how to make a resume if you're in high school

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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How to write a high school resume (when you’re still in school)

With a good strategy and the right mindset, you can learn how to write the high school resume that scores you your first job.

Whether you are applying for a prestigious internship or an entry-level job, you probably already have what it takes. It may seem like you don’t have much experience, but many high school students underestimate their own skills.

Recommended links:

• Our collection of 500+ professional resume examples .
• Our gallery of 20+ downloadable resume templates .

With these five tips for writing a great high school resume, your resume will be ready in no time.

• Yes, you do have experience

Paid work should of course go on your resume. If you have held entry-level jobs, like bussing tables, stocking shelves, or sweeping floors, these should all be included. Even if they are unrelated to the job you are applying for, they show that you have experience working with people and getting things done.

But the most common concern that high school students have when they write their first resume is that they don’t have enough experience. If you have never had a job before, how could you have a work history?

Fortunately, there are many ways you can gain important skills and experience, even if it isn’t formal paid work. Skills that you developed before you had a “real job” can be appropriate for a high school resume.

Informal work that you do for friends and family is fair game for your first resume. Babysitting, mowing lawns, tutoring, and shovelling snow for your neighbours all show that you can do a job when asked.

Volunteering experience can also be featured on your resume. Any time you did community service or volunteered at an event, you were gaining important skills. Collecting donations, running a bake sale, handing out pamphlets or snacks, checking tickets, running a raffle—these are all important experiences that you can add to your resume in high school.

You should also think about your participation at school, including extracurricular activities. Are you a member of any clubs? Do you do the lighting for the school play? Are you on any sports teams? Yearbook club, theatre production, and the football team can all show that you are involved in your community and a good team player.

Academic experience can also be an asset. If you have taken any classes that seem like they might be relevant to the job, feel free to include them in your resume. Business class, computer class, shop class, and art class can all teach you useful skills for the right role. Consider what skills you will need for your next job, and which classes helped prepare you for it.

And remember, even if you don’t have experience, it’s never too late to get some. You can always join (or start) a club, volunteer, or start raking leaves for your neighbours.

Create your student resume in less than 5 minutes. Try our Student Resume Builder .

• Showcase your skills

You may be young, but you still have skills. Plenty of useful skills are taught in high school. You should have learned time management, Microsoft Word , and written communication. You may have learned food safety in home economics, and tool safety in woodworking class. If you have been in a club or worked on large projects, you may have leadership, communication, and teamwork skills . Think about what clubs you enjoy and what classes you excel in to figure out what skills you have.

• Include your education

If you are writing a resume in high school you probably don’t have any degrees or diplomas to add to your resume, but you are still receiving an education. Your resume can include your GPA if it is higher than 3.0, and should note if you have received any academic awards, such as honour roll or perfect attendance. You can also include any important projects or assignments that are relevant to the job you apply to.

• Remember to customize your resume for the application

It’s important to customize your resume for every application. A resume for a journalism internship will look different from a scholarship application, which will look different from an entry-level job as a dishwasher. Your dishwasher resume should show that you will be a skilled and dedicated employee, but you can save the writing samples for your scholarship application.

• Be sure to give all the right details

Don’t forget to include your contact information in your resume. Your phone number, email address, and city should all be easy for the employer to see.

Make sure to include any other information required by the application as well. Some applications require a writing sample or admission essay, and most jobs will require a cover letter. Double-check the requirements to ensure you aren’t forgetting anything.

If you have any online profiles that will help you get a job, you can include them as well. An impressive Github account, an Instagram profile showing off your design work, or even a well-curated Twitter feed can make you look hireable, as long as it is professional and shows that you are dedicated to the field. For example, if you are interested in computer science or graphic design, your online profiles could show you engaging with that community and sharing relevant articles. Keep in mind, however, that the profile must be entirely professional. Even one party picture or off-colour joke can end your candidacy.

• High school resume template

Your high school resume should be no longer than one page, and should use a professional template that shows that you will take your first job seriously. Here’s an example to help you get started creating your own high school resume:

• High school resume example

Motivated honour role student and team player with a passion for people. Skilled with multitasking and interacting with customers. Dedicated to meeting expectations and deadlines.

• Verbal communication
• Customer Service
• Punctuality
• Problem solving
• Point of Sales systems
• Public Speaking
• Computer skills
• Can-do attitude

Work experience

Clerical intern, north central college.

• Organized, assembled, and aided in the distribution of student ordered transcripts.
• Assembled and organized graduation materials for Winter Graduations.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail when dealing with the student records.
• Maintained highest level of confidentiality with the student information in regards to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act regulations.

Child Care Associate

Public summer schools.

• Participating in activities with the students, as well as conducting parent events.
• Administering Early Learning Programs, which include pre-schoolers.
• Serving as Early Learning Subject Matter associate for pre-school age children
• Preparing reports, correspondence and writing responses to the student's parents.
• Promoting educational learning techniques and positive early learning experiences, to promote learning before transitioning to the Kindergarten.
• Participating in staff meetings and assisting in developing presentations and printed materials for meeting and workshops regarding programs.

Volunteering Experience

Community specialist, animal rights non-profit.

• Assist in managing official Facebook and Twitter pages, in efforts for improvement of student and the University communications.
• Handle basic clerical work (answering phones, basic research, creating Microsoft Word, Publisher and Excel documents).

Student Organizer

Outdoor leadership center.

• Communicating with the students by answering their questions, directing, and reinforcing actions.
• Developed a semester-long strategic marketing campaign to optimize student use of outdoor resources available on the campus.
• Facilitated the Leadership Development workshops, focused on the individual and team building skills.

High School

Concordia secondary school.

• Honour roll

Community Success Manager & CV Writing Expert

Ben is a writer, customer success manager and CV writing expert with over 5 years of experience helping job-seekers create their best careers. He believes in the importance of a great resume summary and the power of coffee.

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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
• College Search
• College Admissions
• Financial Aid
• College Life

How to Write a High School Student Resume

Once you start high school, you enter the age when you’re legally allowed to have a job. The federal starting working age is 14, but many states and companies have their own policies concerning age limits.

16 is the most common starting point for most entry-level part-time jobs , with regulations limiting possible hours per week, usage of certain equipment, and times of day that you’re allowed to work. These restrictions aside, most high schoolers seek part-time work for a variety of reasons.

From helping to support the family to saving for college, beginning work in high school is a great way to get a head start on your life skills. Plus, having some extra cash can be a confidence booster that also aids independence and teaches you about life in the workforce.

Beyond that, more teens than ever are seeking out jobs due to an increasing amount of financial instability both in the United States and the wider world. For all these reasons, it’s important to have a resume that stands out to potential employers.

But, as most teenagers who have begun their job search have surely noted, there’s a major catch-22 in this process. The vast majority of hiring companies, from retail to food service, have experience required.

Even if they don’t explicitly list it in the job posting, a resume is essential to be taken seriously and hired. This is where many encounter a problem–how are you supposed to gain experience if you don’t have any experience?

How are you supposed to write a resume to get hired and gain experience, when you don’t have any experience that you can list on that resume? Luckily, for your first resume, you don’t have to list job experience.

If you’ve ever acted in a play, or played a sport, or volunteered, or simply did well in school, you can list that. Here’s a rundown of some key non-work items you can put on your resume:

1. Personal information

Don’t forget to put your name, address, email address, and phone number on the top of your resume. This seems obvious, but you’d be surprised how often this gets overlooked.

Most importantly, make sure the information is correct and up-to-date! Beyond objective personal information, include the subjective too–what skills do you have? This can be anything from “memorization abilities” to “proficient with Microsoft Excel.” 

2. Academic information

Assuming you’re still in high school, make sure to make an “Education” section that lists your school, start date, and expected graduation date. Taken a lot of honors and AP classes? Don’t be afraid to brag! Add your GPA and any other academic recognitions you may have received.

Even if you’ve never held a job before, by bringing attention to those facts, you’re able to show your dedication, smarts, and hard work in the education department. This highlights and provides proof of qualities that employers are looking for, despite not being a job. After all, school is basically an unpaid job.

3. Extracurriculars and volunteer work

As with academic information, extracurriculars show your dedication to projects that you believe in. Unlike the academic information, extracurriculars help show your true interests and more specific qualities.

For example, if you’re involved in theater, that shows teamwork, memorization or technical abilities, and creativity. If you play a sport, that also shows teamwork, commitment, and the ability to stay cool under pressure.

This field is especially helpful if you have a leadership position , which shows exceptional people and management abilities. Volunteer work is also helpful, since most of it is organized under a command structure similar to most entry level positions in the workforce. That shows you’re good at working hard and following instructions, producing results that better your community.

4. References

References are key! They are people that can vouch for your character. The most common examples for high schoolers who haven’t yet had a job are coaches, guidance counselors, and other forms of advisors.

You write their name, their relationship to you, and some contact information. The hiring manager will then contact them (probably) to get a review of your performance and character. This helps them decide if you’ll be right enough for the position to keep the process moving along to the interview.

Now you know what to put, here are some suggestions on how to arrange your resume to keep it looking sharp. Use a standard, legible font! It’s okay if it’s a little boring–simplicity and clarity are key. A pop of color can help, but keep it limited.

On my resume, I have my name in a nice blue that looks pretty and prints well, but retains legibility. Keep it limited to one page, and don’t forget your name and contact information at the top.

For extra professionalism, I keep mine in a clear plastic folder when I hand it over at the interview. There are many free templates you can download from various websites that already have everything you need arranged. In those cases, all you have to do is replace the filler text. Under each entry for past experience, be sure to list your responsibilities and any specific areas you were trained in.

That is a lot of information to cram on one page! The stakes feel high, and you probably feel like you’re missing something. That’s a normal feeling to have.

The workaround I’ve discovered is that it’s okay to have slightly different resumes for different applications. I keep things like personal information and references the same, but I emphasize different areas of my experience.

Since my work career has started, I’ve gained experience in food service, maintenance, retail, and online work. I pick and choose what I think are the most appropriate examples.

If I were to apply to another retail position, in the food service sections of my job history, I would be sure to touch on how I was also register-trained and assisted customers on top of my food duties.

I would do the opposite if I were applying to a food service position. I would emphasize the cleaning, organization, and attention to detail my retail positions demanded. This helps you save space and cut the excess while also providing an appropriate portrait of your experience.

As you enter the workforce, remember that it is okay to feel scared and overwhelmed. New job jitters are no joke!

A nice, polished resume will help you feel confident in your abilities. Be proud of yourself–even applying to jobs requires bravery and commitment. You’ve got this.

Author: Rebecca Hanson

I'm currently a sophomore English major at Lewis & Clark College in sunny Portland, OR. Alongside my writing for Niche, I also contribute to LC's student newspaper and radio. I'm passionate about writing, playing bass, and taking care of my dog, Howie (not pictured).

More Articles By Niche

When it comes to extracurricular activities, there’s no set rule concerning how many you should be involved in or how involved you must be.

It may seem like a daunting task, but securing an internship as a high school student is a realistic and possible thing.

Here you’ll find information about how best to be prepared to meet with your college/career counselor so that they can help you achieve your goals. They were really helpful when I was going through the college application process.

How to Write a High School Resume

In This Guide:

What resume format to choose for high school resume, what should you include on your high school resume, tips and tricks.

Every resume has just one purpose.

And that purpose is presenting who you are.

And you would want it to present you in the best possible light.

That being said, sometimes it gets a little tougher to do that.

Especially if you are in or straight out of high school and have limited or no work experience behind you.

It might be intimidating at first, but we’ve got everything you need to perfect your high school resume.

In this article, we are going to explore and answer these questions:

• What Resume Format to Choose for High School Resume?
• What should you include on your high school resume?

And we are going to leave you off with some great tips and tricks and an awesome template to get you going.

Keep reading, and you will surely make your resume stand out .

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Before you go any further, you need to be sure you are using the best resume format for your needs.

And to do so, you first need to know which are the most common ones and what are their differences.

We are going to go through them one by one.

Reverse chronological resume format

The Reverse Chronological Resume Format is the most common out there.

That’s because it is suitable for pretty much every job position.

This format is mostly career-oriented – it lists your work history in order, as the most recent position would be at the top.

It is the ideal format for people with lots of work experience , relevant to the job position they are applying for.

If you feel like this is the Resume Format for you, you should learn more about it here – Reverse Chronological Resume Format .

If not, we have two more for you.

Functional resume format

Your second alternative is pretty much the opposite of the Reverse Chronological Resume Format.

The Functional Resume Format is also called Skill-Based Resume Format.

And yes, you guessed correctly, it focuses mainly on your skills .

It is the perfect choice for you if you are looking for your first job or career change, or if you are trying to steer away the employer’s focus from a gap in your employment history.

The great thing about the functional resume format is that it groups your skills in categories and presents them in a great and easy-to-read format.

If we’ve got what you need with this Resume Format, learn more about it here – Fucntional Resume Format .

If that’s not what you need either, we’ve got one last option for you.

Hybrid resume format

If neither the Reverse Chronological Resume Format, nor the Functional Resume Format feel quite right, we’ve got what you need.

The Hybrid Resume Format is the perfect combination of the two formats listed above.

It takes all the best features from both formats.

It includes both Reverse Chronological Work History, and a highly detailed Skills section.

It’s mostly used for job positions that require expertise in a variety of fields, and you want to show that you are the right person for the job.

Which resume format to choose for high school resume?

Now, on to the main question – which format should you choose?

There is no easy answer to that question.

You have two good options – Reverse Chronological Resume or Functional Resume.

The Functional Resume would bring up your skills, and it is a better option when you have limited or no work experience.

The reason you need to consider the Reverse Chronological Resume is the workload hiring managers have.

They receive hundreds of resumes for every position, and can’t really afford to spend too much time on any.

On average, hiring managers would spend about 6-7 seconds on your resume.

That’s why, if it is not in an easy-to-read format, they might even skip it.

And, as the Reverse Chronological Resume Format is the most common out there, it might be a safer choice than the Functional Resume Format.

No matter which resume format you choose, you need to spend some significant time filling up your resume with information.

It is not an easy task, and you need to know how to do it right.

We’ve got you covered with every section that you might want to list on your resume.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to include all of them.

You wouldn’t want your resume to get too cluttered.

Contact information

The resume section that is most crucial to get right is your contact information .

It is the first the hiring manager sees on your resume, so you would want to make it look professional.

Furthermore, you need to check if it is all mistake-free.

You will never get called for an interview, if you misspelled your phone number.

Your contact information consists of a few important components.

That one is hard to get wrong.

You need to list two names in a font that is easy-to-read.

Make sure you accent your name with the font-size.

The hiring manager should know who your resume introduces.

You can consider adding a subtitle below your name to act as a branding statement.

But that one is entirely up to you.

Listing just your two names is more than enough for now.

This one can often be excluded.

But typically, it might work well for you.

There are some reasons for some employers to prefer local candidates , including:

• Tax purposes
• Travelling time

The safe way to go is to check the job listing first and see if it is required.

A thing to be extra careful about here is what part of your address you include.

If you decide to include any, make sure you only list city and state.

Any more information is too much, and can even be harmful to you, if your resume ends up in the wrong hands.

Email address

This is an absolute must on your resume.

In the modern age that we live in, email is usually the preferred method of communication.

But don’t list just any email that you have got.

An email address that seemed funny in college is not the right email address for the job.

You would want a professional looking email to list on your resume.

Your best option here is to use a provider like Gmail and keep the format [email protected].

Phone number

That is the second must that you should not exclude.

It is just as important a means of communication, as your email address.

Make sure you list your personal cell phone, so that you would be sure that the hiring manager would reach you.

Keep only one phone number on your resume.

Any more than that might come off confusing and would be more difficult to keep track of.

If you don’t have to have a LinkedIn profile it wouldn’t hurt you to make an account.

It can usually serve you really well, as hiring managers would definitely want to learn more about you than you can list on your one-page resume .

So make sure you include your LinkedIn profile in your Contact Information.

And if you don’t have a profile yet, there is no better time to create one.

Blog, website, or portfolio

Do you have some projects that you want to share with your potential employer?

Well, you can always do so.

Just include your blog, personal website, or a portfolio of some great projects you have created.

But be careful.

You need to keep it all relevant.

So check the position you are applying for and then decide if it would work in your favor.

Resume objective

Your Resume Objective is your chance to sell yourself to your potential employer.

And that is exactly what you would want to do.

The resume objective is a 3-4 sentence statement that presents your skills, achievements and career goals.

It should present you in the best possible light and keep the hiring manager intrigued all the way through.

Education section

As you probably have limited or no work experience, the focus of your resume would fall much more on your education section .

That’s where you should list your academic accomplishments.

Typically, every entry in your education section should include:

• Your Degree
• Name of the Academic Institution
• Year of Graduation
• Bullet list with relevant courses

If you think you can show off some more in your entry, you absolutely should.

Other things you can list on any entry in your education section are:

• GPA (make sure it is a good one, nothing below 3.0)
• Awards and Honors
• Class rank (if applicable)

Skills Section

Before starting this section, we need to define the difference between the two main types of skills – soft and hard.

hard skills

Using simple words, a hard skill is one that can be learned, taught, or measured and is not dependent on your industry.

Examples of such skills are any language or computer skills, or ability to operate heavy machinery.

Soft skills

A soft skill is a personality trait that is hard to measure, but that makes you great at your job.

Examples of such skills are being a team player, being driven to succeed, or having a great attitude.

Now, how to list hard and soft skills on your high school resume.

As you probably have limited or no experience, focus would not be on your work experience section.

Instead, it falls on your education section, and on your skillset.

That’s why it is really crucial to get this right.

Don’t worry, we are going to help you go through it.

The first thing you need to do is list all skills that you have.

After you have it ready, you should look through it and think about which of these skills are relevant to the job position you are applying for.

You should also help yourself find the right keywords that your potential employer would be looking for.

You can easily find them by checking out the job listing.

That would also help you beat the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that would scan your resume for specific keywords before it ever has the chance to be seen by the hiring manager.

Extracurricular activities

This section might not seem so important at first, but it can really turn your resume around.

Even if you had nothing so impressive so far, some extracurricular activities can really grab the hiring manager’s attention.

These activities are usually school-related, but are never mandatory.

Taking part in them demonstrates your interests and proves that you can make meaningful contributions.

It can also show that you are a strong team player, as typically they require teamwork.

All in all, extracurricular activities on your resume can really show a much greater skillset than your skills section.

And that can really boost up your chances.

School is not the only place you can do things.

And usually out-of-school projects are even more impressive for hiring managers.

They show that you are a self-starter, and you have the motivation and the skillset to see a project through.

It can be as little as a blog, or as big as a small business or a startup.

Either way, it can really put you one step ahead of other candidates.

Work Experience Section (Optional)

You might not have any work experience at this point, and that is okay.

You can always create a substitute section like “Volunteer Work” where you can list all your volunteering.

Or you can create an unrelated to experience section that would show off your talents in a better way.

But if you have any work experience, you should not miss out on listing it.

What you need for listing each entry is:

• Job position
• Company name
• Dates of employment
• A bullet list of your responsibilities and accomplishments.

Language skills

It might seem redundant, but you need a second skills section, and it is usually an important one.

That one shows your language skills and the levels of knowledge you have in them.

In the modern world, it is crucial to know more languages, as the world is becoming more and more connected.

So, any language skills you have would not remain unnoticed.

Your potential employer would absolutely be happy to see some additional language skills on your resume.

If you have any certification for any language, don’t miss out on listing it.

You can do so either right there in the language skills section, or in a separate Certifications Section .

Hobbies & interests

This section might seem useless at first, but it can play an important role in your job-seeking as well.

Listing your hobbies and interests can give an indirect hint to the hiring manager about some of your great skills.

But also they show you as a person and describe you as a well-rounded individual.

Don’t list too many hobbies, it might look like you were just throwing words around.

Instead, scan the job listing once again.

That’s where you would find what hobby or interest would be perfect for you to list.

If your potential employer is looking for a team player, you would want to emphasize a team sport.

And, as promised, we are not going to let you go without some tips and tricks to help you out.

There are a few simple rules you need to follow.

If you do, your resume will be guaranteed to look its best.

So let’s go through them all and get you good and ready:

• Stick to one-page resume – two-page resumes are only acceptable when a candidate has tons of work experience
• Choose a professional font - examples of such are Arial, Calibri, Georgia, Cambria and Verdana
• Choose the correct font size - it’s best to keep it around 12pt, and it should never fall beneath 10pt
• Make sure you have sufficient white space - you need to make it clear where a section starts and ends. Don’t forget to also add a margin of at least 0.7 inches.
• Choose the right format - unless specified otherwise, always stick to PDF as it is the only format that will preserve your layout and structure no matter what

Making an effective high school resume is all about presenting yourself in the best possible way. Focus on:

• Your soft and hard skills will play a major role in structuring your resume;
• Don’t hesitate to show high-school accomplishments;
• Show your strengths and explain what will make you a great hiree;
• Stick to a single-page resume.

Check out our tips and tricks once again and use our Resume Builder to make your resume get you your next interview in no time.

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How to build a great high school student resume

Getting your high school student resume right can be a game-changer. Whether you're going for your first job or applying to college, a good resume can make all the difference. 

Crafting a great resume might feel like a challenge, but don't worry — you've got this! With the right guidance, handy examples, and helpful templates, we can walk through this together. So, let's start building your resume, a showcase of your skills, abilities, and proudest moments, ready to impress.

In this guide, we'll teach you everything you need to know about writing a resume as a high school student. Keep reading to learn all about:

• Exploring high school student resume examples
• Choosing the best format for a high school student resume
• Writing a strong resume summary as a high school student
• Selecting top skills for a high school student resume
• Describing effectively past work experience and impact
• Powering up your resume with effective action words
• Properly listing education on a resume
• Selecting relevant extra sections for your high school student resume
• Avoiding common mistakes on a high school student resume
• Pairing your resume with a relevant cover letter
• Accessing top resources for job-seeking high school students

High school student resume example

Why does this high school resume sample work?

• The all-rounder advantage: A key highlight of this high school resume sample is how it showcases the candidate's ability to handle a diverse range of tasks. It neatly captures their administrative skills, organizational abilities, process improvement initiatives, teamwork, and even presentation know-how. By listing these varied responsibilities, the candidate demonstrates their adaptability and proficiency in handling multiple roles, making them a highly versatile asset for any employer.

What could we improve?

• Making a clear impact: While the resume showcases diverse abilities, its work experience section could use more specific details. Phrases such as "improved administrative procedures" and "prepared professional presentations" are a bit generic. Spicing them up with specifics could add a punch. For example, how many procedures were improved? How much efficiency was achieved? How many presentations were prepared? By including these details, you'd add weight to your responsibilities and make the impact of your work clear.

Part-time job resume sample

What makes this part-time job resume sample effective?

Acing clarity and initiative: The strength of this part-time job resume is its clarity and demonstration of initiative. In just a few concise sentences, the candidate presents themselves as a driven, communicative high school student ready to thrive in a sales role. The crown jewel is their account of creating a new Business Society at school and expanding its membership from scratch to 150 — displaying terrific initiative and leadership, both of which are highly attractive in a candidate.

What could be improved?

• The unnecessary self-reference in the profile: The main improvement area for this part-time job resume lies in the self-reference within the professional summary. While it's common to write resumes in the third person, direct mentioning of your name ('Charlie') is usually avoided as it can come across as repetitive and unsophisticated. As resumes are personal documents, it's understood that the achievements and skills listed are yours. Removing such self-references can provide a cleaner, more professional presentation.

First job resume sample

What makes this first job resume sample stand out?

• Well-structured and comprehensive: One of this part-time resume's compelling features is its clever organization. Despite limited professional experience, it effectively starts with the most crucial part — education — setting a solid foundation. It further showcases a full range of both hard and soft skills, painting a complete picture of the candidate's abilities. The addition of volunteering activities is the icing on the cake, adding depth by highlighting initiative and a broader set of experiences.

What could be done better?

• Outdated phrasing: Despite the well-arranged structure, one area that could use a touch-up is the use of the phrase 'was responsible for.' This term has outlived its usefulness in modern-day resumes, coming across as outdated and vague. A more impactful rephrase of "Was responsible for multiple society functions and supervised more than 20 other students." could be: "Oversaw multiple society functions, leading and coordinating the tasks of over 20 students." 

1. Choose the best format for your high school student resume

In general, the standard resume format is the reverse-chronological resume . This resume focuses on work experience, listing your most recent job first and working chronologically backward from there.

However, unless you have many years of experience working in professional positions, then you will likely not have enough work experience as a high school student for this format. As a result, you may want to consider one of the following alternative formats:

• The Functional Resume: Functional resumes remove the focus from work experience and instead place it on education, skills, and unpaid experience (volunteer work, internships, etc.). This is often the best format for current students, as it allows you to prioritize academic experience and extracurriculars.
• The Hybrid Resume: Hybrid resumes spread the focus of a resume out more evenly between all sections. This type of resume is well-suited for students who have held part-time jobs and have some work experience to showcase alongside their academic experience.

Choose your preferred template and make your resume shine.

Try our AI Resume Writer and have your resume ready in minutes!

2. craft an eye-catching high school student resume summary.

A resume summary is a brief introductory statement at the beginning of your resume that helps to show your best attributes to the person reading it.

When writing your summary, it's important to include compelling details such as academic accomplishments or key work experience. This will catch the attention of employers and encourage them to read further into your resume and remember you later on.

To help demonstrate how to write an effective resume summary, here is an example of a weak one followed by a correction and explanation.

Bad example of a high school student resume summary

Soon-to-be high school graduate seeking employment as an office assistant. Served as the school’s morning announcer and office assistant for several years. Flexible schedule, with after-school club activities on Tuesdays.

Why does it fall short?  In this example, the student includes great examples of their professional goals and how their in-school experience ties into these goals. However, they should strive to provide more specific and quantifiable details, such as how many years they worked as an office assistant or what clubs they are a part of.

Good example of a high school student resume summary

Hard-working High School Senior with 2+ years of experience volunteering as the high school office assistant, providing morning announcements and assisting with student check-ins. Co-president of the Student Debate Club, responsible for planning weekly Tuesday meetings.

Why is this example better?  In this example, the applicant is far more specific with their experience as an office assistant. Rather than stating they are a “soon-to-be graduate,” the applicant instead says the exact year in school they are (High School Senior). Overall, this example has a lot more detail and specificity that makes it a more compelling summary.

3. Select top skills to put on your high school student resume

When listing skills on your resume, it is important to include a variety of different types of skills to choose from. Most abilities can be divided into two main categories:

• Hard Skills: Hard skills refer to learned abilities, like being able to play a sport or learning a new concept in school. These skills are gained through education and training, showcasing your talents and technical ability.
• Soft Skills: Soft skills are your people skills. These abilities deal with communication and comprehension, often governing how well you work with other people and understand the world around you. Soft skills can be both inherent and learned.

Including both of these types of skills on your resume is essential, as it will show the person reading the document that you know the importance of both. Plus, it will help you to showcase your diverse skillset!

With this in mind, here are 10 examples of both hard and soft skills that are great to include on a high school student’s resume:

The best high school student hard skills for your CV

• Mathematics
• Athletic ability
• Graphic design
• Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel, etc.)
• Computer skills (typing, making presentations, etc.)
• Public speaking
• Active listening
• Bookkeeping
• Data analysis

Effective soft skills for your high school student resume

• Communication
• Collaboration
• Critical thinking
• Time management
• Responsibility
• Adaptability
• Willingness to learn
• Self confidence

Find out your resume score!

4. Effectively describe your past work experience as a high school student

As a high school student, you likely do not have very much work experience just yet.

If you have worked in part-time positions, then these should be included within your work experience section. However, if you have never worked a job, you may need to consider extracurriculars you can describe and sub in for formal jobs in a section simply titled “Experience” or “Hands-On Experience.” This can include academic positions you have held, such as being a team captain or club president.

No matter what experience you choose to describe on your resume, consider which details will make these examples more compelling. The more specific you can be the better!

Bad example of a work experience section

Barron Collier High, Naples, FL Varsity Soccer Captain  August 2020 to Present 

• Led soccer practices.
• Got approval for new uniforms.
• Encouraged teammates.

Why is it ineffective? This example lacks depth and specificity, making it less impactful compared to a well-detailed description. It simply lists duties without assigning much meaning to them or demonstrating their value. It doesn't fully capitalize on the chance to highlight essential skills or achievements related to the role.

Good example of a work experience entry from a high school student’s resume

Barron Collier High, Naples, FL Varsity Soccer Captain August 2020 to Present

• Led team of 20+ students in daily practice drills, physical conditioning, and scrimmages.
• Designed new uniforms for the team and successfully presented these designs to the Head Coach for approval.
• Provided teammates with encouragement and motivating speeches, helping several to create more balanced schedules with time for their school work set aside. 

Why does it work? This example is detailed and purposefully tailored to reflect specific tasks, accomplishments, and the candidate's contributions to the team. By demonstrating leadership skills, initiative, and impact, it effectively presents a more compelling picture of the candidate's experiences and potential.

5. Power up your high school resume with action words 

Using action words in your high school student resume can make a big difference. They're dynamic 'doing' words that breeze energy and accomplishment into your application. 

These words can: 

• Reflect your pro-activity and initiative
• Illustrate your ability to make things happen
• Make your resume more engaging and easy-to-read

Here are some power-packed action words for your high school student resume

• Coordinated
• Volunteered
• Participated
• Contributed

Integrating these action words throughout your resume can help you paint a vivid picture of your strengths and achievements, giving you an extra edge in your job or college applications.

6. Properly list education on your high school student resume

When you write a resume as a high school student, you will likely still be in the process of completing your education and earning your high school diploma.

It is always necessary to indicate on your resume that your education is ongoing. Additionally, you should list your expected date of graduation, as well as the specific name of the school to give credibility to your educational credentials .

If you have any notable academic achievements — such as membership in an honor society or extracurriculars — these can make good extra details to add to your education section as well.

Here's an example of a well-crafted education section on a high school student’s resume

East Rowan High School, Salisbury, NC High School Diploma

• Expected Graduation: May 2023

Academic Achievements:

• Student Body President, 2021 to Present
• Principal’s Honor Roll, 2020 to Present

7. Select relevant extra sections for your high school student resume

Beyond your academic achievements and extracurricular activities, the extra sections you include in your resume can add depth and dimension to your profile, making you stand out from the crowd.

Choose extra sections that reflect your passions, talents, and experiences . For instance, if you're a budding artist, showcase your artistic endeavors with a " Creative projects " section, where you can list any art competitions, exhibitions, or personal projects you've worked on.

Another excellent addition could be a " Leadership and Volunteer Experience " section, where you can highlight any community service, mentoring roles, or leadership positions you've held. These extra sections paint a vivid picture of who you are beyond the classroom, making your resume an inspiring tapestry of your accomplishments and aspirations.

Here's an example of how to list an extra section on your high school student resume

Creative Projects

Art Competition - First Place Winner, City Art Fest (Date)

• Participated in the annual City Art Fest and won first place for my acrylic painting titled "Vibrant Visions."

School Mural Project, School Name (Date)

• Collaborated with a team of students to design and paint a mural representing diversity and unity on campus.

Personal Art Portfolio, Ongoing

• Curated a personal art portfolio showcasing various drawings, paintings, and digital art pieces.

Still looking for a job? These 100+ resources will tell you everything you need to get hired fast.

8. Avoid common mistakes in a high school student resume

Creating a flawless resume may seem daunting, especially as a high school student at the start of your professional journey. Fear not, let's go through some typical mistakes and how you can avoid them:

• Irrelevant information:  Include only information relevant to the role you're applying for. That trophy you won in third grade? Probably not essential here. 
• Too wordy:  Keep it concise. Resist the urge to write an essay about each experience. Aim to be clear, concise, and specific.
• Forgetting numbers:  Wherever possible, quantify your achievements. Numbers provide a tangible measure of your success and make your contributions easily understood.
• Skipping proofreading:  Ensure your resume is free from typos and grammatical errors. These can give an impression of carelessness. 
• Inconsistent formatting:  Consistent formatting helps your resume look professional and easy to read. Stick with one font style, size, and layout.

Remember, your resume is your personal marketing tool. Making it as polished and compelling as possible starts by avoiding these common pitfalls.

9. Pair your resume with a relevant cover letter

Including a cover letter with your high school student resume can be a wise move. It provides an extra opportunity to showcase your personality , explain achievements , and highlight why you're a strong fit for the job or college you're applying for.

Your resume and cover letter serve different purposes . Your resume is like a factual summary of your skills, accomplishments, and experiences. It's typically a quick, at-a-glance document for employers to assess your qualifications.

On the other hand, your cover letter is your chance to tell a compelling story about who you are. It's where you can dive deeper into specific accomplishments or experiences and explain why you're interested in the opportunity. A well-written cover letter can complement your resume and give recruiters more context about you as a candidate.

So, when should you include a cover letter? When it's specifically requested , or when you feel that the resume doesn't capture the whole picture of your potential. It's one more tool in your job application toolkit, and if used well, it can help you stand out and make a strong impression.

Let your cover letter write itself — with AI!

10. find top job search resources for high school students .

When you're in high school and looking for your first job, it can feel like a bit of a minefield. Navigating the job market isn't easy, but thankfully there are plenty of resources out there designed specifically to help high school students like you: 

• Your school's career center: Most high schools have a career center that provides various resources from resume help to job listings specially catered for students.
• Websites & apps: Websites and apps such as Snagajob , Indeed , and LinkedIn offer part-time, internship, or entry level job listings suitable for high school students. Make sure to set filters suitable for your experience level while searching.
• Job fairs: Attend job fairs conducted in your local community or school district. These provide a platform to meet potential employers face-to-face. 
• Networking: You can network with people through your connections at school or community activities. Volunteering can also be a great way to meet people and build connections.
• Internship programs: Check out internship programs in your local area or fields of interest. Websites like Internmatch or Chegg Internships can provide leads.
• Career-focused social media: Platforms such as LinkedIn provide an excellent space for professional networking and job search. And what's more, you can turn your LinkedIn profile into a polished resume within a few seconds.

Remember, the job search can be a bit of an adventure, so keep an open mind and keep learning along the way. Don't be disheartened by rejections. Treat them as learning experiences and continue refining your search. Happy job hunting!

Absolutely! Non-work related activities, particularly those involving leadership roles or skills directly related to the job you're applying for, can demonstrate your values, commitment, and versatility. Highlight team sports, club participation, volunteer work, or even notable class projects.

It's completely normal for high school students to have limited work experience. Focus on transferable skills you've gathered from school, extracurricular activities, or volunteering. Think of instances where you've demonstrated teamwork, problem-solving, or leadership, as these are highly desired by employers.

There's no one-size-fits-all answer, but typically starting with a strong introduction about yourself, followed by education, experience/extra-curricular activities, and skills sections work well for high school students. Remember to keep it concise, clear, and relevant.

While function should definitely take precedence over the form, a clean, professional, and easy-to-read resume can make a great first impression. Steer clear of overly complicated designs and stick with standard fonts, bullet points, and white space to improve readability. 

Absolutely. Customizing your resume for each job application shows the employer that you're genuinely interested in the role. Highlight the relevant skills and experiences that match the job description - it takes a little extra effort, but it can make all the difference.

Martin Poduška

Martin is a resume expert and career advice writer at Kickresume. In his five years at Kickresume, he has written hundreds of in-depth, painstakingly researched resume advice articles and, as chief editor, he has also edited and revised every single article on this website. Tens of thousands of job seekers read Martin’s resume advice every month. He holds a degree in English from the University of St Andrews and a degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Amsterdam .

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The Admissions Strategist

How to write a high school resume: the ultimate guide (multiple templates included).

A high school resume is an organized, professional-looking document. It lists your education, achievements, qualifications, work experience, skills, and awards.

Some colleges require a resume for admissions , but all internships and jobs require at least a resume when applying. You might even submit a resume for scholarships.

• The resume advice in this article can be used for your college applications, internships, and jobs.

If you’re in high school, you should start building your resume right now. This will make it much easier to upgrade your resume over the next few years.

You’re going to use a resume for the rest of your professional life . Make sure to update it with pertinent information and new experiences.

Let’s first start with some frequently answered questions students ask about high school resumes.

How important is a high school resume for college applications?

Your resume usually will not lead to an acceptance or outright rejection.

But, a well-formatted high school resume can help you make your case for an acceptance.

In the same manner, a poorly formatted resume with plenty of grammar mistakes and lies can undermine your chances of an acceptance.

• Why? Admissions officers want to admit students show curiosity for the university. A student submitting a sloppy resume is showing her lack of interest in her application.

Undergraduate business, BS/MD , and honors programs frequently request a high school resume along with the application.

• In this case, the resume is more important than usual, so be sure to take your time and format it correctly (scroll down to find out how to format a resume).

Your application, essays, and transcript are more important to college applications than a resume is. With that said, if you’re submitting a resume or the college asks for one, you must submit a high-quality resume.

Is there an official high school resume template?

No. A high school resume comes in many forms, so you have many choices to choose from.

For high school students applying for college, internships, and jobs, you should embrace the best approaches for high school resumes.

Click above to watch a video on High School Resumes.

What is the best approach to writing a resume?

The best resumes are concise and packed with substantive information .

Remember, admissions officers and hiring managers are busy people, so you need to include pivotal information in your high school resume while wording your accomplishments in a concise and pithy manner.

Last, your resume needs to be formatted correctly. A resume that is formatted properly is easy on the eyes and, thus, will be much more enjoyable to read.

• Admissions officers and hiring managers are more likely to pay attention to resumes that are easy to scan and absorb.

Remember these four things when writing your high school resume:

• The wording must be concise
• All relevant information should be included
• Resume formatting should make for an easy and pleasurable read; anything that looks sloppy will reflect badly on you
• Try to keep the resume as close to one-page long. Over one page is OK for high school resumes, but it’ll be frowned upon later in your career.

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Should i use an online template for my resume.

As a resume expert, I strongly recommend that you avoid copy and pasting online templates.

Why? Each student is different. What might work for someone else won’t work for you.

• Some students have a great record of academic achievements but a sparse record of extracurricular activities.
• Some are business-oriented, while others are liberal arts-oriented.

This means you should format your resume from scratch. Not only will you construct a resume that is customized to your needs, but you’ll also build resume skills that you’ll keep forever. These skills will come in handy in college and beyond.

How do I format my high school resume?

You should follow a few general rules when formatting your resume for college admissions, internships, and jobs.

• Use Times New Roman or Cambria on your resume. These fonts are easy to read.
• Regular font should be size 10-12. Headings should be at least two points larger than your font.
• Separate each section (Contact, education, experience, skills) with a heading that is underlined and/or bolded.
• Keep margins at 1 inch. If you need to shorten the length of the resume, .5 margins are OK. Anything less takes a toll on the eyes.

What information should my high school resume include?

In a nutshell, your high school resume should include:

• Contact info: Name, email, phone number, address
• Education: high school name, GPA, test scores, class rank, coursework, achievements and honors
• Experience: Work, volunteer, and extracurricular qualifications
• Skills: Computer expertise, foreign languages

How do I format each section?

You now know what makes a great resume. Now, let’s dive into the specifics.

This is how you format each section.

Your name should be centered at the very top in bold. The font size can match your headings, or your name can be a point or two larger than the headings.

This information will go right underneath your name.

Include the name you used on your college application.

Underneath your name, put your cell phone number and professional email address.

Format your cell phone correctly. That means you have two options:

• There will be parenthesis around your area code and a hyphen after the first three digits of the number. Example – (536) 276-6690
• No parenthesis at all but with hyphens after the area code and first three digits of the number. Example – 536-276-6690

If your current email address [email protected], it’s time to create a new email. Use Gmail, since it’s secure and works with the G Suite platform, which you’ll use extensively in college.

A safe email is one that includes your first name initial, last name, and the last two digits of your birth year. For example:

[email protected]

Last, you can put your home address if you so choose. Including your home address is not mandatory.

The name and contact sections will look like this:

Todd Gurley [email protected] | (536) 276-6690 30 McVay Avenue Los Angeles, CA

You don’t need an objective section. Most objectives are common sense. They are clichés that provide no value to the document.

The education section is easy as long as you know your academic information. Follow these steps.

List your high school, location, and your graduation date:

Black Horn High School, Bastion Ridge, South Carolina (Graduation: June 2021)

Underneath that, put your GPA (unweighted/weighted), and your best test scores:

GPA: 3.45/4.2 | SAT: 1350 | SAT II Math: 710 | SAT II US History: 680

Then, list your honors right under your GPA. Below your honors, write “Coursework:” and input your highest, most prestigious classes. If you’re applying for an internship or industry-specific job opportunity, you can put related coursework.

Coursework: AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP World History , Spanish Honors

If you’re a freshman, sophomore, or junior, you can also add a “Projected Coursework” section, in which you’ll add courses you’re bound to take next year.

Additionally, students of all grade levels should add an “Awards” section. List your awards under “Coursework/Projected Coursework.” Here’s how it’d look:

Awards: AP Scholar, FRC National Champion, National Honors Society, Musk Receipient of Excellence in Robotics, DECA Achievement Award

When you finish this section, this is how it’ll look:

Black Horn High School, Bastion Ridge, South Carolina (Graduation: June 2021) GPA: 3.45/4.2 | SAT: 1350 | SAT II Math: 710 | SAT II US History: 680 Coursework: AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP World History , Spanish Honors Awards: AP Scholar, FRC National Champion, National Honors Society, Musk Receipient of Excellence in Robotics, DECA Achievement Award

Now comes the fun part. The quality of this section will determine the overall strength of your resume. You want to remember several critical tips before you dive into this section.

First, your experience headings need to be evenly formatted.

• Keep necessary elements italicized.
• Don’t bold everything for the sake of emphasis.
• You should have two or more bullet points per qualification.
• When writing the location (“city, state”) of your qualification, make sure it’s formatted the same as your “city, state” in your contact section. As such, if your contact section has “Washington, DC,” then don’t add periods in “DC” in your “Experience” section. In general, watch out for inconsistencies when adding periods in state abbreviations – stick to one version: with or without periods.

Second, your bullet points should be neatly formatted.

• All bullets should be fragments beginning with action verbs . You are not writing in the first person (e.g. “I collaborated”).
• Bullets should not end with periods.
• Choose specific action verbs. Try to avoid using weak action verbs, such as “worked,” “assisted,” and “helped,” among others.
• Action verbs should be in the past tense (e.g. “collaborated” and “managed”) unless you’re describing an experience that you’re a part of right now. In that case, your action verbs should be in the first-person singular tense (e.g. “collaborate” and “manage”).
• The roles you had most recently should be at the top. This means you’re following reverse chronological order.
• If you want to combine similar activities into one bullet point, separate them with a semicolon.

Third, your bullet points can include any of the following:

• Summer jobs
• Volunteer activities
• Community service
• Extracurricular activities
• Internships
• Informal jobs (babysitting)

Fourth, bullet points should be specific. Try to tell a story. Include results.

• Include numbers, figures, percentages, or anything else that will help you demonstrate your ability to procure results.
• If you’re having trouble thinking of details to include, think of the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your job duties.
• Remember, the admissions officer and hiring manager don’t know who you are, so it’s your job to paint a picture of your qualifications.

Here are great examples of bullet points in high school resumes:

Managed four team members during two-hour shifts, resulting in 100% customer-satisfaction rate Collaborated with supervisor to create 100 cards for cancer patients over 30-day span Created sandwiches and addresses customer concerns during lunch rushes five days per week; utilized slicer, Panini press, and cash register to facilitate customer requests Guarded 20 students per swimming session; instructed three students during daily one-on-one swimming classes, resulting in a 100% graduation rate

Hint : You can use these bullet points in the extracurricular activities section on your college application.

Does that make sense? Good. Let’s look at what a properly formatted experience section looks like.

• Write the workplace or club name on the top line.
• Next to it, write the location.
• On the next line, write your position in italics.
• Next to your position, write the date (month year – month year) during which you worked in that position. Writing out the entire month is not important; what matters is sticking to the format for all your experiences.
• The bullet points go under the position and date.

For example:

SM Pediatrics and Healthcare, Portland, OR Intern , September 2018-December 2018

• Coordinated daily appointments and schedule at the front desk for over 50 patients
• Facilitated insurance paperwork and co-pays to guarantee patient satisfaction
• Created new filing system for office staff, resulting in 30 minutes of saved time; integrated Trello into office project management by leading tutorials on the platform

Repeat this several times until you’ve addressed each one of your pertinent activities, work experiences, and engagements.

This section usually focuses on two elements: computer and language.

Next to “Computer:” list the things you can do well using, you guessed it, a computer. This can range from coding to graphic design to PowerPoint to CMS to software.

Under the computer section, you’ll input “Language:” if you know any foreign languages. List them by naming the language and, in brackets, give the level at which you know it. There are four levels to foreign languages:

• Native or bilingual proficiency – You can read and write fluently; you can do business and live in a foreign country with your skills
• Professional working proficiency – You can do business in the language but aren’t aware of every cultural norm
• Limited working proficiency – You can read and write here and there but wouldn’t be able to do business fluently.
• Elementary proficiency – You can barely read or write but can steer a conversation every now and then

All told, the “Skills” section should look like this:

Computer: HTML, SQL, Java, WordPress, Wix, Python, PHP, Adobe Photoshop, MS Office Suite, Wave, Trello, Slack, Quickbooks, MailChimp, Stripe, PayPal Language: Spanish [Professional working proficiency)], French [Elementary proficiency]

Saving and Sending the Resume

Always save your professional documents (cover letter, resume, writing samples transcripts) in PDF. Name the document as [first name]_[last name]_[document type]:

Todd_Gurley_Resume

Underscores are your safest bet when naming a resume. They render your resume easy to organize so admissions officers and hiring managers don’t lose track of them.

Moving Forward: Upgrading the Resume

Over the years, you should update your resume. Spend 30 minutes every few months adding experiences and job duties that will help you attain your next opportunity.

• As you grow older, your resume will need to be more specialized.

This means you’ll need to add more experiences, duties, qualifications, skills, and credentials that relate to your industry and desired position.

Between senior year of high school and college, your resume will look completely different.

• In order to ensure you’re updating (or upgrading!) you resume correctly, use the notepad in your smartphone to record your job tasks and duties.
• If you were asked to do something new, expand your skill set , or develop talents, you need to add these in your resume.
• The notepad in your smartphone will be a useful resource for when you sit down to upgrade your resume – it will keep your memory fresh and prevent you from hitting writer’s block.

As an exercise, spend a few minutes every year perusing your notepad, witnessing your professional growth .

Expert Resume Advice

Over time, we’ll add expert resume advice below.

Here’s what Vic Lindsay, director of student life at Sweet Briar College, has to say about your resume:

Our role as educators is to give students the skills they need to be successful in future endeavors. When I make hiring decisions, I’m searching for students who want to be molded and who are looking for more than just a paycheck. When you’re ready to move out into the real employment world, your resume should be focused on skills you obtained and achievements that show leadership and initiative. Don’t tell me what you were, tell me what you’ve done. Show me where previous supervisors have trusted you with significant responsibility and that you lived up to those expectations.

High School Resume Templates: Great Samples

Finally, if you were looking for outstanding samples of high school resumes, I got your back.

As I mentioned before, don’t just copy and paste your items into the resume.

Instead, take the time to scrutinize action verbs and bullet-point formation.

Check to see if the grammar and data make sense.

Here are your templates:

High_School_Resume_Template

High_School_Resume_Template_2

High_School_Resume_Template_3

You can also look at them below. Enjoy!

High School Resume Template 1

High School Resume Template 2

High School Resume Template 3

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When Should You Start Building Your High School Resume

Do you have a plan for applying to college?

With our free chancing engine, admissions timeline, and personalized recommendations, our free guidance platform gives you a clear idea of what you need to be doing right now and in the future.

Whether your goal is to get a job, to apply for a scholarship, or to get into a competitive summer program, your key to success will be the same—you’re going to need a standout resume. Many high school students wonder when to get started on writing a resume. Many more don’t start to work on theirs until they actually need one.

At CollegeVine, we recommend that you start working on your resume as soon as possible. If you’re in ninth grade this may seem early to you, and it might even seem like you don’t have anything to put on it at this point, but we assure you, that’s not the case. Starting early and including your experiences outside of professional roles will give you the leg up that you need when your called on to submit a resume.

To learn more about why you need to start working on your resume now, and how to get started, don’t miss this post.

Resumes Aren’t Just For Job Searches

Many high school students think of resumes as something that you present when you apply for a job, but this is really only a narrow image of what we use resumes for in the real world. While it’s true that the primary function of a resume is usually to get a job, that’s not the only thing it’s used for.

You should think of your resume as a one-page written highlight reel that touts your strengths and greatest accomplishments. If presents a polished image of what you can offer, not just at a job but also to any selective program, community, or other position. Your resume gives a quick but strong first impression of the skills and personal qualities you have to offer.

How to Get Started on Your First Resume

Most students struggle to come up with material for their first resumes because they believe that without “work” experience, they have nothing relevant to include. Try to think more broadly about your accomplishments.

You can include volunteer positions, leadership roles, and achievements in school and extracurriculars when you’re first getting started with building a resume. For more information about how to frame these experiences on a resume, see our post Five Things to Put on Your Resume in High School .

Discover your chances at hundreds of schools

Our free chancing engine takes into account your history, background, test scores, and extracurricular activities to show you your real chances of admission—and how to improve them.

Resume Tips for High Schoolers

1. keep it short.

While it’s tempting to list every accomplishment and award you’ve received, you need to fine-tune your resume down to a single page. This is mostly because most hiring committees or admissions committees have limited time. Imagine a lengthy list of candidates and a heaping pile of resumes. These busy people have their work cut out for them.

You can make their job easier and increase your own chances at success by keeping your resume brief and to the point. While it’s likely that the first page of your resume will at least get a few glimpses, it’s unlikely that a busy hiring or admissions committee will bother wading through additional pages. Furthermore, at this point it’s unlikely that you have enough experience to truly warrant such a lengthy resume.

2. Target Your Audience

Contrary to what many teens believe, a resume is not a universal tool. Instead, you need to target your resume to each position and experience you’ll be using it for.

This means that you should consider each position specifically and think hard about what skills and accomplishments would be most valuable to it. Tailor the experiences and skills that you highlight to maximize your chances and to present your best side for each unique position.

3. Use a Second Set of Eyes

It should go without saying that your resume needs to be free of any typos, grammatical errors, or other mistakes. You should proofread your own resume at least twice, ideally reading it aloud to further identify any mistakes.

Then, you should have someone else proofread it for you. A teacher, guidance counselor, mentor, or friend are great options. Having a second set of eyes review your work makes careless errors more likely to stand out.

4. Discuss References in Advance

While it’s common to close a resume with the clipped, “References Available Upon Request,” this is a fairly redundant option. You can be assured that if an admissions or hiring committee wants to speak to a reference, they will ask, whether they’ve been given the option or not. Instead, it’s a good idea to list references and their contact information on your resume so that anyone interested will not have to go through the extra step of requesting them.

If you list references on your resume, you should discuss this with the people you are listing ahead of time. Let them know the positions or opportunities that you’re applying for. Discuss the skills and accomplishments that you hope to highlight on your application so that your references will be able to speak directly to them. It appears unprofessional if a hiring committee happens to contact one of your references, and he or she has no idea why they’re calling.

Building your first resume and putting it to use can be an intimidating feat, but if you start early and think outside the box about broader experiences and accomplishments to include, it’s a task that can be tackled with grace.

Looking for help navigating the road to college as a high school student? Download our  free guide for 9th graders  and our  free guide for 10th graders . Our guides go in-depth about subjects ranging from  academics ,  choosing courses ,  standardized tests ,  extracurricular activities ,  and much more !

To learn more about writing a resume or getting a job or internship, see these posts:

How to make yourself employable as early as possible — and why it matters

4 Ways to Build Real-World Job Skills While You’re in High School

High Schoolers: Here’s How You Can Shadow A Professional in Your Target Career

How to Start Your Internship Search

Preparing Your LinkedIn, Facebook, & Twitter for Your Summer Job Search

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How To Write A Resume In 7 Steps (With Examples)

• How To Write A Resume
• Resume Skills Section
• Resume Objective Section
• Career Objective Section
• Resume Reference Section
• Resume Summary Section
• Resume Summary Example
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• Study Abroad On Resume

Resumes are still the most important document in your job search . Generating a professional and interesting resume isn’t easy, but there is a standard set of guidelines that you can follow. As hiring managers usually only spend a short time looking over each resume, you want to make sure that yours has a reason for them to keep reading.

If you’re looking to write a resume, rewrite a resume you already have, or are just curious about resume format, then you’ve come to the right place. This article will go through the steps to writing an excellent resume, as well as offering examples for what sections of the resume should look like.

Key Takeaways:

A resume is a short document that details your professional history in a way that tailors your experience and skill set for the particular job you’re applying for.

Resumes follow a few standard formatting practices, which hiring managers and recruiters expect to see.

Highlighting your work experience, skills, and educational background with relevant keywords can help you get past applicant tracking systems and into more interviews.

How to write a resume

Writing a resume involves using the proper formatting, writing an introduction, and adding your work experience and education. Stuffing your entire professional life into a single page resume can feel overwhelming, but remember that you’re distilling the relevant parts of your professional experience in order to catch the eye of the recruiter .

Formatting your resume. To start, use a word processor such as Microsoft Word or Google docs. Standard resume formatting calls for:

1 inch margins

10-12 point font

A professional, commonly-used font

Additionally, there are three resume formats that are commonly used. Most people should stick with a chronological resume format , but the combination resume format and functional resume format can be effective for more advanced workers or those who have significant gaps in their resume.

Write a resume header . It doesn’t matter if you have the best resume in the world if the hiring manager can’t contact you. Every single resume should include the following contact information:

Your full name. First and last.

Your phone number. Use a personal phone number, and make sure your voicemail is set up properly.

Your email address. Nothing inappropriate — [email protected] is a safe choice.

Location. City, State, Zip Code is fine, but you can include your full mailing address if you think it’s appropriate.

Your social media (optional). LinkedIn is the obvious one you’d want to include, but make sure your profile looks good. If you have an online portfolio , either on a personal blog/website or on a site like Journo Portfolio , feel free to include that here as well.

Your job title. Also optional, but can be useful for applicant tracking systems.

Resume introduction. You have four options for your resume introduction: a resume objective, summary statement, resume profile, or qualifications summary. For most job-seekers, a resume summary statement is the best choice. Regardless of which resume introduction you choose, avoid first-person pronouns (I/me/my).

Resume objective. A resume objective is the goal of your resume. Since the objective of every resume is to land a job, this is not the most original or impressive opener you can have.

On the other hand, it’s a good choice for an entry-level applicant or someone who is changing career paths . This should be a 1-3 sentence summary of why you’re motivated to get the position you’re applying for.

Who should use a resume objective: Entry-level applicants, career-changers, and recent college graduates.

Resume summary. This is the best opener for most job-seekers. As the name suggests, a resume summary highlights the most salient aspects of your resume.

It should include your current position, how many years of experience you have, some of your biggest achievements, and possibly your career goals. This should be a 1-3 sentence spiel and should include some quantifiable experiences.

Who should use a resume summary: Most job seekers; anyone with quantifiable accomplishments to emphasize and a broad range of skills.

Qualifications summary. A bullet point list (4-6 points is the sweet spot) of your qualifications for the position. It’s best used by applicants going for jobs that require a fixed skill set. It’s not a great choice for entry-level applicants who lack quantifiable achievements.

You’ll notice that a qualifications summary takes up more space than a resume objective or summary, but it can actually save the hiring manager time if you provide a bunch of valuable information right off the top.

Who should use a qualifications summary: Those applying to a job with requirements for certain skills and job-seekers who have a lot of experience in their industry and/or field.

Resume profile. A resume profile is similar to a resume summary, but goes into more detail about your accomplishments at your current or former job, while also telling the reader about your career goals. Think of a resume profile as a section that pulls all the best parts of your work experience section into one place.

Who should use a resume profile: Anyone with significant accomplishments under their belt, expertise in a niche field, or applying to a job in the same industry that they have lots of experience in.

Resume headline. Resume headlines aren’t necessary, but you can include one alongside any of the four types of resume introduction listed above. A resume headline comes between your contact information and the resume introduction of your choice.

Headlines can be used by entry-level applicants and experienced job-seekers alike. The important point is that your headline should be short and to the point. Additionally, you should use title case when writing your resume headline (capitalize words as you would for a book title).

Who should use a resume headline: Any job-seeker who wants to showcase their experience or unique value right off the bat.

Work experience. Your work experience section is the place to let hiring managers know that you have relevant experience that would allow you to handle the job you’re applying for.

If you’re using the chronological resume format, your work experience section would come after your resume summary/objective. In a funcitonal reumse, it would follow your skills section. Either way, work experience should be listed in reverse-chronological order (most recent experience at the top).

When listing your work experience, you should include all of the following information:

Job title. Start by stating the position you held at the company. These are easy cue for the hiring manager to look at and determine whether your past positions would help you succeed at their company.

Company Info. Include the name of the employer, the location where you worked, and perhaps a brief description of the company, if it isn’t a well-known name.

Dates Employed: Use the mm/yyyy format if you want to be sure that most applicant tracking systems (ATS) will pick it up. Whatever format you use for dates, be consistent, or your resume will look sloppy.

Job Description. Don’t just list your job’s responsibilities; hiring managers and recruiters already have an idea of your duties based on the job title. Instead, list your most important and impressive responsibilities/achievements at the job with bullet points. Determine which of these are most relevant for your new role based on the job description.

Ideally, each bullet should be no longer than a single line. However, two lines is acceptable, if used sparingly.

Always start with a strong action verb, followed by a quantifiable achievement and a specific duty. For example: “Developed ad campaigns for clients, increasing sales by an average of 27%.” Each job title should include 3-5 bullet points.

The order that you include this information can be changed around, as long as you are consistent throughout your resume. However, the bullet points detailing your job’s achievements should always be the last item for each entry.

It’s important that you tailor your resume’s work experience section to the job you’re applying for. We recommend reading the job description carefully and highlighting the action verbs in one color and the skills, adjectives, and job-specific nouns in a different color.

Educational background. In almost all cases, your education section should come after your professional history. If you’re a recent college graduate with limited work experience, you may choose to put your educational achievements first.

Like the section on your professional history, educational experiences should come in reverse-chronological order, with your highest level of education at the top. If you have a college degree, you don’t need to add any information about your high school experience. If you didn’t finish college, it’s okay to give a list of what credits you did complete.

Each educational experience can be listed in the following format:

Degree/Program Name College/University Name Dates attended

You don’t need to add anything else, especially if your resume is already impressive enough. But if you’re struggling to fill up the page, or you feel that aspects of your educational experience will help make you a standout, you may consider also including:

Minor. If you think it rounds out your not-exactly-relevant-to-the-job major nicely.

GPA. Only if it was 3.5 or higher. Otherwise, it’s not going to do you any favors to include this.

Honors. Dean’s List, Cum Laude, etc.

Achievements. If you wrote a killer thesis/dissertation that showcases intimate knowledge relevant to the job to which you’re applying, you can include its title and a very brief description.

Extracurricular activities. Only include if they’re relevant. For example, if you’re applying for a management position and you were president of your student government.

Certifications/Licenses. If the job you’re applying for requires/likes to see certain certifications or licenses that you have, you may include them in this section as well.

Skills section. Your impressive skills should be scattered logistically throughout your professional history section, but you should also include a section solely dedicated to highlighting your skill set . Skills can be broken down into two categories:

Hard skills are skills you learn through training and indicate expertise with a technical ability or job-specific responsibility.

Soft skills are your personality traits, interpersonal abilities, and intangible qualities that make you more effective at your job.

Your resume should have a healthy mix of hard and soft skills, as both are essential to job performance. However, since soft skills are harder to prove in the context of a resume, we recommend leaning more toward hard skills. Additionally, whenever you list a soft skill, make sure that it has a correlating item in your work experience section.

For example, if you say you are skilled in collaboration, you should mention a time when a team project was a major success somewhere in your work experience section.

Optional sections. If you still have space left or there’s more you want to show off that doesn’t quite fit in any of the above sections, you may consider adding an additional section covering one or more of the below categories:

Language . Being bilingual is always impressive, and can be included on a resume for any company. Highlight this more if your position involves liaising with international distributors and/or clients. Don’t lie about your proficiency level.

It may be best to not mention it if you’re not particularly proficient speaker . Such as if you took courses in school, or haven’t really managed to gain fluency. It can end up looking like an attempt to inflate your credentials, which you want to avoid.

Volunteer experience . Always a good thing to include. It shows you’re a team player who behaves in a way that promotes the greater good, without thought of personal gain. Especially good for entry-level candidates and those applying for jobs at a non-profit. If you have gaps in your work history, you can also consider including volunteer experiences in your work history section instead.

Personal projects. A personal blog, published works, or a portfolio of your past projects are all good things to include. They show you take initiative, enjoy and take pride in your work, and that you can handle the responsibilities of the job, if relevant.

Certifications/licenses. If you didn’t include these in your education section, this is another good place to list relevant certifications or licenses that you have.

Interests . This is largely just a space filler if your resume is light in other areas. However, if your hobbies are directly related to the job that you’re applying for, it’s not a bad idea to include them. And it might draw a recruiter’s attention if you end up sharing some of the same interests as they do.

If you have several seemingly random items that are valuable, but don’t warrant creating a whole separate section for, you can also make a section called “Additional Experience.” Here you can include all of the above categories in one place. Just make sure that each item is clear and easy for readers to understand.

Resume samples

Now that we have a good idea of how to write a resume, let’s take a look at some example resumes:

Jack Pilgrim Washington , DC 14015 – (555) 444-3333 – [email protected] – www.linkedin.com/jpilgrim Resume Summary Graphic designer with 3+ years of experience creating and implementing promotional materials and social media graphics. Worked with sales and marketing teams to increase inbound calls by 23% YoY through compelling digital media. Adept at planning, managing, and prioritizing multiple deadlines at once, and thrives in fast-paced work environment. Work Experience Creative Designs | Washington, DC Lead Graphic Designer | June 2018-Present Worked with sales and marketing teams to create landing pages, sales proposals, and supporting media elements to drive sales by over $250,000 per quarter Trained, managed, and mentored team of 4 junior designers to fulfill 40+ project orders on a weekly basis Conducted UX research through surveys, usability testing, and data analysis to plan content marketing strategy, driving organic search traffic by 12% Presented proposals, results, and status updates to set of 4-7 clients, ensuring customer satisfaction at or above 95% for 3 years straight Happy Place | Alexandria, VA Junior Graphic Designer | July 2016-May 2018 Translated client needs and branding strategies into design and content strategy, increasing client retention by 22% Reduced project turnaround time by 8% by Utilizing web-based ticket system for completing and archiving finalized pieces Posted digital artwork to network IPTV using web interface to produce high-end info-graphics and other materials Happy Place | Alexandria, VA Marketing Intern | September 2015-July 2016 Assisted marketing team with data collection, analysis, and presentation using Google Analytics Drew up storyboards for new marketing campaigns alongside sales team, increasing brand awareness through social media Wrote 500-1000 word articles to pair with graphical elements on page, leading to a 40% boost in engagement on company website Education Savannah College of Art and Design | Savannah, Georgia May 2016 Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design Skills Adobe Creative Suite Typography HTML/CSS WordPress Collaboration Organization

Allison Neederly Chicago, Illinois , 60007 | (333) 222-1111 | [email protected] | www.linkedin.com/allison.neederly Resume Summary Dedicated customer service representative with 4+ years experience resolving customers’ needs in-person, online, and over the phone. Top achiever at XYZ Inc. with a 100% customer satisfaction rate for Q1 of 2020. Friendly personable, and knowledgable about company’s products and services. Relevant Skills Customer Service Responded to upwards of 200 customer queries daily with XYZ Inc., reducing the average wait time by 56% and increasing customer satisfaction rates by 13% Ability to resolve conflict and create a positive atmosphere for shopping for both new and existing customers through technical proficiency Expert product knowledge and communication skills, and experience training and mentoring new customer service staff Web Chat and Phone Skilled in 3 web chat platforms for helping online customers resolve their queries quickly and accurately Achieved fastest call resolution rate at XYZ Inc., with an average resolution time of under 5 minutes per customer Performed outbound calls for customer satisfaction surveys, as well as writing web-based surveys for 10,000+ customers Troubleshooting Detailed product knowledge allowed for customer technical issues to be resolved at rate within top 5% of all customer service associates at XYZ Inc. Created manual for step-by-step directions for troubleshooting that was implemented for team of 100+ customer service reps Positive attitude took average tech-related negative response from 1/5 stars to 4/5 stars, increasing trust in brands and services Work Experience XYZ Inc. | Philadelphia, PA Customer Service Associate New Look Global | Burlington, VT Junior Customer Service Representative L.L. Bean | Burlington, VT Sales Associate Education University of Vermont | Burlington, VT May 2012 Bachelor of Arts in Humanities

Priya Laghari New York, NY | (222) 111-0000 | [email protected] | www.priyabizdev.com Resume Profile Strategy Development: Grew John Deere’s international sales by 13% by tapping into undeserved countries in Southeast Asia Management: Oversaw a team of managers representing marketing, sales, and product teams. Streamlined collaborative, cross-functional communications through agile and scrum management system CRM: Developed, customized, and implemented new customer relationship management database for accounts totaling over $10M in value Work Experience Business Development Manager 01/2015-Present Microsoft | Redmond, WA Developed product strategies and roadmap for Google AdWords, increasing inbound traffic by 26% YoY Reduced time training on new software by 50% for new and existing employees by implement e-learning programs Spearheaded digital marketing campaign worth $1M that saw a return of 200% in first year by qualifying leads earlier in the sales funnel Regional Sales Manager 11/2012-01/2015 Big Things Inc. | St. Louis, MO Managed territory encompassing 29 regional locations with an annual revenue of approx. $55M Worked with C-level executives to plan business strategies, resulting in 20% reduction in overhead costs Increased client retention by 12% in first year by implementing a CRM approach based on account profiling and elevating levels of relationship selling Account Manager 02/2009-11/2012 Solutions Corp. | Chicago, IL Implemented and developed CRM strategic plans, increasing retention of long-term clients by 22% Maintained 50+ accounts totaling over $35M in value Generated leads through one-on-one consultation via phone inquiries, online check-ins, and meeting office walk-ins Relevant Skills CRM: Proficient with Salesforce, Zoho, and HubSpot; some experience with Keap. Used various CRM software over a decade to successfully manage customer relations and quick to adapt to new software and tools that aid in quality of customer experience. Salesmanship: Negotiated and closed over several deals worth $1M+ and skilled in upselling and cross-selling. Adept at working closely with marketing and product teams to maximize the efficiency of the sales funnel for both inbound and outbound traffic. Presentation: Represented Microsoft Northwest Region at quarterly board meetings, ensuring all stakeholders were kept abreast of new developments and opportunities. Also deliver monthly presentations to big clients and vendors to maintain positive relationship. Data analytics. Expert at integrating data from various analytics platforms, including Google, Microsoft Power BI, and SAP BusinessObjects Education Colgate University | May 2008 MBA Fordham University | May 2006 Bachelor’s Degree in Business

For more resume examples and templates:

Resume examples by job

Google docs resume template

Resume templates

Resume builder

Resume Headers Samples:

Tip : Never put your contact info in the header of your document; some applicant tracking systems might miss it.

For more on how to write a resume header:

Resume Header

Resume Titles

Resume introduction examples

Entry-Level Resume Objective.

Recent graduate with a bachelor’s in Marketing from the University of Virginia seeking an entry-level role in content marketing. Excellent copywriter with 2+ years experience editing content as a member of the UVa Writing Center.

Career Change Resume Objective.

Eager to apply 7+ years of experience with customer success management to make successful outbound B2B calls, deliver customized business solutions to new and existing customers, and provide expert product knowledge in the role of Account Manager for XYZ Inc.

Example Resume Summary Statement.

Accountant with over 8 years of experience in the medical industry. Adept at advising on management of cash deficits, reconciling departmental accounts, and creating new accounts and codes. Coordinated invoice preparation system for ABC that reduced contractor overhead by 19% YoY.

English teacher with a love of language and 6 years of experience teaching high school students. Developed new curriculum that boosted freshman reading comprehension scores by 12% and created after school book club for AP Lit class, resulting in 100% of participating students achieving a 5 on the AP Lit test.

Example Qualifications Summary.

Executive assistant with 5+ years experience helping maintain efficiency in an office of 25 employees Communicated directly with internal and external stakeholders, helping Senior Vice President manage projects worth $5M+ Proactively managed office schedules, identifying and prioritizing changes to ensure client satisfaction Recognized in a company of 500 for “Outstanding Achiever” in May 2019

Example Resume Profile.

Detail-oriented IT Specialist with 4 years of experience overseeing and improving the infrastructure of IT systems. Adept at building and running troubleshooting systems and testing services. Decreased security risk by 47% through continual optimization, while also improving the speed of client portal by 22%. Excellent communicator both internally and for client-facing discussions. Achieved 98%+ customer satisfaction ratings through weekly and monthly check-ins with accounts valued cumulatively at $500,000.

Entry-Level Resume Headline.

Bilingual College Graduate with 80 WPM Typing Speed and Tutoring Experience

Experienced Resume Headline.

Business Development Specialist with 6+ Years Experience Scaling Start-Up Tech Teams

For more on resume introductions:

Resume objective statement

Resume summary statement

Resume summary statement examples

Qualifications summary

Sample resume work experience sections

Work Experience XYZ Industries | Seattle, WA Marketing Associate | May 2019-Present Delivered weekly presentations to client-base to communicate brand messaging, increasing client retention by 11% Served as liaison between marketing and product teams, resulting in projects finishing 2 weeks early, on average Leveraged Excel skills to create and maintain spreadsheet to track consumer insights, emergent trends, and inform decisions of marketing team through competitive analysis Managed team of 5 contractors to juggle multiple priority projects simultaneously, never missing a deadline Initiated an affiliate referral program that PR team went on to turn into a revenue-generating stream valued at $30,000 annually ABC Corp | Seattle, WA Marketing Intern | September 2018-May 2019 Developed, maintained, and processed 20+ digital consent forms and distributor forms Worked collaboratively with a team of 10 marketing professionals, closely aligning our goals with the PR team Provided data analysis using Google Analytics and performed keyword research to increase blog traffic by 56% over six months Answered up to 50 customer queries by phone and email each week

For more on building the perfect resume work experience section:

Resume work experience section

First resume (no experience)

Examples Of Education Resume Sections

Graduated recently from a 4-year program.

Western Illinois University | Macomb, Illinois May 2020 Bachelor of Arts in Sociology | Minor in Psychology 3.95 GPA magna cum laude Dean’s List all semesters

Two degrees.

Fordham University | Bronx, New York April 2016 Master of Chemical Engineering Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, New York April 2014 Bachelor of Science in Chemistry

Anticipated graduation date (not yet graduated).

DePaul Univeristy | Chicago, Illinois Bachelor of Arts in History – Degree anticipated May 2021 Current GPA: 3.8

Older job seeker (graduated 10+ years ago).

University of Chicago | Chicago, Illinois Bachelor of Business Administration

High school graduate (no college degree).

Johnston High School 2016-2020 Head of Computer Club

More on crafting the perfect resume education section:

Education resume section

GPA on resume

Dean’s list

Magna cum laude

Examples Of Skills For Resume

Examples of hard skills include:

Examples of soft skills include:

Here’s more information on how to incorporate skills into your resume:

Resume skills section

Hard skills

Soft skills

Top skills for professionals

Skills-based resume

Resume writing FAQ

What is a resume?

A resume is a one to two-page document that focuses on professional experience, past achievements, education and certifications, and specific skills tailored to the job you’re applying for.

Almost every job application requires a resume, and hiring managers use them as a first impression in determining which applicants get a shot at an interview.

Whether you’re fresh out of college or have 30 years of professional experience, this guide should help craft a resume that stands out from the crowd and get you one step closer to landing your dream job.

What is the format for writing a good resume?

Most people will want to use a chronological or reverse-chronological resume format. This format is compatible with most applicant tracking systems (ATS) and is easy for employers to read. Additionally it helps highlight your experience, which helps prove your qualifications.

How far back should a resume go?

A resume should go back no further than 10 to 15 years. However, it is important that all your information is relevant. Therefore, do not include job experience that is irrelevant to your application, even if it’s fewer than 10 years old. Save that information for later discussions.

Should you personalize your resume for each job?

Yes, you should personalize your resume for each job you apply to. Many recruiters use ATS now, which will search for keywords in a resume and reject those that don’t have them. That means that the skills you choose to highlight as well as your opening, such as your resume summary, should be altered to suit each job you apply to.

You don’t need to rewrite the entire resume for each job, but it does show attention to detail and initiative to make sure that your resume is customized. It also makes it more likely that you’ll get past the first step of the process.

State of New York Department of Labor – Resumes, Cover Letters and Job Applications

Harvard University – Create a Resume/CV or Cover Letter

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Matthew Zane is the lead editor of Zippia's How To Get A Job Guides. He is a teacher, writer, and world-traveler that wants to help people at every stage of the career life cycle. He completed his masters in American Literature from Trinity College Dublin and BA in English from the University of Connecticut.

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