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Introduction
Hiring managers look over many resumes daily, and yours must be unique and interesting to catch their attention. With this resume template for high school students, you can put together one that will engage a hiring manager and get you an interview!
Using the template, along with the guidelines below, allows you to create an intriguing resume. So, look over the outstanding advice below on how to write a great summary statement, skills section, work history section and education section.
Resume tips for high school students
1. Make a list of things you’re proud of.
Before writing your resume, prepare a list of accomplishments you’re proud of. If it’s your first time writing a resume, brainstorming achievements from your high school career will help you choose the top achievements for your resume.
Think back and pinpoint circumstances where you’ve excelled, such as:
- Sports competitions
- Winning a student council election
- Participating in a dramatic play
- Volunteer work
- Mathletes
- Debate team competitions
- Part-time jobs after school
- Science project showcase
- Dance recitals
- Any school project you aced
2. Pick information that’s relevant to your desired job.
Once your list of proud achievements is ready, you’ll want to determine which deserves a spot on your high school student resume. If the achievement demonstrates skills and knowledge directly related to your desired job, you should consider including it in your resume.
Tailoring your resume for a specific job ensures your best interview chances. Your high school student resume shouldn’t be a general overview of all your skills and qualifications. It should be a curated selection of qualities that demonstrate you’re the ideal candidate for that role.
Not looking for a job? If you’re a high school student preparing for your college admissions, you’ll benefit from learning how to write a college resume that impresses college recruiters.
3. Consider including a work experience section.
Because work experience is one of the five essential resume sections, we always recommend including it. For high school students, including a traditional work experience section can seem impossible if you’ve never had a formal job.
Remember that you can include some informal jobs in your work experience, such as:
- Babysitting
- Informal work at a family business
- Seasonal or part-time jobs
- Volunteer work
If you can’t think of an experience that would fit in a work experience section, you can replace it with another section, like:
- Volunteer Experience
- Extracurricular Activities
- Hobbies & Interests
- Projects
- Freelance Work
4. Don’t stress about graduation dates.
As a general rule, you shouldn’t include graduation dates on your resume to avoid hiring bias from employers. However, if you’re a high school student under 18, an employer must know your age before hiring you because of child labor laws. You should include your expected graduation date as a minor high school student.
Writing your resume objective
The resume objective is at the top of your resume — a brief introduction to your most relevant professional information, skills and qualifications. It gives an overview of you with enough detail to entice the manager to continue reading the rest of the document.
The resume objective is ideal for high school students with little or no formal experience. Resume objectives focus on what you wish to accomplish in this new position and your career. In tandem with this objective, you’ll want to highlight the skills and experiences that equip you to excel in the role.
Resume objective example for high school resume
“Motivated and dependable service industry professional eager to contribute cash handling, stocking and kitchen prep skills to a reputable dining establishment. Possess training in various knife techniques and maintains a spotless kitchen environment. I am quick on my feet, a fast learner and a respectful crew member.”
Want more ideas of what to write in your resume objective? Find dozens of pre-written phrases you can copy-paste to your resume objective and edit to fit your unique characteristics when you use our Resume Builder.
Writing your skills section
Your high school student resume’s skills section should include six to eight professional skills and a balanced mix of soft and hard skills.
The most important thing to remember when writing your skills section is that you can’t arbitrarily add the first skills that pop into your mind. Gain the most out of this section by choosing skills the employer requires from you in the job description.
All job advertisements include requirements and responsibilities so you can determine if this is the type of job you can excel in. These skills and qualifications found in job ads are called resume keywords, and you should include as many as you can throughout your resume, especially in the skills section.
Our high school student resume template shows you tips, including the following:
- Keep the skills relevant to the job for which you are applying.
- List at least 3-4 abilities, but don’t exceed 7-8.
- Write in short phrases, not complete sentences.
Writing your work
history section
This work history section of your high school student resume may seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! Not all work experience comes from regular jobs. At this level, employers want to see what activities you have participated in and how they prepared you to be a successful candidate. Spotlight your relevant student activities and unpaid work experiences.
Follow these suggestions to highlight your solid work history:
- Highlight any volunteer and leadership roles.
- Utilize keywords from the job description.
- Carefully proofread your work for errors.
Every work experience entry should have the following information:
- Your job title
- The company or employer name
- Dates of employment
- Basic location (city and state)
Work experience example for high school student resume
Work Experience
Babysitter 01/2022 – Present
Orange Theory Gym | Pasadena, CA
- Supervised play area with 6-10 children ages 3+ up for four-hour shifts.
- Organized different recreational and educational activities for toddlers and grade school children, ensuring friendly social interactions. Constantly updated these activities to prevent boredom in kids and keep them engaged while parents exercise.
- Effectively de-escalated tantrums and conflicts between children quickly to ensure pleasant experiences for all children and avoid interrupting clients’ workout sessions.
Writing Your Education Section
What you may lack in work history, you make up for in recent education accomplishments. Use this part of the resume to your advantage. When drafting your own, keep the following in mind:
- As a recent student, you may list your GPA.
- List any special classes or programs such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Running Start.
- Don’t rely on abbreviations. For example, spell out National Honor Society instead of the acronym NHS.
Example 1
- Hometown High School – 2017
- 3.78 GPA
- Courses included Advanced Placement Microeconomics and World History
- National Honor Society Member
Example 2
- High School Junior, Hometown High School
- Running Start student with 6 college credits earned
- Participated in the Career and Technical Education Culinary Arts program
- CPR/First Aid Certified – 2017
- American Red Cross
Using action verbs in your high
school student resume
Your goal should be to make your resume interesting to read. To do this, you must use action verbs. These strong verbs give life to a resume, whereas passive verbs can drag it down. The following are some examples that also showcase the impact of verb choice:
- Expanded student store product offerings, increasing overall sales by 35% in one semester.
- Participated as a volunteer math tutor for local elementary students.
- Selected outdoor school counselor for 2 consecutive years.
- Created and presented a business proposal for DECA regional and state competitions.
Adding numbers to your high school student resume
Adding numbers to your resume is fairly simple, but the impact it can have is amazing. A general statement is stronger and provides much better information if you include quantifiable data. A hiring manager can assess your accomplishments when you make specific statements using numbers. Here are some examples of how general phrases become more compelling simply through the addition of numbers:
With numbers
- Tutored 10 students with learning disabilities, increasing placement rate by 20%.
- Greeted customers with friendly disposition, resulting in 90% positive customer feedback.
- Motivated a junior varsity team of 14 players, resulting in 97% attendance rate for practices.
Without numbers
- Encouraged upsells when speaking with customers.
- Communicated with parents about daily activities.
- Monitored amounts of ice cream scooped daily.
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