Resume Skills For High School Students With Examples
When you are applying for jobs, employers want to see what skills you have even if you dont have paid work experience. What kinds of skills can you include on your resume if youre a high school student?
Here are examples of the different types of skills students can use on their resumes, as well as in cover letters and job interviews. Youll also find tips on how to include these skills in your job materials.
How To Format Your Resume
With the information you have been writing down as you were reading this blog, we are sure that you already have a good amount of relevant content to start adding to your resume.
Remember that the structure is just as important as the content, and we are confident that you will be able to create both! Consider these tips:
High School Resume Examples And Writing Tips
Theresa Chiechi / The Balance
Writing a resume when you’re a high school student can seem daunting. How can you demonstrate your aptitude for the job when you dont have much formal work experience?
Here’s the good news: Even if you’re writing your first resume, chances are that you have more work experience than you think. Experiences like babysitting, lawn mowing, and volunteering all help to show valuable work skills that employers want to see. Just because you havent had a job like the one you are applying for, doesnt mean you havent acquired the skills necessary to succeed.
One of the best ways to get started on your resume as a high school student is to look at examples of student resumes and read tips on what to include and how to format your resume.
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Create A Striking Design
There are some general formatting standards that will ensure your document is both attractive and easy to read.
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Use a visually pleasing template that will catch the readers eye.
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Choose a professional, easy-to-read font such as Calibri, Times New Roman, Arial, Verdana, or Cambria.
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Your body text should be between 10 and 12 point font. The headings should be slightly larger and in bold type.
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Bullets can be used to make the text easy to scan, but they aren’t necessary unless a section has three or more items.
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If you use color at all, select simple colors to highlight your name and/or headings.
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Limit yourself to a single page.
Don’t Send Out Your Resume Until You Do This
We know: It’s not easy getting a job when you have little to no experience. However, a strong high school student resume can help you get noticed by hiring managers. Could you use some help getting it all together? Get a free resume evaluation today from the experts at Monster’s Resume Writing Service. You’ll get detailed feedback in two business days, including a review of your resume’s appearance and content, and a prediction of a recruiter’s first impression. It’s a quick and easy way to start off your job search on a strong note.
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Proofread Your Resume Carefully
Resumes that are full of spelling and grammatical errors create red flags in an employers mind because they hint that your work performance might be sloppy as well. Take the time to edit and correct your resume and cover letter, following these proofreading steps. If you feel unsure about your proofreading skills, ask a friend, parent, sibling, or teacher to help you.
Read each sentence aloud to yourself. This slows you down and makes you concentrate on the words, which will bring attention to any errors.
Sample Lifeguard Position Objective
If you are looking to apply for a lifeguard position, your resume objective should mention any and all certifications you have received. Here are some examples of what to include.
- Hardworking high school senior seeking a lifeguard position. I am CPR-certified and hope to put my years of competitive swimming experience to good use.
- Responsible high school student seeking junior lifeguard position where I can become properly certified and learn what it takes to become a senior lifeguard.
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Focus On Depth And Length Of Commitment
When deciding which activities and accomplishments make the cut, keep in mind that colleges would much rather see you excited about one or two key experiences than sporadic involvement in 20 clubs. If having an after-school job limited your ability to participate in clubs or sports, make sure your resume plays up your work responsibilities, training, and on-the-job skills.
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How To Describe Any High School Working Experience
Heres the core issue
You dont have any job experience but its needed for a position youre applying to.
- A student who took part in Model UN Debates at their high school.
- Helped win several as part of the Model UN team.
You see who gets an A+ here.
Butwhat if you dont have any work experience to show? You spent the majority of your time excelling as a student and didnt have the ability to do any freelance, part-time, or full-time season gigs.
Dont worry.
Youre not expected to have relevant working experience if youre applying for your first job out of high school.
Just skip this section and highlight your skills more in the next section of your high school resume.
More on that in the next chapter.
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What Should Go On A College Resume
Any of the sections below could appear on your resume for college applications. Pick an assortment that works for you!
- Heading with your name, address, and e-mail
- High school information with your graduation date, GPA , class rank, and SAT/ACT scores
- Academic awards, publications, honors, and other achievements
- Coursework
Free High School Resume Templates
So were all done with theory at this point.
Theres one thing left for you to do: sit down and start preparing your resume.
To help you with that, weve 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!
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Takeaways: High School On Resume
Your resume is probably the first impression that a potential employer would have of you.
Make sure that you present the most important information about you in a way that stands out to hiring managers.
Depending on your education and your work experience, putting your high school information on your resume might be a good idea.
When considering it, you should remember:
- Include your high school details only if its your highest level of education, or you are still in high school
- Include your GPA if its higher than 3.5. If it is lower, you might want to leave it off your resume.
- Include your high school details properly, depending on whether you graduated or not.
So now you are good to go.
Now youre ready to write your resume and get your dream job.
***What are your thoughts? Did you list your high school details on your resume? Give us a shout-out in the comments below. Wed love to hear from you!
Why Do I Need A Resume
For most adults, resumes are just another part of a professional persona, but for teens, resumes can provide a valuable edge. In fact, they are absolute necessities for many selective summer programs, job applications, internships, and more. Even if youve never needed a resume in the past, theres a good chance that youll need one soon.
Resumes are often requested when you are applying for a job or internship. Even in application processes where they are not requested formally, they are nearly always appreciated since they provide a focused summary of who you are as an applicant.
Resumes arent just for work, either. Sometimes you will need a resume for a scholarship application, a summer program, or even to secure a volunteer position. Many students even include them in their college applications or make them available at college interviews.
While you arent guaranteed that youre going to need a resume anytime soon, they are simple enough to build and valuable enough to have that you should devote a few hours to putting together a strong one. You should always be prepared with a resume rather than regret that you dont have one.
To get started on yours, be sure to include these five essentials:
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What Additional Sections To Include On A High School Resume
After youve completed the above sections, you might find you still have some space on your high school resumeand thats good! It gives you an opportunity to further impress potential employers and colleges. Lets explore the different types of sections you can add to round out your resume.
Honors and Awards. Many students will include this section in their high school resume because its the perfect way to showcase their academic, sport, and extracurricular achievements. You might include being on the Honor Roll, having perfect attendance, winning a sports championship, placing first in a robotics competition, or receiving a scholarship, to name a few examples.
Relevant certifications. If youve had the opportunity to complete training and earn certifications relating to the position youre applying tofor instance, a CPR certification for a lifeguard or preschool assistant jobyou might want to devote an additional section to those.
Portfolio or published works. If youre an artist, writer, or other type of creative, you can add a section to your high school resume that specifically highlights your best creative achievements. For example, you can share the artwork youve publicly displayed, the poems youve had published, or the musical pieces youve performed.
Remember, your high school resume is all about you. So tailor the focus of your additional sections to showcase your uniqueness and bring you closer to the job, internship, scholarship, or college youre pursuing.
How To Write Your High School Resume For College Applications
Though many professionals create a resume to secure new employment, resumes can also be required as part of a college application. High school students can use resumes to showcase their work history, accomplishments, club involvement, hobbies and more. To have a successful application, it’s important to properly format and use a resume to highlight your best accolades.
In this article, we outline the steps necessary to create a high school resume for college, with tips and examples you can use to create your own.
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Tips For Writing A High School Resume
Make an Outline: Make a quick list or outline of all possible experiences, paid and unpaid, to include in your resume before you try to find the right language to describe them. Think of this as a brainstorming step and try to jot down as much down as you can. Your outline should include:
- Contact Information
- Volunteering
- Activities
Include Resume Skills: It’s always a good idea to include skills related to the jobs for which you are applying. You probably have many skills that you can include that you acquired in school, sports, youth groups, extra-curricular activities, or volunteering.
Use Action Words: Use active language when describing your experiences, so you are portrayed in a dynamic way. Start the phrases in your descriptions with action words like organized, led, calculated, taught, served, trained, tutored, wrote, researched, inventoried, created, designed, drafted, and edited.
Keep It Short . Your resume doesn’t need to be any longer than a page. Some sections of the resumesuch as contact information and experienceare required. But others, such as an objective or career summary, are optional.
Proofread Your Draft and Print Copies:Review your draft very carefully before finalizing your document and make sure there are no spelling or grammatical errors. Ask your guidance counselor, parents, or a favorite teacher to critique your resume.
How Do I Use A Template To Write A High School Resume
If youre nervous about starting your first resume, you can use a resume template. These templates are here to help you structure your resume in a fast and professional way. They are particularly useful to ensure the proper placement of information on a resume.
Resume templates are easy to use. Simply choose from our library of templates. JobHero offers a variety of designs, from traditional to modern. They include customizable headers, fonts, colors and margins.
Once you choose a template and customize it, you can fill in the blanks with your information, section by section. These easy prompts will help you create your resume in no time.
Resume templates are user friendly and very helpful. Create your own high school resume today, stress-free!
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Use The Proper Format
As with any resume, a high school resume should not be wordy or difficult to read. The best is a one-page resume but its not uncommon to add a second page if you have a lot of activities or job experience. Make it any longer, and the reader gets bored and stops reading. Employers always recommend that job applicants keep the resume concise and to the point. If readers dont see something to grab their interest on the first page, its unlikely they will keep reading.
The resume should be written in an easy-to-read font and look professional.
Use correct spelling, grammar and punctuation ask a teacher, parent or other mentor to proofread it! The contact information should be at the top of the resume and specific area should have a bold heading: Education, Activities, Work Experience, etc.
High School Resume Exampleeducation
You get the difference.
The bad example just lists a high school and graduation date. Not a slacker, but nothing to be proud of.
The good example shows the high school student excelled during her time in high school.
It signals to the recruiter that you didnt just get by in high school but you achieved and grewtwo values much appreciated in the workplace.
Expert Hint: Ifyou dont have much job experience for your high school resume, make your education section longer. Dont forget to show your clubs, affiliations, and memberships. Treat it like your glossary yearbook page.
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How Can You Be Sure Your Resume Looks Good
It’s not easy figuring out all the formalities of resume writing. Could you use some advice on how to make yours stand out? Get a free resume evaluation today from the experts at Monster’s Resume Writing Service. You’ll get detailed feedback in two business days, including a review of your resume’s appearance and content, and a prediction of a recruiter’s first impression. Let the experts at Monster help you determine the skills and experience to highlight, as well as what you can leave off.
High School Student Resume Template
Miguel Co / The Balance
As a high school student with limited work experience, it can be hard to know how to organize your resume, and what to include. By focusing on your education, volunteer, and extracurricular experience, you can create a strong resume that will stand out to an employer.
Read below for more detailed tips on writing a high school resume. Youll also find a downloadable resume template that lists the information you should include in your high school resume. Use this template to generate a list of information to include on your own resume.
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Why Is It Important To Include High School Education On A Resume
It’s important to include your high school education on your resume so that you can show a hiring manager what makes you stand out from the competition. If you’re currently in high school, recently graduated from high school or chose not to pursue higher education beyond high school, include your high school experience on your resume. Here are some other reasons why including this information may be beneficial:
- The job requires some education. You may be applying for a position that requires at least a high school diploma or equivalent. Many applicant tracking systems are set up to look for education on your resume, and without these details, you may not qualify for the position.
- You want to prove your work ethic. High school education requires that you have ambition and a strong work ethic. Within your resume, you can share details about your high school experience that helps a hiring manager understand how hard you work to accomplish your goals.
- Employers look for it. Education is a common section that hiring managers immediately look at when reviewing candidate resumes. You want to make sure that you provide details about your education so you’re including as much as your peers and the employer doesn’t skip your resume.