The Basics of A Resume
Tags: High School, Resume Writing Tips, Resume Writing

All you need to know about resume writing for high school students

What is a resume?

A resume is a document created by a person to give a summary of all of their relevant skills, accomplishments, background, and education, usually for a job or volunteer application. Contrary to popular beliefs, the purpose of a resume is not getting a job position, but instead a job interview.

If the employers like your resume and believe you are a potential employee, they will contact you for an interview. During the interview, they will decide if they will give you the job position, evaluating how well you match the job requirements and how well your personality fits with the team.

What resume format is the best option for you?

There are 3 main resume formats: chronological, functional, and combination/hybrid.

Chronological:

Emphasizes on when and for who, focusing on the dates and job titles that you have held, followed by your education

When listing information in chronological format, you actually list in reverse chronological order, from the most recent to the least

Functional:

Emphasizes what you can do, focusing on skills than job history

Calls attention to your specific areas of expertise

Followed with work history and education

Combination/hybrid:

A combination of both chronological and functional formats

For high schoolers, it is the best to use chronological resume format, for it keeps your resume in order and employers are familiar with it, so it is easier to read.

What do you need in a resume?

Contact Information:

Name: both your first and last name

Home Address

Email address: use a professional email address (ex: use smith.amy@gmail.com compared to icecreamlover14324@hotmail.com)

Phone number: provide only one phone number, since with multiple, it will make it difficult to keep track of and contact

Optional

Social media: if relevant, you can add it

Blog or website: if relevant, you can add your URL

Resume objective:

An objective statement is meant to explain your desired job position or field, as well as any goals or experience that you are hoping to achieve

It highlights and emphasizes relevant skills and what you can bring to the company

Remember to keep it concise and specific

Education:

Name of your high school: (full name)

Location: City, province/state

GPA: include your GPA if it is above 3.5

Relevant coursework: include any related courses that you have taken along with any projects that demonstrate your skill or knowledge

Expected graduation: write the year when you will graduate

Membership: include any relevant AP, Dual Credit, and Honors that you have taken

Experience:

The experience section of your resume is where employers will see any past jobs or job titles, if you have any, what skills, responsibilities and experiences you have

Remember to make sure all of the experience that you have added are relevant to the job position that you are applying for. So, write the most impressive and impactful achievements in your resume.

What should you include?

Past jobs

Internships

Volunteer work

Clubs and sport teams if relevant

Skills:

The skills section is where you state any abilities that are related to the job that your are applying for

In this section, you should list skills that are relevant and important to that job position or field.

There are 2 different types of skills: hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are ones that you learn whether in school, training materials, books, etc. Some examples include, language skills, computer skills, etc. Soft skills are personality traits that you usually self develop, such as leadership, time management, communication, etc.

Having both skills are important to show that you are a well balanced candidate.

If you are unsure what skills to write, look at what the job description and tailor your skills accordingly. This makes sure that you are writing important and relevant skills.

Optional Sections:

Certifications

Volunteer experience

Language skills: state the language and the level of familiarity (beginner, intermediate, advanced)

Hobbies and interests: add if they reflect positive qualities that are applicable to the workplace

Extracurricular activities

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How do you layout a resume?

Employers typically read a resume in 7 seconds, so formatting your resume to look as easy to read is important when getting a job interview. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Resume Length:

A resume is meant to be concise and specific, interesting your employer to offer an interview opportunity

Generally, one to two pages, but never past two pages

Font and size:

Use easy to read fonts, such as Times New Roman, Arial

Size around 10–12

Section titles can be larger in size and bolded

Any skills that you want the employers to notice, you can bold, underline, or italicize it

Page Margins:

Typical page margins (one inch margins on the top, bottom, and right and left side of the document) work

However, you can decrease the margins to ½ inch if necessary

Presentation:

Make sure that in your resume, there are a lot of white spaces to make the information easy to read

Use bullet points to list any skills

You can use colour to make your resume pop out and more memorable, but make sure not to overwhelm or make it too distracting for the employers

Extra Tips:

Save your resume as a PDF, to make sure that it can be accessed on any device

Make sure that your resume is as condensed as possible. You can leave out pronouns, conjunctions, and transition words to make it brief, but impactful.

Make sure to double check your resume for any grammatical errors or unnecessary information. You can ask your friends or family members to look over it.

Don’t be afraid to brag. You want your employers to know why you are an ideal employee, so showing off your achievements and skills is important

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