High School Student Resume Example

The example

This example is for reading on the page: it has no download and asks for no email address. Copy its structure into your own file and use your own details.

What makes this example work

1. Unpaid work is written like a job. Each volunteer role has a title, who it was for, the dates and what Jordan actually did. We would format it exactly as a paid job, so the page reads as one work history.
2. Every line is something Jordan did. There are no adjectives about character. In our view, "Counted the cash box before and after each event" shows trustworthiness without using the word.
3. The summary names the job wanted. It says what Jordan is looking for (part-time, customer-facing) and the two things that back it up, so the rest of the page has a stated purpose.
4. Informal work counts. Pet and yard care is listed as self-employed work because people relied on Jordan to turn up and do it. We would include informal work like this whenever it shows reliability.
5. Activities have their own short list. Sports and clubs that do not fit under experience go in one section, three lines, with no explanation needed.

From a vague line to a specific one

A first draft can easily list duties and personality. We suggest saying what you did, how often and for whom.

Weaker: Hard-working volunteer who helps at school events.

Stronger: Run the snack table at home games, usually with two other volunteers.

The second line tells the reader the task, the setting and that you work with others. The first could describe anyone.

What to include when you have no work experience

• Volunteering, with the same detail you would give a paid job: the role, who for, how long.
• Clubs and teams where you were responsible for something, such as a position, a task or a budget.
• Informal work for people who relied on you: babysitting, pet care, yard work, tutoring a younger student.
• School responsibilities, such as library aide or peer mentor, if you held one.
• Skills you really have and could show: a second language, a program you use well, handling cash at an event.

Leave out a photo unless the posting asks for one, your full street address (city and state is enough), your date of birth and anything like a Social Security number. Use an email address that is just your name.

Mistakes to avoid

• Filling space with a long skills list. Five you can back up beat fifteen you cannot.
• Listing every class you have taken. Mention one only if it is directly relevant to the job.
• Using a template with a photo, skill bars or several colours. We suggest a plain page, which also prints cleanly.
• Sending a file called "resume final v3". Name it with your own name, such as jordan-ellis-resume.pdf or jordan-ellis-resume.docx.
• Skipping a read-through by someone else. A second pair of eyes finds the typos you stopped seeing.

Skills to consider, if they are true for you

Choose only the ones you could demonstrate in an interview or a trial shift.

• Customer service
• Cash handling
• Working on a team
• Keeping to a schedule
• A second language, and how well you speak it
• Google Docs, Sheets or Microsoft Word
• Point-of-sale or card reader basics

Write yours

1. Open your own file and copy this example's structure, not its words.
2. Replace every line with something you did, keeping the pattern: what you did, for whom, and one detail.
3. Delete anything you cannot back up in an interview, then ask someone to read it.

When your own version is ready, scan it in the CV Lab to see how it reads.

Which file type should you send? The one the posting asks for. Our guide to applicant tracking systems sets out what three vendors say about PDF and Word.

Want a different look? The CV templates come in eight layouts, as Word and PDF.