a recent graduate and dont have much work experience yet.

Here are two examples demonstrating how to format your education section:

Start By Researching Resume Keywords

Because of the large number of applications they receive, employers dont necessarily have a lot of time to review each resume they receive. Many employers use applicant tracking systems to intake and sort applications. Often, an ATS will sort applications based on keywords to surface resumes that are best aligned with the requirements of the position. This means that when you use the same keywords from the job description in your resume, you may increase your chances of being noticed.

To find the right words to include in your resume, start by carefully reviewing the job descriptions that appeal to you. Pay special attention to sections that may be labeled Key Qualifications,Minimum Requirements or Job Responsibilities.

Write down these words and then, reflect on the proven skills and abilities you have that could fit these requirements. Those may be leadership positions youve held, skills youve gained in your education, projects youve completed or clubs youve contributed to.

For example, if youre applying for a job as an administrative assistant, the employers job description might include desired traits such as:

• Cooperative and easily gains trust and support of customers and peers
• Encourages collaboration
• Interested in self-development and is committed to continuous self-improvement

They may also look for someone to take on roles such as:

Skills and ExperiencesClearwater Art Museum, Volunteer | Aug 2014 Dec 2015

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How To Write A High School Resume

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 theres no one-size-fits-all resume each one should be tailored to the specific job youre applying for.

Establish your strengths.

Think of your participation in clubs, teams, associations or even hobbies. Make a list of these activities and what youve learned in them it could be teamwork, self-discipline, creativity, communication. You will use these qualities to write your resumes skills section.

Choose the right format.

The same way one resume wont work for every job application one resume wont 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.

Help The Robots Read It

The robot will see you now. Okay, thats a bit of an exaggeration. Your first phone interview and IRL interview will be with a full-fledged human …but before getting to that step, you have to get past the robots who read your resume when you apply online.

What we mean by that is that most online job applications use software that scans resumes to help recruiters who are searching for specific candidates.

Isaacs shares two all-star strategies for impressing the robots and their human counterparts. The first is to use standard fonts and simple formatting because the robots cant read the fancy stuff.

The second is to use the exact words and phrases from the job description, because the robots and hiring managers can filter through all the applications by searching for relevant terms. Review job ads for your desired position, and look for skills and qualifications that employers want in their ideal candidates, says Isaacs. “If you have matching qualifications, find ways to weave those keywords and terms into your resume.” Lets say the ad says the job requires someone who understands SEO and can work well in a fast-paced, deadline-driven workplace. Use those exact phrases in your resume.

Also Check: What To Put On Resume If No Experience

Tips For Writing Your First Resume

If you are worried about writing your first resume or are struggling with the task, youre not alone! However, it does not have to be intimidating.

Many students and recent graduates worry that they dont have enough experience to create a compelling resume. However, dont worry.

There are many ways to emphasize your skills and experiences, even if this is your first job.

Communicate Who You Are

Start off your resume with a Career Objectives Statement.

While this is not something we recommend for experienced professionals, its appropriate for your first resume.

Keep your focus on what you have to offer from your academic and life achievements and how they will your desired career trajectory.

However, recruiters arent only interested in your skills and abilities. The best recruiters are genuinely curious about who you are as an individualnot to mention, a potential co-worker.

They want to know:

• If youll fit into the company culture.
• If your personality and attitude fit well with the team.
• What your values are.
• What you want out of life AND from an employer.

Answer these questions by crafting a brief, authentic and compelling statement that will give recruiters a glimpse into who you are so that theyre intrigued to learn more.

This statement could be the beginning stages of uncovering your unique value as a candidate, which is the foundation for developing your personal brand.

So take it seriously. But not so seriously that you pretend to be someone else.

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Tips Preparing Your First Resume

• Don’t lie. No matter how tempting it might be to stretch the truth, lying on your resume is always a bad idea. You might make it through this round of interviews and even get the job, but you won’t be able to deliver on the promises your resume offered. Plus, you’ll probably be caughtand fired.
• Don’t pad. You don’t need to include the line “references upon request,” or personal information beyond your contact information, or a bunch of unrelated hobbies. In fact, there’s a lot of stuff you don’t need to put on your resume, even when it’s your first one.
• Proofread. Nothing is less persuasive than a resume full of typos and inconsistencies. Have a trusted friend or family member proofread your resume before you submit it.

Add Your Education Certifications And Any Other Relevant Information

There are other resume sections that may be worth adding, depending on both the job and your unique experience. These sections include things like education, awards and accolades, volunteer experience, and certifications. Keep in mind that your resume should always be showcasing your skills for that particular job, so anything in your history that doesnt support the image of you being a perfect candidate for the role doesnt need to be included.

Education

Its common to include your education on your resume, especially if you are applying to a job that requires a degree. If youre a few years into your career, your resumes education section can be minimized at the bottom of your resume. Unless youre applying in a career that puts extra emphasis on education , most job seekers can get away with providing only the following information on their resume:

• Name of Institution

Awards, Accolades, & Certifications

All three of the aforementioned things can be embedded in the work experience and skills sections of your resume. However, if you would like to highlight them, they could warrant a section of their own. Either way, relevant certifications, and honors will increase your credibility.

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Add Your Name And Contact Information

The top of your resume should include the following information:

• Name
• Location
• Email Address
• LinkedIn profile URL

It might seem obvious, but job seekers sometimes forget a key piece of contact information in this section. Double check and make it as easy as possible for recruiters to contact you for a job interview.

Get Familiar With The Basics

Lets start at the beginning. Every resume has the same elements: name, contact information, education, experience, and skills. Most entry-level resumes also have a short objective statement or qualifications summary. What you lack in experience, you make up for in passion, desire, and motivation to succeed. Let this passion shine through in your objective or summary employers want to hire workers who are enthusiastic about their career choice. Here’s an example of a qualifications summary for a photographer’s assistant:

Talented photographer’s assistant with a strong background in both theory and practical applications with hands-on experience as a photo assistant for magazine shoots and professional studios. Adept in a wide range of professional photo equipment, with access to a state-of-the-art darkroom, enabling work to be completed during regular and extended evening/weekend hours. Possess a variety of cameras, lenses and tools willing to purchase additional equipment at own expense. Knowledgeable and keenly interested in all aspects of the field, including still life, fashion, printing and stock photography.

In the above example, the assistant used his summary to overcome possible objections to his youth and lack of experience. An employer might assume a young person lacks equipment, but his summary overcomes the objection by stating that he has equipment and is willing to buy more at his own expense.

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