High School Student Resume Template, Examples & Guide

You read Catch-22 in English class last year—now you’re living it. Why?

You’re writing a high school student resume to land your first job or internship—but don’t have any experience to show. And your high school resume should wow recruiters and prove you’ll succeed at the job—even without any work experience.

Luckily, you’re about to learn how to make a resume for high school students so good they’ll think you’re the valedictorian.

In this guide you'll see:

• A high school resume examples that will help you to land your first job.
• How to use a high school resume template to perfect yours.
• How to write a high school student resume that gets interviews.
• Best skills for high school student resume. 

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Looking for other student or entry-level resumes? See our guides:

• College Application Resume
• College Graduate Resume
• College Student Resume
• Graduate School Resume
• High School Graduate Resume
• Internship Resume
• No Experience Resume
• Scholarship Resume
• Student Resume
• Teen Resume

Haven't found what you're looking for? Check all our Resume Examples.

High School Student Resume Example You Can Copy and Use

Let’s get started on a high school student resume that’ll help you escape from your catch-22:

1. Choose the Best Format for a High School Student Resume

Think of writing your resume for high school student like a take-home test. The standards for getting an A are higher—

You need to do your research, use powerful language, and customize your resume for the job you want to land. It won’t be easy—you only have 7 seconds to not flunk off the bat. That’s how long it takes recruiters to scan your high school student resume and decide whether they should invest more time on your application.

To pass the eye test, make sure your resume isn’t cluttered. Here’s how to make your high school resume format crystal clear.

High School Student Resume Format

• Pick a visually appealing resume template or a free Google Docs resume template. 
• Go with the reverse-chronological format. It’s the standard format all recruiters favor. It'll highlight your experience or key achievements (if you have them) by listing your latest position at the top and the others below.
• Choose resume fonts like Cambria or Times New Roman in 10-12 pt. You want to come across as professional and show you’ve done this before.
• Embrace white space by using 1-inch margins.
• Don’t overwhelm the recruiter with information not targeted to the position you’re applying for. Do so by limiting your resume length to one page.
• Separate your resume sections. Go with the: Resume header, resume profile, experience, education, skills, and “additional.”

Expert Hint: Save your resume as a PDF, rather than DOC. Converting it to PDF ensures your layout works on all software and devices.

2. List Contact Information in Your High School Resume Header

You’ve passed the eye test. Now the easy part—listing your contact information. It should be simple, right?

Wrong. It’s easy to screw up. But—we have your back. Just follow these tips for the perfect resume header:

Name (& Subtitle, Optionally)

Start with your first name followed by your last time. To add a little depth, think about putting a subtitle below your name to brand yourself, such as “Highly-Motivated High School Senior”.

Mailing Address

As a high school student or recent grad, you’re likely to stay local. The plus side—companies want local hires for tax purposes and commute times. Look at the job offer and see if it’s best to add. If you go door-to-door handing in your resume for high school student, make sure to add your address. And also make sure it's printed on the right type of resume paper.

Email address

We don’t live in the Stone Age. Everyone uses email, so this is crucial to add in your resume. But it’s important to come off professionally by using a Gmail account (jill.kikorskio@gmail.com) as opposed to one you made in middle school (angelvixon247@hotmail.com).

Phone number

List your personal cell phone number. It’s best not to add other numbers on your resume template for high school students. Who has a house phone these days anyway?

LinkedIn URL

You’re just a high school student, so using a premier professional networking platform wasn’t on the table for you. Well, now is the time to impress by creating one—you’ll need it sooner or later so why not start early? Here’s how to use LinkedIn like a pro

Social Media

Most teenagers live on social media. But adding your social media addresses to your high school resume can only hurt your chances if they are filled with your spring break photos or memes. So add Behance if you’re a creative and forget about FB, Insta or Twitter. Plus, remember to check your online presence for any disturbing content. Employers might google you.

Blog or Website

Maybe you have a blog, website, or online portfolio? Great, add the URL to show off your hard work. But make sure it’s hyperlinked on your PDF version so the employer is just one click away. 

3. Write a Catching Resume Objective for High School Student Resume

The basics are done. Now’s the time to hook the recruiters.

What’s the best way to make your high school student resume stand out?

A pitch-perfect high school resume objective. It’s a short paragraph at the top of your resume that explains what skills will make you a good fit and what you’re hoping to achieve for the company.

Use:

1. An adjective (compassionate, enthusiastic, determined)
2. Title (Student, High School Senior)
3. Highlight your accomplishments as a student
4. What you hope to achieve for the company

Take a look at which resume objectives for high school students work and which ones do not:

High School Student Resume Objective—Example

See the difference?

Use the bad example and you’ll be expelled from the applicant pool.

The good example gets to the point—it details the hard work you put in as a student and shows you are knowledgeable in the industry you are applying. Plus, it makes an offer to help achieve the company’s goals.

The bad example reads generic and provides no value to the recruiter. It doesn’t even use the name of the target organization—you get the feeling the resume is being spammed around to all companies within a 30-mile radius.

Expert Hint: Finish other resume sections before you write the objective. It’ll feel like you’re reading a SparkNotes version of Crime and Punishment.

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4. Turn Your Education into a Reason to Hire You

You’ve been in the halls of a school your entire life.

It’s where you’ve achieved some of your greatest accomplishments, whether it’s acing your AP or Honors courses, heading the debate club, or earning a high GPA. The education section on your high school student resume is where you can show this off.

Start by listing your school name and expected graduation date.

But then:

Highlight your biggest achievements as a high school student. List any AP or Honors courses you attended under relevant coursework—extra brownie points if it connects with the position you’re applying to. Put your GPA (if it’s higher than 3.5) on your resume since this is the first job you’re applying for or if you’ve recently graduated.

And don’t forget about your memberships, especially if they were academic-centered.

Take a look at how this candidate made the education section on her resume for high school students shine with her biggest achievements—and one that is just blah:

High School Resume Example—Education

You get the difference.  The bad example just lists a high school and graduation date. Not a slacker, but nothing to be proud of.

The good example shows the high school student excelled during her time in high school. It signals to the recruiter that you didn’t just get by in high school but you achieved and grew—two values much appreciated in the workplace.

Expert Hint: If you don’t have much (or any) job experience for your high school resume, make your education section longer. Don’t forget to show your clubs, affiliations, and memberships. Treat it like your glossary yearbook page.

5. How To Describe Any High School Working Experience

Here’s the core issue—

You don’t have any job experience but it’s needed for a position you’re applying to. You’re doomed, right? Not so fast. 

Think about any seasonal or temporary work experience you might have. It could be part-time, volunteering, or freelancing gigs. If you do have relevant resume working experience, here’s the best formula to use.

How to write a job description for a resume for high school student:

1. Don’t skim the job ad—read it thoroughly.
2. Highlight the skills you gained from previous working experiences.
3. Think of how you can wow employers with those skills.

Check these high school resume job descriptions out:

High School Student Job Description for Resume Examples

You see who gets an A+ here.

But—what if you don’t have any work experience to show? You spent the majority of your time excelling as a student and didn’t have the ability to do any freelance, part-time, or full-time season gigs.

Don’t worry. You’re not expected to have relevant working experience if you’re applying for your first job out of high school. Just skip this section and highlight your skills more in the next section of your high school resume.

More on that in the next chapter.

6. How To Put Skills on a High School Student Resume

Without the work experience, you’ll need to show you have the relevant skills to be a top-notch employee. And you know you have the talent. But—

The hundreds of other high school students out there have talent as well. What’s worse, you don’t know which skills for high school resume to put. Well, we’ve got you covered.

Start by making a master list of basic skills you have. Here are a few to consider putting on your high school resume:

Skills for High School Student Resume

• Writing Skills
• Technical Skills
• Marketing Skills
• Management Skills
• Communication Skills
• Problem Solving Skills
• Project Management Skills
• Analytical Skills
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Time Management Skills
• Active Listening Skills
• Computer Skills
• Effective Communication Skills
• Decision-Making Skills
• Creative Thinking Skills
• Leadership Skills

Fair warning, though:

Don’t overload your application with a long list of skills for a resume. You need to cater your skills to the position you’re applying to. The job ad is the master cheat sheet for you to use. Read the responsibilities and duties section and try to find the most relevant job skills needed for that position.

Then, see which of your skills match the job ad. Choose 5-10 skills and highlight them in your skills section.

Check out a good and bad example below:

Example of Skills for High School Student Resume

Don’t forget—your high school student resume should be packed with useful resume keywords because you need an ATS resume.

Wait—what's an ATS resume? 

An ATS is a software system that recruiters use to weed out applicants whose resumes don’t match for the position they are applying to. If you don’t have the right keywords for the position, then you’ll likely to land in the reject pile automatically.

Use the skills section as a way to bypass the ATS software. It’s a great place to match these resume keywords. But don’t forget to do the same in other sections as well.

Follow these simple steps to ensure you’re using the proper resume keywords:

Find resume keywords from the job listing and sprinkle them in your skills section. If you’re applying for a receptionist position, then use resume keywords like: MS Office, typing speed, and multi-tasking.

Use 25-30 resume keywords. Don’t overload your resume with them.

Expert Hint: Make the skills section read like it’s a one-page summary of a Tolstoy novel. No need to add all the fluff— list only those skills which are relevant to the job ad.

7. Load Your High School Student Resume With Other Sections

Here’s the golden secret:

Every high school student has the same resume sections above. Want to stand out? Add one or two bonus sections to get recruiters to notice you:

Certifications

If you don’t have the life or work experience, then official certificates are one way to boost yours. Only choose relevant ones, such as a Microsoft Office certificate.

Awards

Were you a student of the month? Voted best friendly high school student? Awards show your achievements as a high schooler in a valuable way. It highlights how you were above other high school students. Show it here to wow job recruiters.

Volunteer Experience

Many high schools require their students to volunteer over the summer. Did you spend your summers taking care of senior citizens? Well, list it here! It counts as job experience

Language Skills

You’ve spent several years taking German, Spanish, or French, right? Why not list in your language skills section? Your second language could be what gets you a foot in the door for your first position.

Extracurricular Activities

The more you can show off your experience during high school, the better. And this is the place to do it. List the clubs you participated in, such as student government, the student newspaper, or any other academic clubs to boost your profile above other candidates.

This is how can you upgrade your resume for a high school student.

Look at this great example of extra sections:

High School Student Resume Template—Extra Sections

You see how the first high school resume template show key skills. This is how you should do it.

Expert Hint: Don’t forget to learn how to write a cover letter. Most jobs require it—and it’s where you can give more details about your passions and interests (here you can find a comprehensive list of interests).

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Key Points

You want a high school student resume to land in the interview pile. Here’s what you do:

• Go with the high school student resume template from the beginning. It’s got everything you need.
• Showcase your achievements with a captivating objective. Highlight these throughout all other resume sections.
• Detail your educational background. Don’t forget to add relevant awards and classes you took, along with the school name, city, state, and when you’ll graduate.
• Highlight your skills. Refer to the job ad and add relevant hard and soft abilities.
• Write a high school cover letter. Let your passion and interests shine in this cover letter for your first job or internship.

Got questions on how to write a great high school student resume with no experience? Not sure how to put high school on a resume? Need to learn more about how to write a resume? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply.

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