Resumes for High School Students

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We've talked in the past about part time jobs for teens, and the importance of preparing a resume when you're looking for a job. At that time, we pointed our readers to several relatively simple articles on resume writing. Here we are going one step further by detailing how resumes for high school students should be written.

Good Resume Formats for Students

Today, there are three widely-accepted resume formats you can use if you're a high school student that's applying for a job: functional resumes, chronological resumes, and combination resumes. Each of these has its strengths and weaknesses, but we are going to recommend a format that nearly all students can use when preparing a resume.

Additional Resources

Most high school students do not have a lot of relevant work experience. In fact, many students will be trying to get their first job, and may not have any "work" experience at all. But they do have experience with life, and they may have been involved in activities that are appropriate to include in a resume. Since a lack of work experience is a reality for many high school students looking for a job, the best resume format to use is the functional resume format.

Information Students Include on Resumes

The reason the functional resume format works best for high school students is because it highlights the skills and knowledge they've obtained while in school. It does not emphasize where they've worked in the past. Right now, we're going to provide several examples that demonstrate how to highlight these skills. Later on, we will show you how they're used with a sample resume.

Let's assume that the student is bilingual, or has taken some Spanish classes in school. Enough education so they can carry on a basic conversation in that language. Well, that is an example of a skill that a hiring manager might value.

Many students today use a computer at home to complete their homework assignments, and may have pretty good skills when it comes to word processing or spreadsheet applications. That's another example of a skill that a high school student might possess that looks good on a resume.

Other examples of skills high school students have acquired might have to do with organizations they may belong to such as scouting, chess and other clubs, sports teams, and even volunteering at local events or fundraisers. These are all examples of activities that can be included on a functional resume because a student has probably gained a skill through their participation.

Examples of Student Resumes

Hopefully, by now you're starting to understand how to put together a resume for a high school student. The above examples of the types of information to include on a student's resume should help you to generate ideas of your own. Just remember that life's lessons are important. Activities and participation demonstrate to prospective employers that, as a student, you've gained experience that makes you a potentially reliable and valued employee.

With that in mind, here is an example of a resume for high school students that you can download for free. The resume is in the functional format, and includes the same types of examples mentioned above. The reason for putting together a resume is to separate yourself from the rest of the competition. The resume isn't going to be as rich as a document someone with 40 years of experience could write, but the hiring manager knows that too.