Looking for your first job or internship? Then you’ll need to create a strong resume to display your skills and impress potential employers. In this blog entry I will discuss why creating a resume as a high school student is important, and provide some tips and suggestions to help you do so.
Why Create a Resume as a High School Student?
Few high school students realize the usefulness of creating a strong resume. A resume is a summary of your achievements and qualifications. It’s a professional snapshot–kind of like a FaceBook profile, but directed toward a different audience. When applying for your first job or internship, you can use your resume to help you stand out from the crowd, as a resume lets you include information not requested on most applications. A resume is also neat & easy to look at, refreshing against swarms of messily-penned applications picked up at the prospective place of work.
OK! I’m convinced!
But… If I’ve never had a job, how do I create a resume??
If you’ve never had a job as a high school student, not to worry! Most high school students haven’t. As long as you’re applying for an entry level position, you will not be expected to have previous work experience. There are many other things to include on your resume. If you have, however, had a job before, be sure to include this information!
What to Include:
There are four main sections on every student resume: Contact Information, Education, Experience, and Activities/Interests.
Contact Information
— Includes your name, address, telephone number, and your e-mail address.
— Should go on the top of the page
— Make sure you have a professional and appropriate e-mail address! Nobody will hire you if your e-mail address is CrazyGirl69@hotmail.com!
Education
— This should come next, as school is ostensibly your first priority and primary occupation.
— List your school & its location, your expected graduation year, and your GPA if it is 3.0 or above.
— You can also include your class rank, scholastic awards/achievements (have you been on the honor role?) and your SAT or ACT scores if they are high.
Example:
Mamaroneck High School, Mamaroneck, NY, Diploma Expected June 2013
GPA: 3.5/4.0; Received honor roll recognition 2009-2010, 2010-2011
SAT: 700 Math, 660 Critical Reading, 680 Writing
Experience
— If you have previous work experiences, list them here.
— If not, describe your extracurricular activities and/or volunteer work.
— You can even list involvement in one-time events, such as food or clothing drives, and fundraisers.
— Use action verbs to describe what you did in these experiences. Here’s an example, with action verbs in bold:
Mamaroneck High School Food Drive, Coordinator, April 2010
– Promoted event with posters and announcements
– Raised over $700 cash donations
– Distributed over 800 non-perishable items to targeted populations
Activities/Interests
— Here you should list activites and hobbies where you don’t hold a leadership position. Write only what the activity is, and the years you’ve been involved in it. For example: Piano Lessons, 2002-Present
— When you’re finished with your resume, be sure to have a friend or relative look it over for accuracy, typos, as well as spelling/grammar mistakes. Good luck landing your first job!
Glossary
These Key SAT Words are Expertly Identified by Sentia Tutors
Ostensible: outwardly appearing as such; apparent; evident