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.
Why this resume works
- Writing a high school student resume can feel impossible if you don’t know where to start. Luckily, there are plenty of resume templates you can use to help you decide what to include and how to format your experience and skills.
- 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.
- Your work experience doesn’t have to be loaded with jobs. You can simply add projects and club participation in the body of your resume.
- 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.
Why this resume works
- It’s hard to convince employers to hire you without formal work experience. Luckily, employers know everyone starts somewhere, so you can still make a positive impression on your 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!
- Adding a resume objective can also be an easy and fast way to display your qualifications.
- Include your unique skills, your desired position, and the company you hope to work for to make your objective stand out from the rest!
Why this resume works
- When you’re writing your first job high school student resume, you may not know how to demonstrate your qualifications. Luckily, there’s an easy way!
- 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!
- Many students make the mistake of assuming their resume has to be boring. That couldn’t be further from the truth!
- 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).
Why this resume works
- Your experienced high school student resume should include multiple work experience entries, which means you may have to adjust your resume’s formatting to fit everything comfortably.
- 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.
- An important component when creating your resume is to relax a little! Yes, you have to be professional, but don’t be afraid to show a bit of your personality.
- Use a bit of color and some fun fonts, provided it still looks professional. You’ve got this!
Why this resume works
- You’re a student seeking a part-time role after school hours but are worried your seemingly limited professional experience could be the kryptonite of your high school senior resume. Tap into the power of a tailored career objective summarizing your experience, skills, and enthusiasm.
- 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.
Why this resume works
- Picture that moment you’ve embellished your out of high school resume with impacts or proficiencies from projects or workshops and crafted a career objective specific to the open role. Yet, you suspect these additions might not be enough to propel your candidacy to the next stage. Your hobbies can save the day.
- 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.
Why this resume works
- Prove your worth for any skill that you possess even if you only hold a high school diploma. Check out Serai’s high school graduate resume and how it aligns with her interests in photography.
- 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.
Why this resume works
- Whaddaya know? Your voluntary service at a senior care center and community projects can be the impetus you need to convince scholarship boards that you deserve financial aid.
- 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.
Why this resume works
- College admission boards are looking to bring onboard unique talents into their institutions, and if you can convince them of your extraordinary academic journey, then you’ll get your dream admission.
- 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.
Why this resume works
- Recruiters look through dozens of resumes, so they’re usually looking for a reason to say “no” rather than “yes.” Don’t let simple mistakes be the reason your high school student for college resume gets denied.
- 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.
- It’s optional, but you might also consider including your GPA and any awards you won in high school.
- 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.
Why this resume works
- As a high school student or recent graduate, you may not have much work experience to talk about, but hiring managers know and expect that to be the case.
- 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.
- Whenever possible, you want to customize your resume to match the requirements listed in the customer service job description.
- 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.
Why this resume works
- Your work experience is likely minimal on your high school student internship resume. However, you can still make your job history enticing if you craft your resume to fit the job description.
- 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.
- Instead of work experience, you can add hobbies and interests to your resume to lengthen your word count.
- 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.
Why this resume works
- It’s okay if your high school student resume isn’t chock-full of impressive details—just by writing your resume, you’re already taking a huge step in the right direction!
- 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.
- If you’re having a hard time getting started, don’t get discouraged. Look at resume examples to help you get a feel for different approaches to writing resumes.
- 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.
Why this resume works
- Your high school student sales resume can be a little tricky to write, and if you have limited working experience, it’s even harder to fill an entire page. The good news is, you’ve got one trick up your sleeve: numbers.
- 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!
- As you grow into your career, your resume may start to look a little stale. That’s when you know it’s time for an upgrade!
- 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.
Why this resume works
- Your most notable accomplishments will speak the loudest for your abilities as an athlete, so ensure you include them in your 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?
Why this resume works
- If your personal hobbies align with your professional aspirations, it’s clear as day that you live and breathe music.
- 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.
