If you are in
high school, you probably have thought that you don't really need a
resume until you are close to graduating from college. This thinking is
wrong. A
high school
resume is essential for a few reasons:
Getting into
college, obtaining a part-time job, and giving information to college
recruiters and employers. Even though you may think you lack experience
and skill, there are some things that you should include in your high
school resume.
Heading
This is where you share your contact information: your name, address,
telephone number(s), and email address. All of this information needs
to go at the top of your resume.
It may be a good idea, if you are including
an
email address, to put a professional-looking one down.
Smurfette01@cartoons.com is not a good idea. Something that has a first
and last name looks better and is more professional.
Objective
This is a statement that allows potential employers and recruiters
understand the goals you have. If you have a specific goal in mind,
like attending a specific school, modify your high school resume to
reflect your desires. If your objective is to attain a part-time job,
you will want to alter your statement. For example, "To obtain a
part-time sales position at Bath and Body."
Education
In this section, you should list the schools that you have attended. If
you have a good GPA (3.0 or higher), don't be afraid to share it. In
this section, you can also talk about academic honors, awards, and
recognitions you have received. Maybe you have been on the honor-roll
or have won a prize in the science fair.
Experience
If you have work experience, you will want to share the skills and
abilities that you have learned. You should include the title of the
position that you had, the name of the organization, location of the
job, dates that you were employed, and a job description.
If you don't have a lot of job experience,
you can
bring up class projects that you have participated in that has helped
you learn various skills. If you feel like you are trying to dig to
come up with information in this section, just leave it out. You can
concentrate on the other sections.
Additional Information and/or
Extracurricular Activities
This section should be used for sharing information that doesn't quite
fit in any other section. You might want to include leadership roles,
volunteer experiences, and participation in athletics, band, or choir.
Feel free to show a little bit of who you are in the section.
References
It is not necessary to name your reference contacts, but make sure you
have them available in case you are asked for them. A simple statement
like, "References available upon request," is adequate.
Remember,
just because you are a teenager doesn't mean a resume isn't for you.
Having a high school resume might eventually help you get into that
college you've been dreaming of attending, or attaining that part-time
job so you can go fun places.
