While many professionals craft resumes for job applications, high school students may also need one as part of their college application process. Resumes allow students to exhibit their work history, achievements, club participation, hobbies, and more. Achieving a successful college application requires proper formatting and utilization of a resume to accentuate one's most noteworthy accomplishments.
This article delineates the steps essential for creating a high school resume tailored for college applications, offering tips and examples for individuals to construct personalized resumes.
Check Out: 8 Easy Ways to Write a Successful Resume
Understanding the Resume
A resume concisely documents your educational background, skills, and expertise. Typically, spanning one to two pages provides a summarized overview of your professional journey. Resumes are conventionally used for job applications, serving as a pivotal element submitted to hiring managers alongside a cover letter. Recruiters leverage resumes to assess whether applicants' qualifications align with the job requirements. Tailoring resumes to specific industries enables individuals to make a favorable first impression on hiring managers.
Crafting a High School Resume for College
Creating a high school resume for college applications involves several key steps. Below is a comprehensive listing:
Commence Before Senior Year
Initiate the resume-building process during your high school journey, keeping track of hobbies, awards, accomplishments, and activities. This allows a retrospective view of your high school involvement and identifies areas for improvement.
Consider Inclusions
Prioritize sections based on your goals and the relevance to the college you're applying to. Reflect on your skills and experiences, aligning them with the requirements of your desired college.
Formulate a Resume Outline
Develop a blueprint or framework to organize your thoughts systematically. A resume outline assists in maintaining clarity and ensures the inclusion of pertinent information.
Incorporate Personal Information
Begin constructing your resume by providing your full name, address, city, state, ZIP code, phone number, and email address. Ensure the use of a professional email address.
Qualifications Section
Following personal details, create a section summarizing your qualifications. This is a resume summary, elucidating who you are, your intentions, and relevant skills that differentiate you from other applicants.
Educational Background
Devote a section listing your high school(s), including the name, location, graduation expectations, GPA, and any honors received.
Work Experience
Detail any work experiences, including part-time jobs, internships, or volunteering. Present this information chronologically, emphasizing the most recent experiences.
Awards Section
If you received awards during high school, create a dedicated section elucidating the details of each honor.
Skills Section
Include a section highlighting both hard and soft skills, showcasing your strengths.
Activities or Hobbies Section
Highlight extracurricular activities, clubs, or sports involvement, specifying your role, years of participation, and responsibilities.
Also Check: Top 10 Tips For Preparing A Resume
Necessity of a High School Resume for College Applications
Some colleges mandate the submission of a high school resume as part of the application process. While resumes are commonly associated with job searches, a high school resume underscores qualifications and skills acquired during this life phase. It also acts as valuable practice for future resume creation.
Best Practices for High School Resume Writing
As you compose your high school resume, adhere to these tips:
Conciseness
Keep the resume concise, focusing on your best and most relevant achievements for the targeted college. Aim for a one-page format to maintain reader interest.
Highlight Unmentioned Accomplishments
Utilize the resume to spotlight achievements or hobbies not previously emphasized in college essays or other application materials.
Honesty
Ensure accuracy and honesty in your resume, avoiding the provision of false information that could misrepresent your background to colleges.
Correct Formatting
Maintain consistent and visually appealing formatting throughout your resume, organizing information in an orderly.
Proofreading
Before submission, thoroughly proofread the resume to identify and rectify spelling or grammar errors.
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Talk to an ExpertTemplate
Utilize the following template as a guide for creating a high school resume:
First and last name
Address, city, state, ZIPcode
Phone Number
Qualifications
- Skill1:brief details about the skill or how it manifested
- Skill2:brief details about the skill or how it manifested
- Skill3:brief details about the skill or how it manifested
- Skill4:brief details about the skill or how it manifested
Education
Highschool Name, town, state; GPA
Experience
Companyname1, city, state
Job title, dates worked
- Jobduty1
- Jobduty2
- Jobduty3
- Jobduty4
- Jobduty5
Companyname2, city, state
Job Title, dates worked
- Jobduty1
- Jobduty2
- Jobduty3
- Jobduty4
- Jobduty5
Awards
- Name Of Award, organization, or company
- Name Of Award, organization, or company
Skills
- Hardorsoftskill1
- Hardorsoftskill2
- Hardorsoftskill3
- Hobbies and Activities
- Hobby/activity1
- Hobby/activity2
Examples
Here are two examples of high school resumes to serve as references:
Jane Smith
123 Apple Tree Lane, Sacramento, CA 55555
555-555-5555, jane.smith@email.com
Qualifications
- Highly organized and responsible high school student with customer service experience and a passion for problem-solving.
- Key skills include:
- Strong communicator: effectively presents information both orally and in writing.
- Fast learner: Able to quickly learn new skills with efficiency.
- Leadership experience: Experience in training co-workers in an effective manner.
- Mathematics: Excellence in math skills used to handle customer service duties such as cash register handling and monetary transactions.
Education
- Adams High School, Sacramento, CA, 95555; 4.0 GPA
Experience
Maddison Boutique, Sacramento, CA
Customer Service Representative, June 2019-present
- Greet customers entering and leaving the boutique.
- Offer customers information on all products.
- Organize all products and maintain a clean store.
- Collect payments for all customer purchases.
- Train new boutique hires.
Nel's Ice Creamery, Sacramento, CA
Ice Cream Scooper, January 2018-May 2019
- Greet customers entering the ice cream shop.
- Collect payments from customers.
- Adhere to all safety and health regulations.
- Scoop ice cream for customers.
Awards
- Honor Roll, all first three years of high school
- First Place award for the Gallo's Literary Fiction Contest
Skills
- Computer skills
- Word processing skills
- Cash register skills
Hobbies and Activities
- Two-year member of the Adams High School soccer team
- Three-year member of the Adams High School school newspaper
