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High School Graduate Resume Examples [2023 ready]

It’s time to leap into the unknown and start your life for real. Build yourself a solid pair of wings and nail the interview with this on-point high school graduate resume sample.

Tom Gerencer, CPRW
Career Writer at ResumeLab
High School Graduate Resume Examples [2023 ready]

Here comes a job-winning resume for a high-school graduate. But first—

 

You have to impress the recruiter. One false move can ruin your career plans.

 

Next thing you know you’re working in a dead-end job and wondering what hit you.

 

No!

 

We can’t let that happen.

 

Your high school graduate resume has to land you a job you’ve dreamed of.

 

In this guide:

  • A high school graduate resume template better than most.
  • How to write a resume for high school graduates that get interviews.
  • What to put in a recent high school grad resume so they can’t ignore you.
  • How to format your high school graduate resume perfectly.

 

Save hours of work and get a job-winning resume like this. Try our resume builder with 20+ resume templates and create your resume now.

 

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Looking for other advice? Check out our guides:

 

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

 

Now__

 

Sample Resume for a High School Graduate You Can Copy and Use

 

Cara Beldad

Phone: 607-301-7378

Email: carazbeldad@gmail.com

linkedin.com/in/carazbeldad

twitter.com/carazbeldad

 

Summary

 

Driven high-school graduate with exceptional communication and organizational skills. Eager to join Aardvark Inc. as a Sales Associate. As leader of the Furry Angels Fundraising Group, helped save the lives of 1,500 animals, raising $2,000+ annually.

 

Education

 

2015–2019

John Jay High School, Katonah, NY

GPA: 3.8

SAT: 1350

ACT: 30

President, High School Yearbook Committee

  • Led team of 8 to source 750+ photos of 253 senior students, plus 100+ memorable quotes and other memories.
  • Worked with vendors to secure a 15% cost-savings.
  • Created marketing plan that raised sales 20% over previous year.

Excelled in Business Coursework

  • Enrolled in 5 business classes through the school's young business leader program, including accounting, business law, and marketing.
  • Maintained 4.0 GPA in all 5 core business classes.

Captain of Debate Team 2 Years

  • Led team to 3rd place in New York State debate tournament.
  • Coached and mentored 5 debate team members in best practices to improve debate scores by 20% in 3 months.

 

Experience

 

Furry Angels Animal Fundraising Group

Co-Founder, Leader

2016–present

  • Created crowdsourced animal fundraising group with 2,500+ members.
  • Raised $2,000+ annually for homeless animals.
  • Assisted with saving the lives of 1,500 dogs, cats, and a llama.

 

Barvel's Corner Store

Counter Clerk, Cook

2017–2019

  • Opened and closed store, operated cash register, made sandwiches, and provided exemplary customer service in a busy sandwich shop.
  • Commended 5x by manager for attention to detail.

 

Athletics

 

Lacrosse Team Co-Captain

2016–2019

  • Led team to 2 winning seasons in highly-competitive state.
  • Mentored 5 players to increase cradling and passing skills 30%.
  • Led daily stretches, drills, and workouts with 30+ members.
  • Organized video recording and analysis that raised performance 20%.

 

Hard Skills: marketing, strategy, mathematics

 

Soft Skills: interpersonal skills, collaboration, communication, time management, problem-solving

 

Languages: Spanish (Advanced)

 

1. Select the Best Resume Format for a High School Graduate

 

You only get one shot.

 

Your first impression is precious in a high school graduate resume.

 

Don’t blow it with frazzled resume formatting.

 

Use these tips:

 

Recent High School Grad Resume Format

 

Expert Hint: Recruiters spend about 7 seconds initially scanning a resume. Make sure yours is formatted in a way that highlights all the important stuff in very little time.

2. Write a High School Graduate Resume Objective

 

Disaster!

 

The recruiter just deleted your high school graduate resume.

 

Why?

 

You just seemed a little mediocre for the job.

 

How can you drop jaws instead?

 

Write an educated resume profile in the form of a resume objective.

 

Include:

 

  1. An adjective (driven, hard-working)
  2. Who you are & how you’ll help (High-school graduate with great communication and organizational skills. Eager to join the Aardvark Inc. as a Sales Assistant.)
  3. Your best resume accomplishments (helped save the lives of 1,500 animals...)

 

Write it at the end so you don’t struggle with the material.

 

On a side note—

 

You may have come across the term resume summary as well.

 

Generally, resume summaries serve the same purpose as resume objectives, but are suitable for experienced candidates who have several years of professional experience under the belt.

 

Now, see these high school graduate resume examples:

 

High School Graduate Resume Objective

Good Example
Driven high-school graduate with great communication and organizational skills. Eager to join Aardvark Inc. as a Sales Assistant. As leader of the Furry Angels Fundraising Group, helped save the lives of 1,500 animals, raising $2,000+ annually.
Bad Example
18 year-old high school graduate with good math skills and excellent reading and writing skills. Excelled in science classes and is an extremely hard worker who’s not afraid to make big sacrifices to get the job done.

Oof!

 

The second of those samples of resume for a high school grad says, “I can get the job done.” 

 

But—

 

The first gives proof with a shining fundraising achievement.

 

Don’t have one like that? You don’t have to. I’m about to show you how to find your most attractive features.

 

3. Don’t Waste Your Precious Education Section

 

Oh, if only I could go back in time.

 

My high school graduate resume education section was a travesty.

 

I listed my substandard GPA scores and my relevant corsework. Plus I said, “Oh yeah, and I was on the swim team.”

 

Dumb, dumb, dumb!

 

I can’t go back and change that now. But I can keep you from making a costly mistake.

 

Take my word for it—

 

Break your resume education section into sections with accomplishments.

 

Learn from these sample high school graduate resumes:

 

High School Graduate Resume Example—Education

Good Example

SAT Score: 1450 (750 Verbal, 650 Math)

 

Education

 

John Jay High School, Katonah, NY

GPA 3.8

2015–2019

President, High School Yearbook Committee

  • Led team of 8 to source 750+ photos of 253 senior students, plus 100+ memorable quotes and other memories.
  • Worked with vendors to secure a 15% cost-savings.
  • Created marketing plan that raised sales 20% over previous year.
  • Developed plan to include underrepresented groups 50% more.

Excelled in Business Coursework

  • Enrolled in 5 business classes through the school's young business leader program, including accounting, business law, and marketing.
  • Maintained 4.0 GPA in all 5 core business classes.
  • As business management class project, created team that raised concessions sales at all home football teams by 25%.

Captain of Debate Team 2 Years

  • Led team to 3rd place in New York State debate tournament.
  • Coached and mentored 5 debate team members in best practices to improve debate scores by 20% in 3 months.
Bad Example
  • GPA 3.8
  • Co-captain of school track team

Get the point?

 

You don’t have to use those exact high school graduate resume examples.

 

But—

 

Don’t just slap your GPA in there, plus a team sport.

 

If you’ve got projects, classes, or high school achievements that’ll wow them, show them.

 

And if not?

 

Don’t sweat it. Just fill your high school graduate resume with no work experience with other high-flying moments from your life.

Expert Hint: Include your GPA only if it’s 3.0 or above. Otherwise you might hurt your chances.

4. Add Experience to Your Resume for a High School Graduate

 

Do you know what keeps hiring managers up at night?

 

You’d better.

 

Otherwise, you won’t know how to write a recent high school grad resume that works.

 

So—

 

Here’s what worries hiring teams: finding applicants who’ll really get the job done.

 

You can prove that’s you by adding relevant experience section to your resume. Think volunteering, internship, freelancing, projects.

 

Work it like this resume sample for high school graduates:

 

Sample High School Graduate Resume—Experience 

 

Experience

 

Furry Angels Animal Fundraising Group

Co-Founder, Leader

2016–Present

  • Created crowdsourced animal fundraising group with 2,500+ members.
  • Raised $2,000+ annually for homeless animals.
  • Assisted with saving the lives of 1,500 dogs, cats, and a llama.

 

Barvel's Corner Store

Counter Clerk, Cook

2017–2019

  • Opened and closed store, operated cash register, made sandwiches, and provided exemplary customer service in a busy sandwich shop.
  • Commended 5x by manager for attention to detail.

 

Nice.

 

That entry-level resume for a high school graduate shows a passionate, competent candidate. She probably finishes what she starts, with flying colors.

Expert Hint: Studies show that employers give preference to candidates with previous work experience. To boost your chance of getting hired, dig deep to find your most impressive moments. Then spotlight them in your resume for a high school graduate.

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now.

 

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Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, and highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You're the perfect candidate, and we'll prove it. Use our resume builder now.

 

5. What About Athletics in a Resume for a High School Graduate?

 

Do you need sports in a high school graduate resume?

 

Nope.

 

But—

 

If you’ve rocked the gridiron, court, or pool, let your dedication shine.

 

Do it like this no work experience resume for high school graduate:

 

Athletics

 

Lacrosse Team Co-Captain

2016–2019

  • Led team to 2 winning seasons in highly-competitive state.
  • Mentored 5 players to increase cradling and passing skills 30%.
  • Led daily stretches, drills, and workouts with 30+ members.
  • Organized video recording and analysis that raised performance 20%.

 

Wow!

 

I don’t see a run-of-the-mill job applicant when I read that.

 

I see a hard-working leader who makes good things happen.

 

6. What Else Can Go in a Recent High School Graduate Resume?

 

You don’t have to put anything else in your fresh-out-of-high-school resume.

 

But think of it this way—

 

You’ve got a finite amount of space.

 

This is your chance to impress them. To show what you’ve achieved.

 

Your goal?

 

Pack your resume for high school graduate with the best and coolest things you’ve done.

 

List things that show you can:

  • Work hard
  • Set goals and reach them
  • Get along with others
  • Overcome adversity
  • Care about important things

 

Choose carefully, but—

 

Only add your most impressive bullet points.

 

Pick from:

 

See these examples:

 

High School Graduate Resume Examples—Other Sections

Good Example

Volunteer Work

 

  • Volunteer fundraiser, National Breast Cancer Foundation. Facilitated 5 fundraisers that took in $5,000+ for research.
  • Day laborer, Habitat for Humanity. Worked 35+ days to help the homeless.

 

Awards

 

  • Young Business Leaders Award for leadership excellence
  • Upstate New York Outstanding Service Project Award

 

Interests

 

  • Self-taught violin. Learned 15 concertos, 10 symphonies, and 12 sonatas.
  • Avid rock climber. Climbed The Eagle’s Gift 5.9 in Maine, Lonesome Dove 1.10 in NY, and dozens more.
Bad Example

Additional Activities

 

  • Hiking
  • Playing Minecraft

What’s wrong with the second of those high school grad resumes?

 

It’s vague.

 

Instead of hiking, it could say, “Hiked 20+ 4,000-foot peaks in 2 years as member of Peak Bagger’s Club.”

 

That’s wow-worthy.

 

Finally—

 

What high school graduate resume skills do you need in your application?

 

See this list of skills to put on a resume:

 

High School Graduate Resume—Skills

 

  1. Interpersonal Skills
  2. Communication
  3. Teamwork
  4. Time Management
  5. Problem Solving
  6. Attention to Detail
  7. Listening
  8. Adaptability
  9. Organization
  10. Computer Skills

 

But—

 

Don’t list them all. That’s fudging.

 

Only list skills you can prove in your high school graduate resume.

Expert Hint: Write a cover letter for your high school grad resume. Talk about how much you like the company, why, and how the job fits your goals and passions.

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

 

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CREATE YOUR COVER LETTER NOWcreate your cover letter now

Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here.

 

Haven't written your cover letter yet? See:

 

Key Points

 

Here’s how to write a resume for a high school graduate:

  • Start with a good high school graduate resume template. Fill it with your best accomplishments.
  • Split your resume education section into subsections for classes you excelled in, groups, and other school accomplishments.
  • Add interests, hobbies, and athletics that show off your passions.
  • Write a high school graduate resume objective for the top that puts your best school moments in a nutshell. (But write it last!)

 

Write a scholarship cover letter to stand out from the crowd.  

 

Need more career resources? Check these out:

 

Got questions on how to write good resumes for high school graduates? Not sure how to choose what to put in your resume objective for high school graduates with little experience? Leave a comment. We’ll be happy to reply!

 

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

 

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines, ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets. Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

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Tom Gerencer, CPRW
Having published over 200 career-advice articles, Tom Gerencer is a career expert who covers the whole array of job-seeking topics for people at all career stages, from interns to C-suite members. His insights, commentary, and articles reach over a million readers every month. With inside knowledge of key industry players and in-depth research, Tom helps job seekers with advice across all professions and career stages. Tom holds a degree in English from Colby College.

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